# Hearty Journal vs Cute notes

The clearest difference is ads: Hearty Journal at none against Cute notes's shown. Hearty Journal also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7). Cute notes's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hearty Journal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.49 per month and Cute notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hearty Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 58 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 92% of Hearty Journal's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cute notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Hearty Journal ships an update every 3 months, Cute notes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hearty Journal | Cute notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearty-journal-diary-notes/id1423459636/reviews)** | [4.7 (58 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cute-notes-daily-planner/id6450250349/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 44 | **58** |
| Positive reviews | 92.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 26 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hearty Creative Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1423459635) | [琳 崔](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526482412) |

## What reviewers say

### Hearty Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearty-journal-diary-notes/id1423459636)

Capture and preserve precious memories through diary writing. Personalize entries with text, stickers, photos, and a variety of fonts. Securely back up your journal across devices with cloud synchronization.

**Highlights:** Ad-free writing experience, Cross-platform journaling, 4-digit passcode security, Cloud backup and sync, Export posts as PNG or text, Customizable book and post titles, Over 1,000 stickers and 20+ fonts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 溫度日記 VIP版 | $4.49 | per month |


### Cute notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cute-notes-daily-planner/id6450250349)

This app allows users to create beautiful digital journals and notes with customizable stickers and backgrounds. It offers powerful editing tools for combining text, images, and stickers, making it ideal for personal diaries, planning, and creative projects.

**Highlights:** Customizable stickers and backgrounds, Image and text integration, Portable journaling, Note-taking, Account keeping, Planning tool, Travel guide creation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hearty Journal free?

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

### Is Cute notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hearty Journal or Cute notes?

Hearty Journal is rated higher. Hearty Journal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Cute notes averages 4.7 from 58 ratings.

### Do Hearty Journal or Cute notes have ads?

Cute notes shows ads; Hearty Journal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hearty Journal or Cute notes?

Hearty Journal ships an update every 3 months, and Cute notes fortnightly. Most recently, Hearty Journal was updated on November 2, 2026 and Cute notes on November 3, 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.*