# Basic Journal vs Daily Notes Planner 2

The clearest difference is rating: Daily Notes Planner 2 at 4.6 against Basic Journal's 3.3. Daily Notes Planner 2 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (322 vs 4). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Basic Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Daily Notes Planner 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Daily Notes Planner 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Daily Notes Planner 2 has 322 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Basic Journal's written reviews are positive against 54% of Daily Notes Planner 2's.

Basic Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, Daily Notes Planner 2 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and August 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Basic Journal | Daily Notes Planner 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-journal/id1139438456/reviews) | **[4.6 (322 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-notes-planner-2/id1317135517/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **322** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **53.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [James Hudson](https://appshunter.io/developer/599997663) | [Truth Honest Messaging, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1503496739) |

## What reviewers say

### Basic Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-journal/id1139438456)

A fast and simple journal app designed for busy individuals to quickly jot down notes on daily activities. It offers an elegant, chronological display of entries with easy editing and export options.

**Highlights:** Quick note-taking, Chronological note display, Summary and detail views, Edit and delete notes easily, Recently edited notes highlighted, iCloud syncing, Text export option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


### Daily Notes Planner 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-notes-planner-2/id1317135517)

This app offers a straightforward way to jot down plain-text notes for specific dates, acting as a simple calendar organizer. It allows for easy referencing and searching of notes, with iCloud syncing across devices. Additional note formats like folders and weekly schedules are also available.

**Highlights:** Plain-text notes by date, Calendar highlighting for dated notes, Chronological note search, iCloud syncing across devices, One Page Note, Folder Notes, Weekly Schedule Notes

**Features:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Version | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and simple
- 🚀 Amazing search functionality
- 👍 Great for note-taking and organization
- 👍 Minimal and no-nonsense design
- 👍 Well-made and reliable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Limited free version (10 days/notes)
- 🐛 Crashing issues reported
- 🐛 Sync issues between devices
- 🐛 Data not loading to MacBook
- 🐛 Glitchy sync

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing when inserting text
- Sync between devices is inconsistent
- Data won't load to MacBook
- Crashes when trying to load from iCloud
- Weekly schedule cannot update and sync properly

**Requested features**

- Import/export functionality for V2
- Text highlighting/bold/underline
- Upload photos to notes
- Change calendar settings (weekends on right)
- Document scanning in notes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Basic Journal free?

Basic Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Daily Notes Planner 2 free?

Daily Notes Planner 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Basic Journal or Daily Notes Planner 2?

Daily Notes Planner 2 is rated higher. Basic Journal averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Daily Notes Planner 2 averages 4.6 from 322 ratings.

### Do Basic Journal or Daily Notes Planner 2 have ads?

Basic Journal shows ads; Daily Notes Planner 2 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Basic Journal or Daily Notes Planner 2?

Basic Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Daily Notes Planner 2 fortnightly. Most recently, Basic Journal was updated on June 5, 2026 and Daily Notes Planner 2 on August 2, 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.*