Diary vs DailyRetro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Diary
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.
- Write journal entries
- Record daily moods
- Rich visual materials
- Mood review feature
- Private notebook
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Everyone's mood has good or bad, you can use this hand ledger software to keep a diary Do hand ledger, record the mood. Use a journal when every moment is worth recording Or in the form of a hand ledger, if you look back, you'll see that It's a flashback Here are the features we have for you: "Write a book" Exquisite form style, with rich expressions to express the mood of every day. 'Rich material' Rich materials, let you record beautiful at the same time both visual beauty. "Keep a Journal" Simply record the good things that happen every day in the form of a journal. "Mood Review" When you open the record, full of mood review, let yourself more Know yourself. We sincerely hope that you can find yourself here, happy life. This subscription will be automatically renewed through your iTunes account, with the renewal fee deducted from your plan within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel automatic renewal at the Account Settings office at least 24 hours before the current subscription period ends. If your trial does not end, the remaining days will automatically expire after you start your subscription. To open a subscription, you agree to the following terms: The terms of service:https://zhiwenriji.github.io/posts/zhiwen/fuwu Privacy policy:https://zhiwenriji.github.io/posts/zhiwen/privacy
DailyRetro
This app helps you track habits, record thoughts with photos and markdown, and stay organized with daily reminders. It offers passcode and iCloud support for privacy and data backup.
- Diary keeping with photos and markdown
- Habit tracking for routine management
- Daily reminders and notifications
- Passcode support for privacy
- iCloud support for data backup and sync
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Your habits. Your story. DailyRetro brings your diary and everyday habits together. Write a few lines, save a photo, and record the routines that shape your day. When you look back, remember more than what you did—remember what the day meant to you. KEEP THE LITTLE MOMENTS Capture thoughts, memories, and everyday details in your diary. Add photos and use Markdown formatting to make each entry your own. MAKE ROOM FOR GOOD HABITS Keep track of habits and recurring activities alongside your daily reflections. Record a walk, a reading session, or another small thing you want to make time for. RETURN TO YOUR DAYS Browse your past entries and revisit the moments you want to remember. Your diary gives your routines a little more context. A GENTLE DAILY REMINDER Set a reminder to pause and reflect. A few lines can be enough to keep a day from slipping away. KEEP YOUR DIARY LOCKED Use passcode protection for your diary. DailyRetro also supports iCloud backup and synchronization when enabled. Start with today: one thought, one photo, or one habit worth remembering.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: DailyRetro at none against Diary's shown. DailyRetro also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Diary's advantage is ratings volume (1.6K vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
Both are free to download. Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and DailyRetro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
DailyRetro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Diary has 1.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Diary ships an update every 2 months, DailyRetro weekly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Diary | DailyRetro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.6K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 智文 许 | Liqiang Wang |
Customer experience
Diary
DailyRetro
Bugs and requests
Diary
Reported bugs
3 issues- Deleted user entries
- Sticker issues causing data loss
- Compatibility problems on older devices
Requested features
5 requests- 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
DailyRetro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Diary
- Plus Version3 Days trial$2.491 Month
- Quarterly Plus3 Days trial$4.493 Months
- Pro Version$4.99
DailyRetro
- Buy me a coffee$2.99









