# Digital Diaries vs Thornby

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Digital Diaries at none against Thornby's 3. Thornby's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Thornby sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $69.99 per year. Digital Diaries asks for nothing beyond the download.

Digital Diaries ships an update every 5 weeks, Thornby daily. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Digital Diaries | Thornby |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (230 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-diaries/id1248078801/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **230** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 94 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Forsta, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/670071637) | [NicRya, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6812923776) |

## What reviewers say

### Digital Diaries

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-diaries/id1248078801)

This platform allows researchers to gain deep insights by immersing themselves in the lives of their respondents. Participants can complete activities, answer questions, and share media conveniently, even on the go. It facilitates exploration of emotions, behaviors, and contexts through interactive diaries and discussions.

**Highlights:** Activity-based market research, Respondent immersion, On-the-go participation, Open and closed-ended questions, Photo and video uploads, Participant discussions

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Thornby

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thornby/id6812923774)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro, yearly | $69.99 | per year |
| Reports | $39.99 | one-time |
| Pro, Forever | $179.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Digital Diaries free?

Digital Diaries is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thornby free?

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

### Do Digital Diaries or Thornby have ads?

Neither Digital Diaries nor Thornby shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Digital Diaries or Thornby?

Digital Diaries ships an update every 5 weeks, and Thornby daily. Most recently, Digital Diaries was updated on November 6, 2026 and Thornby on October 31, 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.*