Comparison

Minimal Diary vs Fresh Diary

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

Head to head
About

Minimal Diary

This app offers a simple way to capture daily thoughts, feelings, and moments. Organize entries with tags and revisit memories on a clear timeline. It's designed for quick, pressure-free journaling.

Highlights
  • Timeline journal organization
  • Minimalist design for focus
  • Tagging for memory organization
  • Quick date navigation
  • Private and secure entries
Features
Read full description

Minimal Diary Capture your life, one moment at a time. Minimal Diary is a simple timeline journal app that helps you record your daily life, thoughts, and feelings effortlessly. No pressure. No long writing. Just open the app and write. Why Minimal Diary? Journaling shouldn’t feel like a task. A sentence, a photo, a small moment — everything can be part of your story. Over time, your entries connect into a timeline, showing your life as it unfolds. Key Features Timeline Journal All entries are organized in a clean timeline, so you can easily review your day. Minimal Design No distractions. No complexity. Just focus on writing. Tags & Organization Travel, books, movies, fitness, daily life — use tags to organize and revisit your memories. Quick Date Switch Swipe to move across days, like traveling through time. Private Space Your personal diary, safe and just for you. Your Life, Your Story You don’t need to write perfectly. Just write something. Over time, it becomes your story. We hope you like the diary and enjoy the app. For any questions and suggestions, please contact minimal.software.studio@gmail.com.

About

Fresh Diary

A minimalist and private journaling app with a powerful rich text editor. Track your moods, visualize your entries on a map, and set yearly goals. Securely sync across devices and export your memories.

Highlights
  • Rich text editor
  • Diary footprints on map
  • Mood statistics
  • Calendar view
  • Year goals
  • Cloud synchronization
  • Bulk export
Features
Read full description

"Fresh Diary" is a minimalist and pure Diary app. No ads, no community, no annoying notifications. Private, secure, supports cloud synchronization and rich text editor. APP Features: 【Rich Text Editor】Supports styles such as bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, font size, text color, text background color, first line indentation, left/center/right alignment, line spacing, etc. 【Diary Footprints on Map】See where you have written Diary entries over the years on the map. Full of memories. 【Mood Statistics】Detailed statistics of mood fluctuations and can view Diary entries based on mood. 【Calendar View】Supports calendar view, see Diary entries for specific dates on the calendar, makes searching for Diary entries easier. 【Year Goal】Set your goals or wishes for this year and become better! 【Supports Date Feedback】Supports feedback of Diary entries, if you forget to write a Diary, you can always catch up. 【Cloud Synchronization】Supports iCloud storage, automatic synchronization between multiple devices, makes your Diary more private and secure. 【Bulk Export】Supports bulk export of Diary entries, exports beautiful printable PDF files, even more beautiful when bound. You can also export beautiful images to facilitate sharing of Diary entries. 【Unlock Password】Supports setting gesture unlock, Face ID/Touch ID unlock, to protect your privacy. 【Diary Writing Reminder】Daily reminders, you will never forget to write a Diary again! 【Not Just a Diary】You can record your little thoughts at any time on the "Thoughts" page, and it also supports an editor as powerful as the Diary. —————————————————— Privacy Policy: http://lixkit.gitee.io/app/FreshDiary/privacy.html Service Agreement: https://lixkit.gitee.io/app/FreshDiary/service.html Contact Us: feedback@lixkit.com

Screenshots

Minimal Diary4 screens
Fresh Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Fresh Diary at 4.9 against Minimal Diary's 4.7. Fresh Diary also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Minimal Diary sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Fresh Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fresh Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 31 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Minimal Diary's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fresh Diary's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Minimal Diary ships an update fortnightly, Fresh Diary every 6 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Minimal Diary versus Fresh Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMinimal DiaryFresh Diary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (28 ratings)4.9 (31 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2831 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB13 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperChaoyang Minimal Software Studio峰峰 李

Customer experience

Minimal Diary

All ratings28 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

Fresh Diary

All ratings27 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Minimal Diary

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time2
  • Pro Lifetime$14.99
  • Lifetime Pro$29.99
3 purchases

Fresh Diary

Subscriptions2
  • 月度会员7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • 年度会员$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Membership$1.99

Questions

Is Minimal Diary free?
Minimal Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fresh Diary free?
Fresh Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Minimal Diary or Fresh Diary?
Fresh Diary is rated higher. Minimal Diary averages 4.7 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Fresh Diary averages 4.9 from 31 ratings.
Do Minimal Diary or Fresh Diary have ads?
Neither Minimal Diary nor Fresh Diary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Minimal Diary or Fresh Diary?
Minimal Diary ships an update fortnightly, and Fresh Diary every 6 days. Most recently, Minimal Diary was updated on November 3, 2026 and Fresh Diary on November 3, 2026.

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