# Personal Diary vs Secure Daily Diary

Personal Diary and Secure Daily Diary both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 71% of Secure Daily Diary's written reviews are positive against 19% of Personal Diary's. Personal Diary's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Personal Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Secure Daily Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Personal Diary against 4.6 for Secure Daily Diary. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 362 and 456 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 19% of Personal Diary's written reviews are positive against 71% of Secure Daily Diary's.

Personal Diary ships an update every 9 days, Secure Daily Diary every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Personal Diary | Secure Daily Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (362 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-daily-journal/id1163616621/reviews) | **[4.6 (456 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-daily-diary/id1207570913/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 362 | **456** |
| Positive reviews | 18.8% of reviews | **71.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 29 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Teleprompter LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/823066256) | [Dmytro Vynokurov](https://appshunter.io/developer/350017076) |

## What reviewers say

### Personal Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-daily-journal/id1163616621)

Document your life with this private journaling app. Set daily reminders to write and secure your entries with a passcode. Get daily writing motivation through quotes and widgets.

**Highlights:** Daily journaling, Passcode security, Daily writing reminders, Writing motivation quotes, Today Widget

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus mode | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- ✨ Beautiful layout
- 📝 Good for notes and thoughts
- 💡 Great idea to add photos
- 😊 Enjoyable experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Pro version doesn't work
- ❌ App crashes after purchase
- 🔓 Cannot access app after setting passcode
- 📉 Data loss after purchase
- 🚫 No backup or sync

**Reported bugs**

- App opens and closes immediately
- App doesn't open after Pro purchase
- Entries disappear
- Screen freezes
- Cannot access app after setting passcode

**Requested features**

- Export to PDF
- Save to computer
- Cloud backup
- Import/export functionality
- Syncing across devices


### Secure Daily Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-daily-diary/id1207570913)

Capture your thoughts and memories securely with a private journal. Protect your entries with a passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID. Enjoy a customizable experience with various themes and icons, all stored locally and synced via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID protection, Local storage and iCloud sync, No third-party servers or sign-ups, 20+ color themes, Multiple app icons

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Diary | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Password protection keeps entries secure
- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- ✍️ Allows long, detailed diary entries
- 🎨 Customizable background colors
- 📋 Clean, condensed entry list view

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Severely limited free storage (only 5 entries)
- 💸 Expensive paid upgrade ($4.99-$7.99)
- 🐛 Entries not saving or disappearing after updates
- 🔐 Password protection fails to work on app restart
- 🆘 Poor developer communication and support

**Reported bugs**

- Entries disappear after app update or reinstall
- Entries fail to save properly
- Password protection bypassed when reopening app
- Search function causes app to freeze/lock up
- Paid upgrade not registering - asks to repay

**Requested features**

- Photo/image upload and attachment capability
- Touch ID or biometric authentication
- Better background customization and decoration options
- Ability to write entries for past dates
- More creative design and styling options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Personal Diary free?

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

### Is Secure Daily Diary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Personal Diary or Secure Daily Diary?

Secure Daily Diary is rated higher. Personal Diary averages 4.5 out of 5 from 362 ratings, while Secure Daily Diary averages 4.6 from 456 ratings.

### Do Personal Diary or Secure Daily Diary have ads?

Neither Personal Diary nor Secure Daily Diary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Personal Diary or Secure Daily Diary?

Personal Diary ships an update every 9 days, and Secure Daily Diary every 3 weeks. Most recently, Personal Diary was updated on November 2, 2026 and Secure Daily Diary on November 6, 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.*