# UpNote vs My Journal

The clearest difference is ads: UpNote at none against My Journal's shown. UpNote also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 198). My Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. UpNote sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and My Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for UpNote against 4.6 for My Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UpNote has 1.1K ratings behind it against 198, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of UpNote's written reviews are positive against 91% of My Journal's.

UpNote ships an update weekly, My Journal monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | UpNote | My Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upnote-notes-diary-journal/id1389634515/reviews)** | [4.6 (198 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-journal-cute-notes/id1597252938/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 198 |
| Positive reviews | 85.9% of reviews | **90.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 82 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [UpNote Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1347759263) | [Hangzhou Shunchang Asset Management Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1232519088) |

## What reviewers say

### UpNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upnote-notes-diary-journal/id1389634515)

This app provides a clean and beautiful interface for writing and organizing notes, journals, and to-do lists. It offers rich formatting options, an intuitive organization system, and instant syncing across devices, with offline capabilities. Premium features include enhanced security and export options.

**Highlights:** Rich text editor with formatting tools, Intuitive organizing system (notebooks, pins, links), Secure note locking with Touch/Face ID, Instant cross-device syncing and offline access, Markdown support and export, Task management and to-do lists

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium monthly subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Life-time Upgrade | $19.99 | one-time |
| Life-time Upgrade to Premium | $19.99 | one-time |
| Life-time Upgrade | $24.99 | one-time |
| Life-time Upgrade to Premium | $24.99 | one-time |
| Life-time Upgrade | $29.99 | one-time |
| Life-time upgrade to Premium | $34.99 | one-time |
| Life-time upgrade to Premium | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Seamless syncing across devices
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 💡 Nested notebooks and tags for organization
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 💡 Lifetime premium option

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🐛 Issues with image/attachment handling
- 🐛 Formatting problems with pasted content
- 🐛 Syncing problems between devices
- 🔒 Lack of end-to-end encryption

**Reported bugs**

- Black screen issues
- Lost notes and data
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Google sign-in not working

**Requested features**

- Reminders and calendar integration
- More customization options (fonts, colors, etc.)
- Improved drawing/handwriting support
- PDF annotation and embedding
- Optical character recognition (OCR)


### My Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-journal-cute-notes/id1597252938)

This app offers a digital journaling experience with customizable notebook covers and a wide array of decorative stickers and writing papers. It provides a secure way to record your thoughts and memories with password protection and unlimited storage. The app encourages daily reflection for personal growth and well-being.

**Highlights:** Simulation notebook with various covers, Security password protection, Rich collection of stickers and writing paper, Unlimited storage capacity, Simple drag-and-drop interface, Habit tracking for daily reflection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Version | $2.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Plus | $6.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is UpNote free?

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

### Is My Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, UpNote or My Journal?

UpNote is rated higher. UpNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while My Journal averages 4.6 from 198 ratings.

### Do UpNote or My Journal have ads?

My Journal shows ads; UpNote does not.

### Which is updated more often, UpNote or My Journal?

UpNote ships an update weekly, and My Journal monthly. Most recently, UpNote was updated on September 22, 2026 and My Journal on September 17, 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.*