Comparison

Diary vs Dear Diary,

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Diary

This app provides a secure and beautiful space to record your thoughts, plans, and life moments. Protect your entries with a password and enjoy a customizable interface with features like image support and PDF export.

Highlights
  • Password protection with PIN
  • Add/edit/remove images
  • Search functionality
  • Export entries to PDF
  • Customizable color and font styles
  • Reminders
  • Auto-lock for privacy
Features
Read full description

Secret thoughts and moments should always remain secret and a private diary should always be intimate, beautiful and safe. With that in mind, we dedicated our efforts to create a simple and beautiful diary application that helps you lock your secrets with your own password. Use this diary and put down all your thoughts or even future plans and follow them as the time passes. Make it your trustworthy friend who never judges you and who's always there for you. A good diary required good features, so here are some of the great features especially created for you: EASY TO USE & BEAUTIFUL - very easy to use yet very comprehensive - beautiful view off all your notes right on the main screen - easy navigation between your diary entries - image add/edit/remove functionality - image library with great gallery view - great overview of your daily entries - quick entry add, edit & delete - beautiful emojis(emoticos) - highlight your mood and feelings - search functionality - quickly & easily search through your journal - export to PDF functionality - save all your entries whenever you want SAFE & PRIVATE - PASSWORD PROTECTED - password lock functionality to keep your secret save - 4 digit PIN code - functionality for password update, recovery and removal - auto lock after more than 5 minutes of inactivity CUSTOMIZABLE - multiple color styles from which you can choose - multiple font styles - customizable font-size - reminders functionality OTHER COOL FEATURES - data reset functionality - beautiful design - can be easily used as a diet journal or even travel diary - totally free Regardless you want to write your love story or you just want to write down your thoughts and moments from your life, we hope this diary will turn out to be your best friend and confidant. Enjoy your life and create amazing stories!

About

Dear Diary,

Features
Read full description

However today finds you — you're welcome here. Dear Diary, is a private diary for people who could never quite stick with journaling, and for the nights it gets heavy. It's tiny when you want it — one line is a win — and there for you when you need more than a blank page. Vent, then close the page. When something's too much, set it down. Then, if you like, a gentle companion meets you: it reflects your own words back, helps you name what you're feeling, and leaves you a little lighter. It's on your device, it's yours, and it's comfort — not therapy. Private to the bone. No account. No sign-in. No ads, no tracking, no one reading your words — not even the developer. Lock an entry and it's truly encrypted. Keep a hidden journal. Export everything, anytime. Your words never leave your device unless you turn on sync to your own private iCloud. A diary that remembers with you. • Write, talk it out, or brain-dump — one line or a page • A calm space for hard moments: breathe, ground, be kind to yourself • Notice the gentle threads that run through your days • Letters to your future self, sealed until a date you choose • Soundtrack an entry with the song you had on • Look back gently — your patterns, your constellation, your year • Moods, tags, photos, voice memos, calendar, and On This Day Made to feel like yours. Templates and prompts for when the page feels daunting, themes and colors to make it home, and a design that stays calm and out of the way. Free, and fair. Writing, the gentle close, crisis resources, locking, and export are free forever. Dear Diary, Plus adds the deeper reflective views, unlimited letters, soundtracks, Apple Health, and cross-device sync — with no retroactive paywalls. What you buy, you keep. A note on care. Dear Diary, is a journaling companion, not therapy or medical treatment. If you're struggling, please reach out to someone you trust or a crisis line — there's a support card a tap away. Named in tribute to the Bring Me The Horizon song. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the band. — Support & privacy Questions or feedback: venetsia@icloud.com Support: https://venetsia.github.io/dear-diary-support/ Privacy Policy: https://venetsia.github.io/dear-diary-support/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://venetsia.github.io/dear-diary-support/terms.html

Screenshots

Diary4 screens
Dear Diary,4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Diary at none against Dear Diary,'s 3. Diary also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Dear Diary,'s advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Dear Diary, sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Diary versus Dear Diary,: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiaryDear Diary,
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.7K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB7 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperAurel CristeVenetsia Krasteva

Bugs and requests

Diary

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Password not working consistently
  • Entries disappearing or not saving properly
  • Scrolling/jumping text when writing longer entries
  • Inability to recover deleted entries

Requested features

6 requests
  • Backup and sync across devices
  • More customization options (fonts, colors, backgrounds)
  • Ability to export entries
  • Night mode/dark theme
  • Voice-to-text entry
Show 1 more
  • Ability to organize entries by tags or categories

Dear Diary,

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Diary

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Dear Diary,

Subscriptions2
  • Dear Diary Plus (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Dear Diary Plus (Yearly)14 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dear Diary Plus (Lifetime)$69.99

Questions

Is Diary free?
Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dear Diary, free?
Dear Diary, is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Diary or Dear Diary, have ads?
Diary shows ads; Dear Diary, does not.

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