Comparison

Secret Diary vs Journal Lock

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

Head to head
About

Secret Diary

Securely record your daily thoughts, memories, and secrets. This app allows you to add photos and track your moods, all protected by a passcode. Personalize your journal with themes and easily search past entries.

Highlights
  • Save memories, notes, and ideas
  • Add photos and mood emojis
  • Unlimited photo storage
  • Personalize UI with themes
  • Passcode protection and data encryption
  • Powerful search and filter functions
Features
Read full description

Your cute diary, with a lock. Memories turns every day into a scrapbook page. Write in a handwriting you love, add your photos, washi tape and stickers, and keep it all behind a lock only you can open. A LITTLE FRIEND FOR EVERY MOOD Choose your friend: Mochi the kitten, Bun the bunny, Peanut the hamster and more. They ask how your day went, cheer you on and hop for joy when you check in. EVERY DAY, A SCRAPBOOK PAGE • Write in 36 handwritings and fonts • Add photos and videos in cute frames • Decorate with 170+ stickers, washi tape and pretty papers • Snap a photo and turn it into a die-cut sticker • Draw and doodle with your finger or Apple Pencil YOUR YEAR IN COLOR • Log your mood in one tap: Bright, Good, Steady, Low or Heavy • See your whole year as a mood calendar • Find out what lifts you up HABITS AND PLANS, RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR DIARY • Build habits with gentle streaks • See today's tasks as a little timeline • Count down to the days you can't wait for PRIVATE AND SAFE • Lock your diary with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode • Your entries stay yours. No ads, nothing shared MAKE IT YOURS • Pretty themes, friends and handwritings • Home screen widgets • Turn your year into a book to keep MEMORIES+ Writing, moods, the lock, reminders and export are always free. Memories+ adds every friend, theme, handwriting, sticker pack, frame and paper, unlimited photos and videos, unlimited habits, tasks and countdowns, your diary on iPhone and iPad with iCloud sync, and your full mood history. Memories+ is a subscription that renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://nwlamll.github.io/apps/termsofuse.html Privacy Policy: https://nwlamll.github.io/apps/pp.html

About

Journal Lock

Features
Read full description

Build an unbreakable journaling habit. Journal Lock helps you journal every day by using Screen Time to lock selected apps until you write. Set your journaling time, write your entry, then unlock your apps. FREE FEATURES (NO PURCHASE REQUIRED) - Normal Mode journaling (distraction-free writing) - App lock habit flow with Screen Time - Mood tracking - Voice-to-text journaling - Time Capsule (revisit past entries) - Entry encryption, Face ID / Touch ID protection - Sync across iPhone and iPad PREMIUM FEATURES (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED) - Interactive Mode with AI coaching prompts - Weekly AI insights and reflections SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Premium requires an auto-renewing in-app subscription, billed monthly or yearly. A 7-day free trial is available for eligible users. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.journallock.io/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.journallock.io/terms

Screenshots

Secret Diary4 screens
Journal Lock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Secret Diary at every 2 weeks against Journal Lock's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Secret Diary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Journal Lock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Secret Diary ships an update every 2 weeks, Journal Lock every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Secret Diary versus Journal Lock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecret DiaryJournal Lock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (112 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings112 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size263 MB16 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperNawal Amallouasim samuel

Bugs and requests

Secret Diary

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Forgot password not working
  • Password glitch
  • App shuts out sometimes
  • App cuts out and needs restarting
  • Password input issues (0-9 vs 1-4)

Requested features

4 requests
  • Make fingerprint ID free
  • Make advanced features free
  • More color options
  • More features

Journal Lock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Secret Diary

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Plan$2.991 Month
  • Annual Plan$17.991 Year
2 purchases

Journal Lock

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Secret Diary free?
Secret Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Journal Lock free?
Journal Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Secret Diary or Journal Lock have ads?
Neither Secret Diary nor Journal Lock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Secret Diary or Journal Lock?
Secret Diary ships an update every 2 weeks, and Journal Lock every 3 months. Most recently, Secret Diary was updated on November 7, 2026 and Journal Lock on October 25, 2026.

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