# Personal Diary (Journal) App vs Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Diary at none against Personal Diary (Journal) App's 4. Diary also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). Personal Diary (Journal) App's advantage is ratings volume (106 vs 2) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, rating, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Personal Diary (Journal) App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Personal Diary (Journal) App against 4.5 for Diary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Personal Diary (Journal) App has 106 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Personal Diary (Journal) App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Diary's.

Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, Diary fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Personal Diary (Journal) App | Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (106 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-journal-app/id1052570257/reviews) | **[4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-mood-tracker/id1641270031/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **106** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 26 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wern Jie Lim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1032934247) | [Tien Dat Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540394030) |

## What reviewers say

### Personal Diary (Journal) App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-journal-app/id1052570257)

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.

**Highlights:** Passcode & biometric protection, iCloud sync across devices, Import photos into entries, Set mood and weather, Daily writing reminders, VoiceOver support, Dark Mode

**Features:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Continuous Tip | $1.99 | per month |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Secure with passcode/Touch ID
- 🌤️ Ability to track mood and weather
- 📸 Option to add photos
- 🔍 Useful search functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🗓️ Lack of calendar view to easily navigate entries
- 🔍 Search functionality could be improved
- 📁 Issues with syncing and backing up data
- 🤖 Automatic mood/weather detection not always accurate

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-mood-tracker/id1641270031)

Record your thoughts, memories, and emotional states in a secure and private journal. This app allows you to write entries, add photos, and easily browse or search your past records. It offers PIN and biometric protection to keep your personal reflections safe.

**Highlights:** Write diary entries, Record memories and journeys, Track moods, Add photos to entries, PIN and biometric security, Browse and search diary timeline

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Personal Diary (Journal) App free?

Personal Diary (Journal) App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Diary free?

Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Personal Diary (Journal) App or Diary?

Diary is rated higher. Personal Diary (Journal) App averages 4.4 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while Diary averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Personal Diary (Journal) App or Diary have ads?

Neither Personal Diary (Journal) App nor Diary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Personal Diary (Journal) App or Diary?

Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, and Diary fortnightly. Most recently, Personal Diary (Journal) App was updated on November 2, 2026 and Diary on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*