Personal Diary (Journal) App vs Lock Keeper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Personal Diary (Journal) App
This app provides a simple and secure digital space for journaling. It offers passcode and biometric protection, iCloud sync across devices, and the ability to add photos, moods, and weather to your entries. It's designed to be an accessible and ad-free journalling experience.
- Passcode & biometric protection
- iCloud sync across devices
- Import photos into entries
- Set mood and weather
- Daily writing reminders
- VoiceOver support
- Dark Mode
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"When all you want is the digital equivalent of a paper diary, this is the perfect one." - goyyboy "Loving the lighthearted feel of this deceptively powerful app." - plinkplok "Good and accessible with VoiceOver" - Allan.summers Need a simple, free, and easy-to-use journalling app? Meet Personal Diary! With no advertisements, limitations, nor any upfront cost, Personal Diary is your simplest and best journalling tool yet. Easily access all your entries in all your devices with iCloud Sync. Write diary entries without worrying that someone will peek at what you wrote, with passcode & biometric protection. Forgot about your diary? The app can 'summon' you back with a friendly nudge. You can also import as many photos as you wish into your entries. As an optional addition, you can set your mood, and add weather and tags to an entry. Notable Features: - Numeric passcode lock (any number of digits). - Unlock using Touch ID or Face ID on supported devices. - Auto-saves as you type. - Simple & easy to use. - Sync data between devices via iCloud Drive. - Ability to pick a mood and weather of the day. - Mood & weather can be automatically chosen. - Import photos to your entries. - Select a theme to suit your style. - Dark Mode for better night use. - VoiceOver fully supported. - Simple Rich Text editing supported. - Optimized for multitasking on iPad. - Full support for physical keyboards, trackpad, and mice. - watchOS keyboard support on Series 7+, and FlickType keyboard support for legacy watch models. - Fully compatible with all modern iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch* models. - Daily notifications for writing in your diary. - No advertisements & absolutely FREE! :D *Some features may not be available on the Apple Watch. Primary editing and viewing functions, such as the Timeline interface and entry editor, are available on the watch. Don't forget to let me know what you think of Personal Diary by leaving a review on the App Store! Reviews and ratings help and let other users find this app. If you have any problems or questions, feel free to send a feedback; I might be able to help! :) Warning: - Please do not forget your password. If you forget your password and your identity cannot be verified, you may not be able to access your data. This app allows you to tip/donate to directly support the development of this app through in-app purchases. No new features will be provided when you tip, it's just to support the app's development if you would like to. Selecting a Small/Medium/Large Tip will initiate a one-time payment for tipping. A Continuous Tip is an automatic-renewal subscription to tip every month, and will renew automatically every month unless it's turned off or cancelled (through your account settings) at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. For this, your Apple account will be charged when payment is confirmed, and charged for auto-renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the selected price. You may locate our terms at https://legal.wern.cc/app/terms and privacy policy at https://legal.wern.cc/app/privacy.
Lock Keeper
Control your HomeKit compatible door locks from your Apple Watch and iPhone. Features an intuitive interface designed to prevent accidental locking or unlocking, with clear visual status updates on your watch face.
- Control HomeKit door locks
- Apple Watch complications for status
- Intuitive interface to prevent accidental use
- Supports August, Yale, Schlage, and Weiser locks
- Lock/unlock via touch and hold or digital crown
- Privacy-focused, no data collection
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Lock Keeper lets you control all your HomeKit compatible door locks with confidence, and see their status on the Apple Watch complications. The app has a refined and intuitive interface, that requires clear intent to operate the lock, and prevents accidental door locking and unlocking. The app can control the door locks once they've been added to your HomeKit setup using the Apple's Home app on iOS, or the door lock maker's iOS app. Some of the supported door locks: - August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, Smart Lock, and Smart Lock Pro - Yale Assure - Schlage Sense - Weiser Premis • Touch and hold on the lock in the watch app to lock and unlock your door. • You can also spin the digital crown to lock and unlock. • Touch and hold time span, and the digital crown travel are calibrated to prevent the accidental door locking and unlocking. • The watch face complication status will not update in the background, but it will update any time you use the app, so you will have a visible reminder that the door is locked, as long as you use this app to operate the lock. • If you have multiple locks, swipe left and right to navigate to them. While the app's minimalist looks betray the simplicity of its operation, what they don't show is the amount of planning, design, development and refinement that went into it, ensuring it becomes something that is enjoyable to use and experience. Lock Watch does not collect any of your data. Your lock status and activity never leaves the Apple ecosystem. Author of Lock Watch does not receive any information from this app, at any point.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Personal Diary (Journal) App at 87% against Lock Keeper's 0%. Personal Diary (Journal) App also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 37 months). Lock Keeper's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Personal Diary (Journal) App is free to download; Lock Keeper costs $0.99 up front. Personal Diary (Journal) App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Lock Keeper asks for nothing beyond the download.
Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, Lock Keeper every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Personal Diary (Journal) App | Lock Keeper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (106 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 106 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 37 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wern Jie Lim | Marko Radakovic |
Customer experience
Personal Diary (Journal) App
Lock Keeper
Bugs and requests
Personal Diary (Journal) App
Reported bugs
4 issues- Entries sometimes disappear or fail to load
- Passcode/Touch ID not working reliably
- Syncing issues between devices
- Unexpected crashes when opening the app
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to password protect individual entries
- Implement calendar view for better navigation
- Allow adding videos and other media types
- Improve search capabilities with advanced filters
- Provide better data backup and export options
Lock Keeper
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Personal Diary (Journal) App
- Continuous Tip$1.991 Month
- Small Tip$0.99
- Medium Tip$2.99
- Large Tip$9.99
Lock Keeper
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Personal Diary (Journal) App free?
Is Lock Keeper free?
Do Personal Diary (Journal) App or Lock Keeper have ads?
Which is updated more often, Personal Diary (Journal) App or Lock Keeper?
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