Comparison

DrawerJournal vs First diary, Theme Diary

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

Head to head
About

DrawerJournal

This app allows you to easily record daily events and thoughts in a timeline format. You can add text, photos, and audio recordings, and organize entries with tags. It offers a secure, offline space for your private memories.

Highlights
  • Chronological notes with photos and audio
  • Organize entries with labels/tags
  • Voice recording for immersive memories
  • Secure app lock with biometric authentication
  • Keyword search functionality
  • Offline data storage
Features
Read full description

Your thoughts deserve a safe space. DrawerJournal is a private diary and mindfulness journal that lets you capture your thoughts, feelings, and daily moments — right when they happen. No cloud uploads, no sign-ups. Just you and your words, stored safely on your device. Ever wanted to write something down but forgot it hours later? With DrawerJournal, you can jot down thoughts in seconds, building a personal timeline of your day. It’s journaling made effortless. Write in the moment, then look back days later. Even on days when “nothing happened,” you might be surprised to find how much was actually on your mind. That quiet self-reflection is where real growth begins. Here’s what makes DrawerJournal special: DrawerJournal is a completely offline journal in a beautiful timeline format. Your entries never leave your device — there are no servers, no accounts, and no way for anyone else to read your private reflections. Write freely with photos, and keep it simple. We designed it so that anyone can start journaling in under a minute. Whether you use it as a daily diary, a gratitude notebook, a mood tracker, or a quick memo pad — DrawerJournal adapts to your life. Give it a try. Features: • Timeline Notes with Photos & Audio Each entry is timestamped automatically, creating a chronological flow of your day. Attach photos and voice memos to bring your memories to life. Write during your commute, lunch break, or quiet moments before bed. Your posts line up like a personal feed — a safe, private timeline just for you. • Organize with Labels Use labels (tags) to group entries by theme across any date. Family moments, health tracking, travel memories, work reflections — categorize anything and revisit it effortlessly. Create, edit, and assign labels anytime. Build a system that fits your life. • Voice Recording Capture sounds along with your writing. Record the ambient music of a café, rain on a window, or fireworks in the distance. Listening back transports you to that exact moment. You can even keep a voice diary before sleep — no bright screen needed. You can also keep entries by voice. • Privacy Lock This is your space, and yours alone. Lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. Even if your phone is lost, your journal stays private. All data is stored locally — nothing goes online, ever. Write without holding back. Unlock your thoughts in a space no one else can see. • Powerful Search Find any entry instantly by keyword. Jump back to a memory from months ago or locate an important note in seconds. Never worry about losing track of something you wrote. View your entries by date and time to notice patterns in your thoughts and growth over time. • Beautiful Customization Choose from multiple fonts, adjust text size, and pick a theme color that feels right. Dark mode keeps things comfortable at night. Set a personal background image to make your journal truly yours. A simple diary becomes something special with just a small touch of personality. DrawerJournal can be your daily diary, a mindful writing space, a gratitude journal, a scrapbook of memories, or simply a place to think out loud. We kept the design minimal on purpose — so you can focus on what matters: your thoughts. We built DrawerJournal hoping to hear, “This is exactly the app I was looking for.” We hope it becomes a quiet, meaningful part of your everyday life. Privacy Policy: https://toastplanet.com/drawerjournal/privacy Terms of Use: https://toastplanet.com/drawerjournal/terms

About

First diary, Theme Diary

This app helps you journal your daily experiences with themes, emotions, and media. Record events with photos, videos, and location, and organize them privately. Premium features offer unlimited entries and media.

