Monologue vs aDiary
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Monologue
A minimalist journaling app for private reflection. It offers secure cloud synchronization, powerful search, and versatile data export options to preserve your thoughts and memories across devices.
- Minimalist writing interface
- iCloud data synchronization
- Text search functionality
- Multiple data export formats (txt, md, pdf, json)
- Touch ID/Face ID privacy protection
- Image export of text
- Customizable font settings
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A private space for your thoughts, in words and in your own voice. Monologue keeps the focus on personal expression. Save the small moments, passing ideas and feelings you would rather keep to yourself. Write when a thought arrives, or record the voice and emotion behind it. Come back later to read or listen again. FEATURES [Write and search] Create and edit personal notes. Search the text of all your written records to find a thought you remember. [Archive and revisit] Browse notes by year and month, see record counts, search within a month and filter with the calendar. Sort from newest to oldest or the other way around. [Export and import notes] Export a date range as TXT, Markdown, PDF or JSON. JSON note backups exported by the current version can be imported again. Review a validated preview before importing; duplicate records are skipped and existing notes are not overwritten. [Voice recording] Record, pause, resume and listen before saving. Edit your recording’s title. During playback, view the waveform, seek to a moment, skip 15 seconds forward or back, and choose speeds from 0.5x to 2x. Recording pauses when you leave the app. [Organize and export audio] Browse recent recordings by date, archive by year and month, search titles and filter dates. Export one recording, a selection or your entire library as M4A files, or a ZIP organized by year and month, for safekeeping or sharing. [Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets] Rediscover a random note from your past. Choose medium or large Home Screen widgets, or a rectangular Lock Screen excerpt. Switch to another note on the Home Screen and tap the text to open the original. [iCloud note sync — membership] Sync written records between devices using the same Apple Account. Restore notes already synced to iCloud after changing phones or reinstalling the app. [Face ID / Touch ID app lock — membership] Require the biometric authentication supported by your device to enter the app and access your notes and recordings. [Notes as images] Turn written records into images and save them to Photos, ready to keep or share. [Your reading preferences] Choose from built-in fonts, adjust the number of preview lines in the list and follow the system's light or dark appearance. [Batch management] Touch and hold a record or use the More menu to select and delete multiple notes or recordings. When iCloud note sync is enabled, deleting notes also syncs those deletions to iCloud. Check your selection before deleting. MEMBERSHIP iCloud note sync and the Face ID / Touch ID app lock require a one-time in-app purchase. There is no automatic renewal. DATA AND PRIVACY Voice recording is enabled by default. Hide its tab in Settings; saved recordings remain available when you turn it back on. Audio is stored only on this device. It is not synced with iCloud or included in system device backups. Export important recordings yourself; deleting the app deletes local audio. JSON backup and import are for written notes. Exported audio is for safekeeping and playback outside the app; audio reimport is not currently supported. Widgets display random past notes on the Home Screen or Lock Screen. The app lock does not hide widget text. If your notes contain text you do not want others to see, do not add widgets, or remove those already added. A world of your own. Words for yourself, and a voice you can return to.
aDiary
Capture the essence of your day with brief, text-only entries. This minimalist journal app offers iCloud sync, FaceID protection, and creative sharing templates. Designed for quick daily reflections, it avoids long-form writing and multimedia.
- Text-only daily entries
- iCloud Sync
- FaceID protection
- Multiple journal layouts
- Creative sharing templates
- Search and date filters
- Dark Mode
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Jot down a sentence, a word, or even just an emoji each day. Features: * Multiple journal layout styles * iCloud Sync * FaceID protection * Full iPadOS optimization * Background privacy safeguards * Adjustable font sizes * Multiple export formats * Dark Mode ready * Search & date filters * Creative sharing templates * True minimalist design aDiary is a text-only diary app designed for short entries. We intentionally avoid long-form writing or multimedia features. "Writing lengthy entries or multimedia diaries can be time-consuming and hard to maintain." "What if you just captured one meaningful moment daily?" Capture the essence of your day with almost zero effort. Simple in form, thoughtful in design. When inspiration strikes, give our stylish sharing feature a try! Pricing: • Quarterly($0.49): 3 months premium access. • Annual($1.49): 12 months premium access. • Lifetime($2.99): Permanent premium access. Privacy policy:https://docs.ddot.top/#/privacy_policy?id=english Term of Use:https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Monologue at 100% against aDiary's 0%. aDiary's advantage is iOS requirement (16.1 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Monologue sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and aDiary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Monologue ships an update every 2 months, aDiary monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Monologue | aDiary |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 1.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 书旗 莫 | 高均 欧 |
Customer experience
Monologue
aDiary
In-app purchases
Monologue
- VIP$1.99
aDiary
- Quarterly7 Days trial$0.493 Months
- Annual7 Days trial$1.391 Year
- Lifetime$2.99









