Diary vs Journal
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
Journal
This app allows users to create a personal diary with a variety of cute stickers and backgrounds. It offers automatic saving of drafts, password protection for privacy, and the ability to insert photos. The app is also optimized for iPad use.
- Customizable stickers and backgrounds
- Automatic draft saving
- Password protection for privacy
- iPad support with Apple Pencil
- Photo insertion for diary entries
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Journal, record the unrepeatable moments carefully. Journal is a diary designed for journal enthusiasts. You can use cute stickers and backgrounds as your Journal. As an interesting journaling app, Journal looks forward to recording warm times with you! [Journal Features] -Super many materials: stickers and backgrounds are updated regularly, and there are new surprises every time you make a diary. -Drafts: Save the content of your Journal automatically, so you can no longer be afraid of losing your journal. -Security privacy: You can set a password for the app to protect your secret space. -Support for iPad: It is easier to edit journals with a large screen and an apple pencil. -Photo record: The diary supports inserting photos to retain beautiful moments. This subscription will be automatically renewed through your iTunes account, and the renewal fee will be deducted according to your package within 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel the automatic renewal at the Account Settings Department. To cancel the automatic renewal, you must at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. If your trial has not ended, the remaining days will automatically expire after you start subscribing. To open the subscription, you need to agree to the following terms: Terms of Service: https://keshoujie.github.io/posts/keshoujie/fuwu Privacy terms: https://keshoujie.github.io/posts/keshoujie/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Diary and Journal both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Journal's written reviews are positive against 78% of Diary's. Diary's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 Diary against 4.6 for Journal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Diary's written reviews are positive against 90% of Journal's.
Diary ships an update every 2 months, Journal every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Diary | Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.6K ratings) | 4.6 (1.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.6% of reviews | 89.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K | 1.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 智文 许 | 受杰 柯 |
Customer experience
Diary
Journal
User reviews
Diary
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Helpful for staying on track
- 👍 Fun and enjoyable experience
- 👍 Great for OC diaries
- 👍 Aesthetically pleasing
- 👍 Calming and relaxing
Room to improve
- 🐛 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
Journal
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💖 Cute and aesthetic design
- 📚 Helpful for journaling and planning
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds and stickers
- 👍 Easy to use and organize
- 🥰 Fun and enjoyable experience
Room to improve
- 💰 Limited free features, many paid options
- 🔑 Issues with login/access
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 📝 Limited font/formatting options
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
Journal
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes when trying to reopen saved pages
- Stickers not displaying properly in some cases
- Sync issues causing data loss
Requested features
4 requests- Add more free stickers and customization options
- Improve syncing and backup functionality
- Allow creating custom backgrounds and stickers
- Introduce a dark mode option
In-app purchases
Diary
- Plus Version3 Days trial$2.491 Month
- Quarterly Plus3 Days trial$4.493 Months
- Pro Version$4.99
Journal
- Plus Version3 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Plus Version3 Days trial$4.993 Months
- Pro Version$8.99






