# Leaf Journal vs Once 2

The clearest difference is ads: Once 2 at none against Leaf Journal's shown. Once 2 also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 41%) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Leaf Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Once 2 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Once 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 96 and 60 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Leaf Journal's written reviews are positive against 61% of Once 2's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Leaf Journal | Once 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (96 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leaf-journal-diary/id1519034794/reviews) | **[4.6 (60 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-2-immersive-diary-book/id1633788837/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **96** | 60 |
| Positive reviews | 41.2% of reviews | **60.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 43 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [朝霞 彭](https://appshunter.io/developer/1616283456) | [实 许](https://appshunter.io/developer/681075194) |

## What reviewers say

### Leaf Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leaf-journal-diary/id1519034794)

This app allows you to securely record your life, emotions, and memories with password protection for both the app and individual journals. Customize your entries with a variety of materials and editing tools, and easily share your creations.

**Highlights:** Password protection for app and journals, Rich material library (stickers, fonts, backgrounds), Mixed editing with free typesetting, Multiple customizable electronic journals, Journal sharing as images, Creative content creation tools

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Leaf Plus | $1.49 | per month |
| Quarterly Leaf Plus | $4.49 | per 3 months |
| Leaf Journal VIP | $5.99 | one-time |


### Once 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-2-immersive-diary-book/id1633788837)

This app provides an elegant and private space to record life's moments, ideas, and emotions. It offers a rich writing experience with customizable themes, photo insertion, and automatic location and weather tagging. Entries can be organized with books and tags, searched, and exported or shared.

**Highlights:** Exquisite book-like reading experience, Elegant themes and custom fonts, Immersive full-screen writing, Rich text editing with photo insertion, Automatic weather, temperature, and location tagging, Organize with books, tags, and calendar view, Passcode protection and PDF export

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Once Pro 1x | $0.99 | per month |
| Once Pro 12x | $9.99 | per year |
| Legacy Version Support | Free | one-time |
| Once Pro ∞ | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Nice interface and design
- 📖 Book-like writing experience
- ✍️ Comfortable for journaling
- ✨ Minimalist and clean
- 🖼️ Ability to insert photos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐌 Slow performance and lag
- 🗑️ Loss of unsaved work
- 🔄 Poor syncing across devices
- 💸 Paid features for basic functionality (passcode)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when editing
- App freezes when typing
- Entries lost after crashing
- Syncing issues between devices
- Cursor jumps randomly during typing

**Requested features**

- Arrow navigation for pages
- Pen functionality for iPad
- Voice recording feature
- More colorful icons
- Ability to add multiple photos at once


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Leaf Journal free?

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

### Is Once 2 free?

Once 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Leaf Journal or Once 2?

Once 2 is rated higher. Leaf Journal averages 4.5 out of 5 from 96 ratings, while Once 2 averages 4.6 from 60 ratings.

### Do Leaf Journal or Once 2 have ads?

Leaf Journal shows ads; Once 2 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Leaf Journal or Once 2?

Leaf Journal ships an update every 3 months, and Once 2 every 3 months. Most recently, Leaf Journal was updated on November 7, 2026 and Once 2 on November 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*