# Journal vs cal

The clearest difference is rating: cal at 5.0 against Journal's 4.0. cal also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). Journal's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. cal asks for nothing beyond the download.

cal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, cal every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Journal | cal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-journaling-app/id1480380799/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-diary/id6766692881/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 53 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.1** | 26.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [楚婷 柯](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480380798) | [Begimay Ahmatova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896315951) |

## What reviewers say

### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-journaling-app/id1480380799)

This app offers a simple yet beautiful interface for creating personal diaries and notes. Customize your entries with dynamic themes, background colors, and various fonts. Add photos and expressions to make your memories more vivid and secure them with a password.

**Highlights:** Dynamic themes, Classified management, Background color options, Add photos and text, Multiple font choices, Password protection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Advanced Version | $1.99 | one-time |


### cal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-diary/id6766692881)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Journal free?

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

### Is cal free?

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

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

cal is rated higher. Journal averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while cal averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Journal or cal have ads?

Neither Journal nor cal shows ads.

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

Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, and cal every 10 days. Most recently, Journal was updated on October 18, 2026 and cal on October 24, 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.*