Comparison

Diary vs Happy 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

Happy Diary

Features
Read full description

Happy Diary is a simple place to keep the moments that made you happy and meet them again after time has passed. You do not need to write a long diary every day. A title is enough to save a memory, and you can add as much or as little as you want. Keep each memory with: • Photos • Notes and stories • Categories • Keywords for feelings and meaning • Flexible memory dates • Local MP3 music or a YouTube video Your memories are stored locally on your device by default, and no account or login is required. REDISCOVER MEMORIES OVER TIME Happy Diary is not designed to pressure you into recording something every day. With the optional Revisit Memories feature, the app can occasionally bring back a good memory you have not seen for a while. Choose the rhythm that feels right for you: • Occasionally • Weekly • Monthly You can also keep reminders completely turned off. The same memory is not shown too often, helping each rediscovery feel special. FIND YOUR MEMORIES EASILY Search and browse memories by title, notes, category, keywords, or when the memory happened. As time passes, your archive becomes a personal collection of moments worth keeping. ADD PHOTOS AND MUSIC Add up to 10 photos to a memory and choose a favorite image. You can also attach one local MP3 file or connect a YouTube video that reminds you of that moment. BACK UP YOUR MEMORIES Create a local backup that includes your memories and attached media, and restore it when needed. SIMPLE BY DESIGN • Only the title is required • No account or login required • Local-first memory storage • Optional low-frequency reminders • Local revisit history • Light and dark themes • Multiple languages supported Good memories do not need to be seen every day. Sometimes, meeting them again after enough time has passed makes them feel even more meaningful. Keep the moments you want to remember with Happy Diary.

Screenshots

Diary4 screens
Happy Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Diary at none against Happy Diary's 1. Diary also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Happy Diary's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 months). On price, ads 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. Happy Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Diary ships an update every 5 months, Happy Diary every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Diary versus Happy Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiaryHappy Diary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.7K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAurel CristeJIMAN HA

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

Happy Diary

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Diary

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Happy Diary

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Diary free?
Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Happy Diary free?
Happy Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Diary or Happy Diary have ads?
Both Diary and Happy Diary show ads.
Which is updated more often, Diary or Happy Diary?
Diary ships an update every 5 months, and Happy Diary every 2 days. Most recently, Diary was updated on November 6, 2026 and Happy Diary on October 31, 2026.

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