# DAILY NOTE vs Zen

The clearest difference is ratings volume: DAILY NOTE at 310 against Zen's 3. DAILY NOTE also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3). Zen's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. DAILY NOTE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Zen sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

DAILY NOTE holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DAILY NOTE has 310 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

DAILY NOTE ships an update every 3 weeks, Zen every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DAILY NOTE | Zen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (310 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-note-day-note-diary/id1176935129/reviews)** | [4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-daily-diary-journal/id1665333520/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **310** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 83.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 40 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [youngjin seo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1140443665) | [Ryunosuke Nagase](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506451599) |

## What reviewers say

### DAILY NOTE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-note-day-note-diary/id1176935129)

Capture your daily thoughts and memories with this digital journal. Easily write entries, add photos, and customize your experience with various themes. Organize and find your notes effortlessly through calendar views and search.

**Highlights:** Easy and fast writing, Attach photos, Customizable themes, Calendar view for notes, Searchable content, Backup and restore, Password and biometric lock

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 📅 Useful calendar view and date tracking
- 🔒 Secure with password protection
- 🖼️ Ability to add photos to entries
- 💻 Seamless cross-device usage

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Excessive advertisements
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 🔖 Inability to create multiple entries per day
- 🔄 Lack of automatic backup/sync options
- 🖍️ Limited customization options for text formatting

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional app crashes
- Inconsistent behavior when saving notes
- Delayed or missing notification alerts

**Requested features**

- Add support for bullet points, bold, and italic text
- Implement iCloud/Google Drive sync for cross-device access
- Allow creation of multiple notes per day
- Introduce a dark mode option
- Provide more font and color customization options


### Zen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-daily-diary-journal/id1665333520)

This minimal journaling app helps you build a daily habit of recording your thoughts and experiences. It offers a simple, line-by-line entry system, calendar synchronization, and security features like password and biometric unlock. Organize entries with tags for easy retrieval.

**Highlights:** Effortless line-by-line recording, Calendar synchronization for context, Daily notification reminders, Minimalist and intuitive design, Password and biometric security, Tag-based organization and search

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PREMIUM - MONTHLY | $2.99 | per month |
| PREMIUM - ANNUAL | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DAILY NOTE free?

DAILY NOTE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Zen free?

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

### Which has better reviews, DAILY NOTE or Zen?

DAILY NOTE is rated higher. DAILY NOTE averages 4.6 out of 5 from 310 ratings, while Zen averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do DAILY NOTE or Zen have ads?

Both DAILY NOTE and Zen show ads.

### Which is updated more often, DAILY NOTE or Zen?

DAILY NOTE ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zen every 10 days. Most recently, DAILY NOTE was updated on November 2, 2026 and Zen on November 3, 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.*