# Lemon Diary vs Diary

The clearest difference is update cadence: Lemon Diary at fortnightly against Diary's every 2 months. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lemon Diary sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Lemon Diary against 4.6 for Diary. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Lemon Diary's written reviews are positive against 78% of Diary's.

Lemon Diary ships an update fortnightly, Diary every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lemon Diary | Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lemon-diary-journaling-app/id1583714500/reviews)** | [4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-lock/id1590102229/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 77.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 89 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [晓庆 韩](https://appshunter.io/developer/1164060252) | [智文 许](https://appshunter.io/developer/1570825478) |

## What reviewers say

### Lemon Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lemon-diary-journaling-app/id1583714500)

This app allows you to record your daily life through a digital journal. It offers a variety of decorative materials like stickers and fonts to personalize entries. Secure your private thoughts with password protection and easily share your journal entries.

**Highlights:** Exquisite material library (stickers, backgrounds, fonts), Text and picture entries, Calendar browsing, Password protection for privacy, Multiple font selections, One-click diary sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Plus Version | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Plus Version | $2.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Plus Version | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Love it
- 🤩 Amazing
- 👍 Good
- 🎨 Calming and fun
- 📝 Allows expression of feelings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Wants free sticker
- 🤔 Needs work
- 🙃 Can't see stickers and stuff
- 🤯 Can't place pictures

**Reported bugs**

- Logged out when trying to place picture
- Ads disrupt journaling

**Requested features**

- Password protection
- Font customization


### Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-lock/id1590102229)

This app allows you to record your daily thoughts, moods, and experiences in a private digital journal. It offers a visually appealing way to document memories and review your emotional journey over time.

**Highlights:** Write journal entries, Record daily moods, Rich visual materials, Mood review feature, Private notebook

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Version | $2.49 | per month |
| Quarterly Plus | $4.49 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for staying on track
- 👍 Fun and enjoyable experience
- 👍 Great for OC diaries
- 👍 Aesthetically pleasing
- 👍 Calming and relaxing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 💰 Paywall for certain features like password protection
- 🤔 Some language barriers for non-Chinese users
- 🤔 Ads can be intrusive
- 🤔 Limited customization options without premium version

**Reported bugs**

- Deleted user entries
- Sticker issues causing data loss
- Compatibility problems on older devices

**Requested features**

- Password protection or locking feature for free users
- More plain text editing options
- Ability to enlarge text
- Improved syncing and backup functionality
- Expanded language support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lemon Diary free?

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

### Is Diary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Lemon Diary or Diary?

Lemon Diary is rated higher. Lemon Diary averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Diary averages 4.6 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Lemon Diary or Diary have ads?

Both Lemon Diary and Diary show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lemon Diary or Diary?

Lemon Diary ships an update fortnightly, and Diary every 2 months. Most recently, Lemon Diary was updated on October 24, 2026 and Diary on October 30, 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.*