# Life Diary vs Diary! SmartDiary

The clearest difference is price: Diary! SmartDiary at Free against Life Diary's $19.99. Diary! SmartDiary also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 49%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). Life Diary's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). On ratings volume, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Diary! SmartDiary is free to download; Life Diary costs $19.99 up front. Life Diary sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Diary! SmartDiary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Diary! SmartDiary holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 100 and 45 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Life Diary's written reviews are positive against 93% of Diary! SmartDiary's.

Life Diary ships an update every 4 days, Diary! SmartDiary every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Life Diary | Diary! SmartDiary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (100 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/life-diary-journal-and-notes/id1215242701/reviews) | **[4.6 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-smartdiary/id1381186388/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **100** | 45 |
| Positive reviews | 48.6% of reviews | **93.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 28 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [AJ Amen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437825799) | [Hideki Okuno](https://appshunter.io/developer/1234067922) |

## What reviewers say

### Life Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/life-diary-journal-and-notes/id1215242701)

A private digital journal for iPhone and iPad, offering secure note-taking with encryption and Face ID. Capture thoughts, track moods, and embed photos or voice recordings. Includes optional spiritual journaling and rewards for consistent use.

**Highlights:** Private journaling with Face ID/Touch ID, On-device encryption, Embed photos and voice recordings, Mood tracking and mapping, Structured templates (Gratitude, Goals), Optional spiritual journaling, Digital rewards for consistency

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Daily Goals+ | $2.99 | per month |
| Daily Goals+ | $19.99 | per year |
| Font Style | $2.99 | one-time |
| Privacy | $3.99 | one-time |
| Video | $5.99 | one-time |
| Media | $5.99 | one-time |
| Speech | $9.99 | one-time |
| Print | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all premium features | $29.99 | one-time |


### Diary! SmartDiary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-smartdiary/id1381186388)

Record daily life with photos and track your mood and schedule on a calendar. Secure your entries with a passcode and easily access past memories. Customize your diary with various settings for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Record memories with photos, Track daily mood and schedule, Passcode lock with biometric support, iCloud backup and data migration, Customizable calendar and diary settings, Input forgetting notifications

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Life Diary free?

Life Diary costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Diary! SmartDiary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Life Diary or Diary! SmartDiary?

Diary! SmartDiary is rated higher. Life Diary averages 4.3 out of 5 from 100 ratings, while Diary! SmartDiary averages 4.6 from 45 ratings.

### Do Life Diary or Diary! SmartDiary have ads?

Diary! SmartDiary shows ads; Life Diary does not.

### Which is updated more often, Life Diary or Diary! SmartDiary?

Life Diary ships an update every 4 days, and Diary! SmartDiary every 3 months. Most recently, Life Diary was updated on November 12, 2026 and Diary! SmartDiary on November 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.*