Comparison

Simple Diary vs Daily Notes

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

Head to head
About

Simple Diary

This app provides a simple and convenient way to journal your thoughts and experiences. It allows you to add images, secure your entries with a passcode, and customize the app's appearance. Data backup and search functions ensure your memories are safe and easily accessible.

Highlights
  • Insert images into entries
  • Secure passcode lock (Face ID/Touch ID)
  • Customizable theme colors and app icon
  • Data backup to iTunes/PC and cloud services
  • Tag-based search for entries
  • Adjustable text font size and color
  • Daily reminder notifications
Features
Read full description

Simple Diary is a simple, easy-to-use free diary app where you can save photos along with your entries. Use it for daily journaling, baby milestones, travel memories, a record of your pet's growth, or a secret diary just for you. Clean, simple screens help you keep going, even if diaries never stuck before. No account registration. Download it and start writing. Your diary stays on your device, and the app works offline. [Features] ■ Add Photos to Entries (Up to 10 per Entry) Like a blog, insert images between paragraphs. Attach photos from your camera roll. ■ Secure Passcode Lock Protect your diary with a passcode. Supports Face ID and Touch ID for quick, secure access. ■ 22 Font Styles Change the look of your diary with 22 font styles, from cute to classic serif. (Some fonts are premium.) ■ Theme Colors and App Icons Choose from 19 theme colors, from cute to cool. You can also change the app icon. (Requires the latest iOS version.) ■ Data Export Export your diary as PDF, HTML, RTFD, or TXT files (premium service). Open them on a computer to reread your diary on a bigger screen, or print entries on paper. ■ Turn an Entry into an Image or PDF Save an entry as one image or a PDF to post to social media, send to family, or print. ■ Data Backup Back up your data to iCloud or your computer. RTFD export (premium service) lets you move your entries to your notes app or cloud storage. ■ iCloud Backup Back up your diary to iCloud and restore it on another device (premium service). It is a manual backup, not automatic sync: back up on your iPhone, then restore on your iPad. ■ Calendar and List Views Look back at your diary on a calendar or as a list. Tap a date to reread that day. ■ Tag Search Use the built-in search to find entries quickly. Write a tag such as "#travel" in the text, and searching for it brings up just those entries. ■ Font Settings Adjust text size, contrast, and line spacing. Great if you prefer larger text. ■ Reminders Set a reminder time and get a push notification, so you don't forget to write. ■ Multiple Entries Per Day Write one entry per day, or add several for memos, work records, or passing thoughts. Change an entry's date and time to write about past days. There is no limit on entry length. [Pricing] The core diary features are all free: entries, photos, passcode lock, search, and reminders. The free version shows ads. The premium service removes all ads and unlocks iCloud backup, data export, all theme colors, and all font styles. Premium is available as a monthly plan, a yearly plan, or a one-time purchase, all with the same features, and covers both your iPhone and iPad under the same Apple Account. [Your Data] Your diary is stored on your device and is not synced to the cloud automatically. To protect your data, use the premium iCloud backup or Apple's iPhone backup. There is no feature to publish your diary or share it with other users. To show someone an entry, turn it into an image and send it. A backup moves your data to a new iPhone. Data transfer to or from other operating systems is not supported. [Perfect For] ■ Students A secret diary for your day, your feelings, and your crushes. Writing out what you can't post online helps you feel lighter. ■ Parents Record your pregnancy and your baby's growth as a photo diary. Write several entries a day, and share special pages with family as images. ■ Anyone Who Wants to Keep a Record Travel journals, reading and movie notes, food diaries, dream journals, daily work logs, or your pet's growth. Simple Diary fits whatever you want to remember, one day at a time. [Help, Feedback] For help, go to "Help / FAQ" in the app settings. Still have questions? Tap "Feedback" on the settings screen to contact us for faster support. Terms of Use: https://komorebi-studio.com/tos_en.html Privacy Policy: https://komorebi-studio.com/policyredirect.html

About

Daily Notes

Effortlessly record life's details and cherish memories with this journaling app. Organize personal life, work, and study information through text, images, and mood tracking. Features include a simple interface, diverse recording methods, and creative customization options.

Highlights
  • Simple and beautiful interface
  • Text and image recording
  • Mood diary with emojis
  • Manual account editing with stickers
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Customizable doll creation
  • One-click sharing
Features
Read full description

Daily Notes - journaling app Piled Journal is a powerful hand accounting software that effortlessly records every detail of life and treasures beautiful memories. Help users easily manage personal life, work, and study information, making your life more organized and efficient. Whether you want to keep track of daily to-do lists, organize shopping lists, or create travel plans, keep track of joys and sorrows, or pile up hand accounts, it can meet your needs. Application features: 1. Simple and beautiful interface design: The heap diary adopts a simple and elegant style design, allowing users to quickly get started and operate easily. To create your exclusive ledger and diary for you. 2. Diversified recording methods: The application supports multiple editing methods such as text and images. Users can add, modify, and delete content according to their own needs. At the same time, there is also a dedicated ledger for sorting diary content, making it convenient for users to quickly search and organize their ledger information. 3. Mood diary function: Record the ups and downs and flow of emotions. Exclusive cute emojis that record the joys, sorrows, and joys of the day. 4. Powerful manual account editing: Massive and exquisite manual account material stickers, convenient and fast to use. Exclusive dynamic effects, creating exclusive diary accounts. 5. Brush function: Supports Apple Pencil, making it more convenient to use the iPad 6. Add a new dressing park to create exclusive dolls, whose shapes can be cool and cute in one second; 7. More features: One click sharing of accounts, making it possible to create accounts together. More features are constantly improving, and your support is our driving force! Thank you for your support! Service Terms : https://xuxiangping2024.github.io/posts/xuxiang/fuwu.html Privacy terms : https://xuxiangping2024.github.io/posts/xuxiang/privacy.html

Screenshots

Simple Diary4 screens
Daily Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Diary at 4.8 against Daily Notes's 4.4. Simple Diary also leads on ratings volume (908 vs 14). Daily Notes's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Simple Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Daily Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Diary has 908 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of Simple Diary's written reviews are positive against 100% of Daily Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Diary ships an update every 2 months, Daily Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simple Diary versus Daily Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple DiaryDaily Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (908 ratings) — better4.4 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings908 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015
Further details — not scored
Size206 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.香屏 许

Customer experience

Simple Diary

All ratings908 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews415 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral9.9%
Negative11.8%

Daily Notes

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Simple Diary

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Some characters not displaying properly
  • Calendar dates not always accurate
  • Deleted entries not recoverable

Requested features

5 requests
  • Automatic iCloud/Google Drive sync
  • More font and theme customization options
  • Video recording and embedding
  • Ability to add tags or categories to entries
  • One-tap access to previous day's entry

Daily Notes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Simple Diary

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Monthly)$3.991 Month
  • Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Service (Lifetime)$69.99
3 purchases

Daily Notes

Subscriptions2
  • YueVIP$2.991 Month
  • JiDuVIP$6.993 Months
One-time1
  • ProVersion$12.99

Questions

Is Simple Diary free?
Simple Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Daily Notes free?
Daily Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Diary or Daily Notes?
Simple Diary is rated higher. Simple Diary averages 4.8 out of 5 from 908 ratings, while Daily Notes averages 4.4 from 14 ratings.
Do Simple Diary or Daily Notes have ads?
Both Simple Diary and Daily Notes show ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Diary or Daily Notes?
Simple Diary ships an update every 2 months, and Daily Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Simple Diary was updated on October 29, 2026 and Daily Notes on October 24, 2026.

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