Comparison

The Diary by YYM vs uStory

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Diary by YYM

Embark on a narrative adventure exploring childhood memories through interactive diary entries. Make choices that shape the unfolding stories, accompanied by charming artwork. Unlock new entries daily with free keys.

Highlights
  • 16 interactive diary entries
  • Choice-driven narrative
  • Cute art style
  • Over 100 colorful drawings
  • Daily free keys for entry access
Features
Read full description

The Diary is a spin-off of The Letter - a horror visual novel. Join Rebecca Gales and Ashton Frey in their childhood adventures! -------- How to play: - The Diary has a total of 16 diary entries. You need a key to access each entry. - Each day, a key will be given for free, so don't forget to play to claim your key! - Currently, you can't change the choices you've already made so choose wisely! In the future, we will add a patch that'll let you re-select the choices. Features: - Sixteen diary entries/stories - Power to change how each story will play out - Cute art-style and over 100 colorful drawings Others: - Please support The Letter! You can download the game for free here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-letter-horror-visual-novel/id1251251637?mt=8 -------- "Two years ago, we released The Diary for the first time as a Valentine’s gift to our backers. This was, originally, just a small project to help promote our main game, The Letter, while it was still in development. We never really expected anything to come out of The Diary, so no words can express how thankful (and shocked) we are that after two years, it has garnered more than 100,000 installs and now has its own little fanbase. We owe this to you." - The Diary Epilogue, Developer's Notes -------- IMPORTANT NOTICE: This game contains ads and in-app purchases. ABOUT THE DEVELOPER: We're Yangyang Mobile, a small indie team from the Philippines! We make beautiful, story-driven games. :) Please consider supporting us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/yangyangmobile CONTACT US: For any concerns, feedbacks and suggestions, please email danni@yangyangmobile.com

About

uStory

Create and read interactive stories where your choices shape the narrative. Utilize AI to write branching storylines and explore endless worlds across various genres. Publish your own creations and experience unique, evolving reading sessions.

Highlights
  • AI-assisted story creation
  • Branching narratives with AI continuations
  • Multiple story genres
  • Personalized reading experiences
  • Publish user-created stories
  • Unique, evolving story sessions
Read full description

uStory – Write the Story, Make the Choices Every choice leads to a new story. Whether you're a reader or a writer, uStory puts the power in your hands. Dive into thrilling adventures, romantic journeys, mysterious puzzles, or intense drama. Now you can do more than just read — you can create with the power of AI. NEW: AI-POWERED STORY CREATION Let your imagination flow. Write the first page and choices — and let AI take it from there. Every reader makes different choices, and the story continues in real time, generated by AI. * Start your story: Write the first scene and define the initial choices. * Add details: Title, summary, genre, background, cover photo, and language. * Publish it: Readers interact with your story and shape their own paths. * AI writes the next page and options based on each reader’s decisions. * No two paths are the same. Every reader gets a unique, dynamic experience. What You’ll Find on uStory: Interactive Stories Choose your path in every chapter. Genres include adventure, romance, mystery, fantasy, horror, and more. Romantic Storylines Fall in love, flirt, and build deep connections with emotional characters in immersive love stories. Choices That Matter Your decisions shape the storyline and determine how it ends. You’re in full control. Create Your Own Story Become a creator! Team up with AI to build your own branching story and share it with the uStory community. Endless Worlds to Explore From magical lands to emotional dramas, explore stories across countless genres — or create your own universe. Features: * AI-assisted interactive story creation * Branching narratives with real-time AI-generated continuations * Romance, mystery, fantasy, drama, and more * Personalized reading experiences based on your choices * Publish your own stories and reach new readers * Every story session is unique and evolving uStory brings stories to life — written by you, shaped by your choices, and powered by AI. Are you ready to choose your path and begin your story? By downloading uStory, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Privacy Policy: https://ustory.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

The Diary by YYM4 screens
uStory4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: uStory at every 2 months against The Diary by YYM's every 23 months. uStory also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0). The Diary by YYM's advantage is review sentiment (89% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Diary by YYM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and uStory sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

uStory holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 6 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of The Diary by YYM's written reviews are positive against 67% of uStory's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Diary by YYM ships an update every 23 months, uStory every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Diary by YYM versus uStory: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Diary by YYMuStory
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (9 ratings)4.3 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 23 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size198 MB190 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperMAMA MORIN LLC.Kenan Kurt

Customer experience

The Diary by YYM

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

uStory

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Diary by YYM

One-time1
  • Unlimited Keys & Remove Ads$0.99
8 purchases

uStory

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Yearly3 Days trial$69.991 Year
One-time6
  • 80 uMoney$0.99
  • 500 uMoney$4.99
  • 1200 uMoney$9.99
Show 3 more
  • 2500 uMoney$19.99
  • 6500 uMoney$49.99
  • 14000 uMoney$99.99

Questions

Is The Diary by YYM free?
The Diary by YYM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is uStory free?
uStory is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Diary by YYM or uStory?
uStory is rated higher. The Diary by YYM averages 4.0 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while uStory averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do The Diary by YYM or uStory have ads?
Neither The Diary by YYM nor uStory shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Diary by YYM or uStory?
The Diary by YYM ships an update every 23 months, and uStory every 2 months. Most recently, The Diary by YYM was updated on November 2, 2026 and uStory on November 3, 2026.

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