# UpNote vs Journal

The clearest difference is ratings volume: UpNote at 1.1K against Journal's 5. UpNote also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Journal's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads 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 Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UpNote has 1.1K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpNote ships an update weekly, Journal every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | UpNote | Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/upnote-notes-diary-journal/id1389634515/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-loglog/id6757065270/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 85.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 81 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [UpNote Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1347759263) | [Ha Viet Luc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860181963) |

## 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)


### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-loglog/id6757065270)

Create beautiful memory pages by combining text, photos, videos, voice notes, and stickers. Organize your memories into personalized notebooks and watch your digital garden grow with each entry. This app offers a calm and creative space for journaling and scrapbooking.

**Highlights:** Combine text, photos, videos, and voice notes, Decorate pages with stickers, Freely arrange content on pages, Create custom stickers, Organize entries into notebooks, Visual memory garden growth

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LogLog Pro Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| LoglogPro Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| LogLog Pro Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is UpNote free?

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

### Is Journal free?

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

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

Journal is rated higher. UpNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Journal averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do UpNote or Journal have ads?

Neither UpNote nor Journal shows ads.

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

UpNote ships an update weekly, and Journal every 4 days. Most recently, UpNote was updated on October 13, 2026 and Journal on September 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.*