# Diary Journal vs Text Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Text Diary at none against Diary Journal's 1. Diary Journal's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (368 vs 6). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary Journal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Text Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Diary Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Diary Journal has 368 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Diary Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, Text Diary every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary Journal | Text Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (368 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-lock/id1572225395/reviews)** | [4.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-diary-journal-notebook/id1620144716/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **368** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 57 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Heyou Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480358223) | [FugaPiyo Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1497887610) |

## What reviewers say

### Diary Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-lock/id1572225395)

This app provides a secure and private digital space for recording thoughts, memories, and dreams. It encourages self-reflection and personal growth through daily journaling, ensuring all entries are kept confidential.

**Highlights:** Secret diary entries, Log life events and progress, Record emotions and feelings, Password protection for privacy, Encourages self-reflection, Modern journal interface

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Diary Pro 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Password protection and privacy features
- 📹 Video diary functionality highly valued
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 📸 Ability to add photos and videos to entries
- 🎙️ Audio recording capability

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Limited free version (one entry per day)
- 💰 Premium features behind paywall
- 🔐 Password recovery impossible if forgotten
- 📱 Data transfer issues between devices
- ☁️ Backup to cloud not working reliably

**Reported bugs**

- Video uploads fail and crash repeatedly
- Long video entries don't save properly
- Data doesn't transfer to new phone despite cloud backup
- Import from ZIP file causes app to close
- App crashes when importing exported data

**Requested features**

- Timestamp for each journal entry
- Password reset or recovery option
- Multiple entries per day in free version
- Font customization (size, bold, italics, underline)
- Location tagging for entries


### Text Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-diary-journal-notebook/id1620144716)

A free and simple text-based journaling app that allows unlimited entries. Organize your thoughts with folders, colors, and tags, and easily search or filter your past entries. Enjoy a comfortable user experience with quick startup and dark mode.

**Highlights:** Unlimited daily diary entries, Organize by folder, color, tag, Searchable diary entries, Filter by date or tag, Quick startup and comfortable operation, Dark mode support, Completely free to use

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary Journal free?

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

### Is Text Diary free?

Text Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Diary Journal or Text Diary?

Diary Journal is rated higher. Diary Journal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 368 ratings, while Text Diary averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.

### Do Diary Journal or Text Diary have ads?

Text Diary shows ads; Diary Journal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Diary Journal or Text Diary?

Diary Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, and Text Diary every 2 months. Most recently, Diary Journal was updated on October 20, 2026 and Text Diary on October 1, 2026.

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