Comparison

Diary! SmartDiary vs General Journal

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

Head to head
About

Diary! SmartDiary

Record daily life with photos and track your mood and schedule on a calendar. Secure your entries with a passcode and easily access past memories. Customize your diary with various settings for a personalized experience.

Highlights
  • Record memories with photos
  • Track daily mood and schedule
  • Passcode lock with biometric support
  • iCloud backup and data migration
  • Customizable calendar and diary settings
  • Input forgetting notifications
Read full description

Simple and easy operation private diary application. ・Leave memories of daily life with photos easily. ・You can enter in the calendar the mood and schedule of the day. ・You can easily display past memories. ・Passcode lock (Touch ID, Face ID support) ・iCloud backup (iPhone, data migration between the iPad is also possible) [Other functions] ・Cover photo setting ・Calendar display setting (Start Week On, Calendar Position, Cover Photo Size, Transparency) ・Diary text setting (Font Size, Font Depth, Line Spacing) ・Theme color setting ・Notification of forgetting input ・Support for landscape orientation (iPad only) [Credit] ・Designed by Freepik and distributed by Flaticon (https://www.flaticon.com) ・Icons8 (https://icons8.com) ・This software includes the work that is distributed in the Apache License 2.0.

About

General Journal

Features
Read full description

General Journal brings your diary, expenses, photos, and companion conversations together in one daily timeline. Capture everyday life • Write rich-text diary entries with moods and photos. • Record income and expenses manually or turn a sentence into entries with AI assistance. • Review suggested entries before saving them. • Scan receipts and Taiwan e-invoice QR codes to help with bookkeeping. • Find past entries with search and tags. Keep your finances in view • Manage accounts, transfers, credit card payments, and shared expenses. • Record spending in different currencies. • Review income, expenses, and category summaries. Make room for reflection • Talk with your in-app companion about your day. • Request a companion response to a saved entry. • Create and edit memory cards from selected records and conversations. • Personalize your experience with appearance and companion settings. Your records and your choices • No app account is required for core journaling and bookkeeping. • Core records and photos are stored on your device. • Optional AI features send the content and context needed for processing to an online service. • Receipt recognition uses on-device OCR; relevant text is sent for AI parsing. • Export local backups, or choose available cloud backup options. Cloud backup transfers your backup to the cloud service you select. • App lock helps protect access to your records. Free to use with ads. Optional purchases and subscriptions provide additional benefits; see the in-app plan details for current features and limits. Before updating or changing devices, export a current backup and keep it somewhere safe. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Diary! SmartDiary4 screens
General Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: General Journal at weekly against Diary! SmartDiary's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Diary! SmartDiary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and General Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Diary! SmartDiary ships an update every 3 months, General Journal weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Diary! SmartDiary versus General Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiary! SmartDiaryGeneral Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (45 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings45 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHideki OkunoZhegang Xu

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Diary! SmartDiary

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
2 purchases

General Journal

Subscriptions2
  • General Journal Basic$1.991 Month
  • General Journal Premium$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Diary! SmartDiary free?
Diary! SmartDiary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is General Journal free?
General Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Diary! SmartDiary or General Journal have ads?
Both Diary! SmartDiary and General Journal show ads.
Which is updated more often, Diary! SmartDiary or General Journal?
Diary! SmartDiary ships an update every 3 months, and General Journal weekly. Most recently, Diary! SmartDiary was updated on November 2, 2026 and General Journal on November 5, 2026.

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