# Personal Diary vs Diary with Lock

The clearest difference is update cadence: Personal Diary at every 9 days against Diary with Lock's every 3 months. Personal Diary also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (19% vs 0%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Personal Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Diary with Lock sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Personal Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Personal Diary has 362 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Personal Diary's written reviews are positive against 0% of Diary with Lock's.

Personal Diary ships an update every 9 days, Diary with Lock every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Personal Diary | Diary with Lock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (362 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-daily-journal/id1163616621/reviews)** | [4.2 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-idiary/id1625609721/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **362** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | **18.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 29 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Teleprompter LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/823066256) | [Heyou Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480358223) |

## 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


### Diary with Lock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-idiary/id1625609721)

Capture and cherish life's moments in a secure, beautifully designed digital journal. Add text, photos, and videos, track your mood and weather, and protect your entries with a passcode. Back up your memories to iCloud and export them as PDFs.

**Highlights:** Photo and text diary entries, Lock screen passcode protection, iCloud backup, Mood and weather tracking, Font customization, Intruder snapshots, PDF export

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iDiary Pro | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Personal Diary free?

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

### Is Diary with Lock free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Personal Diary or Diary with Lock?

Personal Diary is rated higher. Personal Diary averages 4.5 out of 5 from 362 ratings, while Diary with Lock averages 4.2 from 19 ratings.

### Do Personal Diary or Diary with Lock have ads?

Neither Personal Diary nor Diary with Lock shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Personal Diary or Diary with Lock?

Personal Diary ships an update every 9 days, and Diary with Lock every 3 months. Most recently, Personal Diary was updated on October 24, 2026 and Diary with Lock 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.*