# Hearty Journal vs Secret Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Secret Diary at none against Hearty Journal's 1. Secret Diary also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Hearty Journal's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.7). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hearty Journal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.49 per month. Secret Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hearty Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 98 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Hearty Journal's written reviews are positive against 85% of Secret Diary's.

Hearty Journal ships an update every 3 months, Secret Diary every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hearty Journal | Secret Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearty-journal-diary-notes/id1423459636/reviews)** | [4.7 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 44 | **98** |
| Positive reviews | **92.1% of reviews** | 85.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 26 MB | 66 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) | [Trang Le Thi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1531252314) |

## 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 |


### Secret Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543)

Securely record your thoughts, daily events, and journeys with this private diary app. It offers robust security features like Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode lock, and allows for extensive personalization with themes, fonts, and backgrounds. All entries are stored locally for maximum privacy.

**Highlights:** Face ID, Touch ID, passcode lock, iCloud backup and restore, Unlimited editing options, Add photos, backgrounds, fonts, Personalize with artistic themes, Local data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and friendly design
- 🔒 Secure with passcode/lock
- ✍️ Allows dictation and writing feelings
- ✨ No in-app purchases
- 🎨 Customizable fonts, sizes, and backgrounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Background theme selection issues
- 🐛 Lock screen appears after entries
- 🐛 App crashes in airplane mode
- 🐛 Difficulty remembering/recovering passcode
- 🐛 Passcode not always visible/functional

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot get back to previous background themes
- Lock screen appears after entries are visible
- App crashes when phone is on airplane mode
- Difficulty entering or recovering passcode
- Passcode not visible or functional at times

**Requested features**

- Allow autocorrect while typing
- Ensure lock screen appears first
- Recover passcode when forgotten
- Add backup feature
- Enable Face ID/Touch ID for login


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hearty Journal free?

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

### Is Secret Diary free?

Secret Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hearty Journal or Secret Diary?

Hearty Journal is rated higher. Hearty Journal averages 4.9 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Secret Diary averages 4.7 from 98 ratings.

### Do Hearty Journal or Secret Diary have ads?

Neither Hearty Journal nor Secret Diary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hearty Journal or Secret Diary?

Hearty Journal ships an update every 3 months, and Secret Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Hearty Journal was updated on November 2, 2026 and Secret Diary 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.*