# Live Note vs Secret Diary

The clearest difference is rating: Live Note at 4.7 against Secret Diary's 3.3. Live Note also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 38%) and ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Live Note sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Secret Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Live Note holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Live Note has 531 ratings behind it against 98, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Live Note's written reviews are positive against 38% of Secret Diary's.

Live Note ships an update every 5 weeks, Secret Diary every 11 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Live Note | Secret Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (531 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-note-animated-notes/id1094394298/reviews)** | [3.3 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-private-life/id1333060745/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **531** | 98 |
| Positive reviews | **75.0% of reviews** | 38.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 155 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.2** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [IPATH SYSTEM LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1017373631) | [Fahad Manzoor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1144176876) |

## What reviewers say

### Live Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-note-animated-notes/id1094394298)

Transform plain text and images into dynamic animated videos and GIFs. Personalize your notes with custom fonts, colors, and effects, then share your creations easily across social media and messaging platforms.

**Highlights:** Create animated text videos, Generate GIFs from notes, Customize text color, font, and size, Add special effects and adjust writing speed, Select custom backgrounds or use your own images, Share creations via social media and email

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Watermark | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Fonts | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Effects | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and understand
- ✨ Wonderful and beautiful app
- ✍️ Great for letter writing
- 💖 Love it, touch of class
- 🌟 Fantastic for poems and quotes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 No emoji showing
- 🐛 Won't post to Instagram/Facebook as text
- 🐛 Saving issues for email/Facebook
- 🐛 Saving to videotape issue
- 🐛 Flaws and glitches after purchase

**Reported bugs**

- Text not posting to Instagram/Facebook, only static image
- Cannot save posts for email or Facebook
- Did not save to videotape
- Glitches appear after purchase

**Requested features**

- Allow usage before purchase
- Show emojis
- Multiple ways for text to appear (not just typing animation)
- Troubleshooting help available through app


### Secret Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-private-life/id1333060745)

Securely record your daily thoughts, feelings, and life events. Express yourself with text, pictures, music, and decorative stickers to capture your mood and creativity.

**Highlights:** Record daily thoughts, Capture life happenings, Add pictures and text, Include music, Decorate with stickers, Express creativity

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Version | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cute and fun diary
- 🔒 Passcode protection works
- 💡 Can change font
- 💡 Can go back to previous day
- 💡 Can change volume

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes on password entry
- 🐛 Content disappears
- 🐛 App deletes work
- 🐛 Blank screen on opening
- 🐛 Slow loading times

**Reported bugs**

- App goes black and closes on password entry
- Content disappears after writing
- Work is deleted when interacting with music button
- Blank screen on app launch
- Slow loading times

**Requested features**

- Add a section for moods/emojis
- Fix the bug where content disappears
- Fix the bug where the app goes black
- Fix the bug where the app deletes work
- Fix the bug with ads causing data loss


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Live Note free?

Live Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Secret Diary free?

Secret Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Live Note or Secret Diary?

Live Note is rated higher. Live Note averages 4.7 out of 5 from 531 ratings, while Secret Diary averages 3.3 from 98 ratings.

### Do Live Note or Secret Diary have ads?

Secret Diary shows ads; Live Note does not.

### Which is updated more often, Live Note or Secret Diary?

Live Note ships an update every 5 weeks, and Secret Diary every 11 months. Most recently, Live Note was updated on October 24, 2026 and Secret Diary on October 24, 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.*