# Simple Daily Diary vs Journal

The clearest difference is rating: Journal at 5.0 against Simple Daily Diary's 4.5. Journal also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 50 months). Simple Daily Diary's advantage is ratings volume (1.3K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Daily Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Daily Diary has 1.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Simple Daily Diary ships an update every 50 months, Journal every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Daily Diary | Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-daily-diary/id1232014505/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-with-password/id6468249996/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 52.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 50 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dmytro Vynokurov](https://appshunter.io/developer/350017076) | [Olufemi Adedire](https://appshunter.io/developer/1701746573) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Daily Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-daily-diary/id1232014505)

Capture your everyday moments with a fast, easy, and beautifully designed journaling app. Add custom titles, personalize with themes, and easily find past entries with smart search. Sync across devices and enjoy local backups for peace of mind.

**Highlights:** Add custom titles to entries, 20+ handpicked color themes, Smart search by date or keywords, Share thoughts and memories, iCloud sync between iPhone and iPad, Local device backup

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Diary | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💡 Straightforward diary format
- 🚀 Clean and fast interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 No password or lock feature
- 📤 Limited storage space without paid upgrade
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior with paid upgrade
- 🔄 Inability to edit/add past entries

**Reported bugs**

- Paid upgrade not working as expected
- Entries disappearing or not saving properly
- Freezing or crashing when using certain features

**Requested features**

- Add password/lock feature
- Increase storage space or make it truly unlimited
- Allow editing and adding of past entries
- Provide cloud backup/sync option
- Offer more customization options (colors, fonts, etc.)


### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-with-password/id6468249996)

Securely record your thoughts, secrets, and private moments with this digital journal. Protect your entries with a password, Touch ID, or Face ID, and enrich them with photos and videos. Easily organize and search your memories.

**Highlights:** Password, Touch ID, Face ID lock, Add text, photos, and videos, Tagging for entries, Searchable diary, Export entries, iCloud sync

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly: Journal Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| 3-Monthly: Journal Pro Quarter | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| 6-Monthly:Journal Pro 6 months | $3.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly: Journal Pro Annual | $4.99 | per year |
| Journal Pro Lifetime Access | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Daily Diary free?

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

### Is Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Simple Daily Diary or Journal?

Journal is rated higher. Simple Daily Diary averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Journal averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Simple Daily Diary or Journal have ads?

Neither Simple Daily Diary nor Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Simple Daily Diary or Journal?

Simple Daily Diary ships an update every 50 months, and Journal every 4 months. Most recently, Simple Daily Diary was updated on October 24, 2026 and Journal on October 22, 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.*