# Journey vs Diary Up

The clearest difference is ads: Journey at none against Diary Up's shown. Diary Up's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Journey sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Diary Up sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Journey ships an update every 8 days, Diary Up every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Journey | Diary Up |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (5.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journey-diary-journal/id1300202543/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 285 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Two App Studio Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1130201870) | [立强 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/6798491138) |

## What reviewers say

### Journey

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journey-diary-journal/id1300202543)

This app provides a private space for reflection and memory keeping, featuring AI companions to help you write. Capture moments with photos and audio, organize entries with rich text tools, and track your mood over time. It offers secure, end-to-end encrypted cloud sync and collaborative journaling options.

**Highlights:** AI journaling companions, Multimedia entry capture, Rich text editing tools, Mood tracking, End-to-end encryption, Collaborative journaling, Customizable templates

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Month | $3.99 | per month |
| Membership (Monthly) | $6.99 | per month |
| Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Membership (Annual) | $29.99 | per year |
| Membership (Annual) | $49.99 | per year |
| Membership (Annual) Special | $49.99 | per year |
| Membership (Annual) Trial | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium | $17.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Membership | $199.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📚 Great journaling features
- 🌍 Cross-platform sync
- 💾 Reliable backup and export options
- 🎨 Visually appealing interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Limited search and organization options
- 📝 Lacking advanced text editing features
- 🤖 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- Cursor and text formatting issues
- Sync problems leading to data loss
- Crashes and performance problems
- Inconsistent behavior across platforms

**Requested features**

- Support for multiple journals/notebooks
- Handwriting/Apple Pencil support
- More customization options for appearance
- Improved search and tagging functionality
- Better integration with other apps and services


### Diary Up

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-up/id6803941820)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Journey free?

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

### Is Diary Up free?

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

### Do Journey or Diary Up have ads?

Diary Up shows ads; Journey does not.

### Which is updated more often, Journey or Diary Up?

Journey ships an update every 8 days, and Diary Up every 10 days. Most recently, Journey was updated on November 8, 2026 and Diary Up on October 29, 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.*