Highlights
  • Themed event recording
  • Emotion and level tracking
  • Add photos and videos
  • Location information
  • Secret themes and events
  • Passcode and biometric protection
  • iCloud sync
Read full description

A themed diary app that allows you to write as many times as you like in a day. In addition to images, videos, and location information, you can also record your emotions at the time. Recommended as a first diary --- theme --- Write down events based on the theme. Since the theme is decided, there is no need to worry about what to write. theme example ·family ·child ·pets ·work ·study ·hobby ·gourmet ·trip ·love affair You can add accents with emojis and colors. You can change the display order by long-pressing the list. You can hide it by setting it to a secret theme. --- event --- Since it is written in short sentences (150 characters or less), it is easy to write and lasts a long time. You can also write in long sentences. (Premium feature) Since I write about events by theme, I don't have to worry about not having anything to write about. You can write as many times as you like in a day, so it can also be used to keep track of time. You can add up to 4 photos or videos. (Expandable with premium features) You can also add location information, which is useful for recording your food trips and travels. You can add tags and display events with the same tag across themes. You can hide it by setting it as a secret event. --- Photos and videos --- Photos and videos are loaded and displayed from the photo library. You can rest assured that the storage data capacity of the app will not increase even if you add many photos and videos. If you delete it from your photo library, you will no longer be able to view it from the app, but the thumbnail will remain. Photos taken from the app are saved in the photo library, so Please set permissions for full access to your photo library. --- Emotions and Levels --- You can record emotions (moods and feelings) and their levels in events. The same emotion can be expressed in different degrees, such as being happy or very happy. It is displayed in emojis and meters for easy viewing and understanding. --- Privacy --- You can hide themes and events by making them "secret." You can rest assured that it will not be seen by anyone who does not know how to display it. You can also hide the display method description itself. You can protect the entire app by setting a passcode. Your passcode is securely stored in your keychain. It also supports biometric authentication such as Face ID and Touch ID. --- iCloud --- Data is saved in iCloud, so there is no need for backup operations. You can sync with multiple devices such as iPhone and iPad. --- Premium Features --- - No character limit - No limit on number of images - Hide advertisements - Shows current weather and temperature Please see below for terms and conditions regarding subscription and use of paid features. 1. Privacy Policy: https://gsoft.jp/privacypolicy/ 2. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

DrawerJournal4 screens
First diary, Theme Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: DrawerJournal at every 4 days against First diary, Theme Diary's every 3 weeks. First diary, Theme Diary's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 88%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. DrawerJournal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and First diary, Theme Diary sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 2 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DrawerJournal ships an update every 4 days, First diary, Theme Diary every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DrawerJournal versus First diary, Theme Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrawerJournalFirst diary, Theme Diary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (74 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings74 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB131 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToastPlanet Inc.G-SOFT

Customer experience

DrawerJournal

All ratings74 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews144 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral7.6%
Negative4.9%

First diary, Theme Diary

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

DrawerJournal

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or data loss when editing entries
  • Background music playback issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to add videos or audio recordings
  • Cloud sync and backup across devices
  • More customization options for fonts, colors, and layouts
  • Thread-like functionality to connect related entries
  • Improved image handling and editing tools

First diary, Theme Diary

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

DrawerJournal

Subscriptions2
  • DrawerJournal Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
  • DrawerJournal Premium Annual7 Days trial$20.991 Year
One-time1
  • DrawerJournal One-Time$59.99
7 purchases

First diary, Theme Diary

Subscriptions2
  • Show weather$0.992 Months
  • Hide ads$0.991 Month
One-time5
  • Number of images$1.99
  • Character limit$1.99
  • Show weather$3.99
Show 2 more
  • Hide ads (Unlimited)$9.99
  • Unlock passcode$19.99

Questions

Is DrawerJournal free?
DrawerJournal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is First diary, Theme Diary free?
First diary, Theme Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DrawerJournal or First diary, Theme Diary have ads?
Both DrawerJournal and First diary, Theme Diary show ads.
Which is updated more often, DrawerJournal or First diary, Theme Diary?
DrawerJournal ships an update every 4 days, and First diary, Theme Diary every 3 weeks. Most recently, DrawerJournal was updated on September 25, 2026 and First diary, Theme Diary on June 1, 2026.

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