# Perfect Journal vs Simplified Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simplified Diary at none against Perfect Journal's 3. Simplified Diary also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). Perfect Journal's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Perfect Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Simplified Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Perfect Journal ships an update monthly, Simplified Diary every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Perfect Journal | Simplified Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kouichi Abe](https://appshunter.io/developer/295852950) | [Kazuya Fujita](https://appshunter.io/developer/1358322690) |

## What reviewers say

### Perfect Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/perfect-journal/id1460577819)

A simple yet powerful diary app for daily event recording. It allows users to attach multiple photos, record voice notes, tag entries, and manage cash flow. Security features like passcode and biometric locks are included for privacy.

**Highlights:** Attach multiple photos, 60-second voice notes, Tagging/Labeling, Location recording, Cashflow management, Passcode & biometric lock, Intuitive tap-only UI

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hamster | $0.49 | per month |
| Turtle | $4.49 | per year |
| Phoenix | $12.99 | one-time |


### Simplified Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplified-diary-simple-app/id1489815672)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Perfect Journal free?

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

### Is Simplified Diary free?

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

### Do Perfect Journal or Simplified Diary have ads?

Simplified Diary shows ads; Perfect Journal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Perfect Journal or Simplified Diary?

Perfect Journal ships an update monthly, and Simplified Diary every 8 months. Most recently, Perfect Journal was updated on October 8, 2026 and Simplified Diary on October 12, 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.*