Comparison

Perfect Journal vs cal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Perfect Journal

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
Read full description

"Perfect Journal" is a simple and powerful Diary app. No "Delete" feature because its aim is recording daily events. However the double taps on the text will enable the contents to edit. Key features - Multiple photos are attachable - Voice notes for up to 60 seconds per recording - Labeling (or Tagging) - Location is recordable - Favorites and Bookmarks are available - Cashflow management - Passcode and Biometric ID lock - Various ways to search for diary - Easy and Intuitive UI (by tap only basically) Auto-renewal Subscription - $0.49/monthly and $4.49/yearly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of Use: https://journal.magickworx.com/en/terms_of_use.html Privacy Policy: https://journal.magickworx.com/en/privacy_policy.html

About

cal

Capture and revisit your daily memories with photos and notes. This app presents your month as a visual calendar, allowing you to easily view past moments. Your data remains private and stored solely on your device.

Highlights
  • Add photos to any day
  • Jot down notes for each entry
  • View month as a photo calendar
  • Full-screen view of daily memories
  • Export entries for sharing
  • Private, on-device storage
Read full description

Life moves fast. CalDiary helps you slow down and remember it — one photo, one day at a time. Add a photo to any day, jot a little note, and watch your month fill up with memories. The calendar view lets you see your whole month at a glance — every day a tiny window into your life. Tap any day to see your photo full-screen, with your note tucked underneath just the way you wrote it. What you can do: * Add a photo to each day — from your library or straight from your camera * See your whole month as a photo calendar at a glance * Tap any day for a full-screen photo and your personal note * Export your month view or a single day to keep or share Your memories stay yours. No accounts, no cloud, no servers. Everything lives on your phone — completely private, always. Free forever. No ads. No subscriptions. Just your days. Clean, minimal, and made for the little moments worth remembering.

Screenshots

Perfect Journal4 screens
cal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: cal at none against Perfect Journal's 3. cal also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). Perfect Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.4). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Perfect Journal ships an update monthly, cal every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Perfect Journal versus cal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPerfect Journalcal
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKouichi AbeBegimay Ahmatova

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Perfect Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Hamster7 Days trial$0.491 Month
  • Turtle1 Month trial$4.491 Year
One-time1
  • Phoenix$12.99
None

cal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Perfect Journal free?
Perfect Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is cal free?
cal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Perfect Journal or cal have ads?
Neither Perfect Journal nor cal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Perfect Journal or cal?
Perfect Journal ships an update monthly, and cal every 10 days. Most recently, Perfect Journal was updated on October 8, 2026 and cal on October 24, 2026.

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