# Simple Diary vs Diary Up

The clearest difference is update cadence: Diary Up at every 10 days against Simple Diary's every 2 months. Simple Diary's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Diary sells 3 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.

Simple Diary ships an update every 2 months, Diary Up every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Diary | Diary Up |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (909 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-diary-daily-journal/id1388195923/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **909** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 206 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Komorebi Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/481596469) | [立强 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/6798491138) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-diary-daily-journal/id1388195923)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $3.99 | per month |
| Premium (Annual) | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Service (Lifetime) | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 📷 Ability to add photos
- 🔒 Password protection
- 🗓️ Organized by calendar view
- 🔍 Effective search functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 📁 Limited photo upload capacity
- 💰 Paywall for some features
- 🔄 Inconvenient manual backup/restore process
- 🎨 Limited font and theme options in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Some characters not displaying properly
- Calendar dates not always accurate
- Deleted entries not recoverable

**Requested features**

- 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


### 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 Simple Diary free?

Simple Diary 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 Simple Diary or Diary Up have ads?

Both Simple Diary and Diary Up show ads.

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

Simple Diary ships an update every 2 months, and Diary Up every 10 days. Most recently, Simple Diary was updated on November 11, 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.*