# Purple Diary vs Diary with Lock

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Purple Diary at 85% against Diary with Lock's 0%. Purple Diary also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Diary with Lock's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Purple Diary sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Diary with Lock sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Purple Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 91 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Purple Diary's written reviews are positive against 0% of Diary with Lock's.

Purple Diary ships an update fortnightly, Diary with Lock every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Purple Diary | Diary with Lock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (91 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purple-diary-journal-and-lock/id1591910683/reviews)** | [4.2 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-idiary/id1625609721/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **91** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | **84.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 224 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Luka Katsadze](https://appshunter.io/developer/1591910685) | [Heyou Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480358223) |

## What reviewers say

### Purple Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purple-diary-journal-and-lock/id1591910683)

This app allows you to document your life through writing, adding photos, and tracking your daily mood. You can customize its appearance, organize entries with tags, and secure your private thoughts with a password lock. It's designed to be an intuitive digital journal for personal reflection and memory keeping.

**Highlights:** Daily journaling with text and photos, Mood tracking for emotional awareness, Customizable themes and appearance, Password protection for privacy, Calendar view of journal history, Tagging for easy search

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium (Annual) | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium (Annual) | $14.99 | per year |
| Premium (Annual) | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium (Annual) | $21.49 | per year |
| Premium (Lifetime) | $32.99 | one-time |
| Premium (Lifetime) | $34.99 | one-time |
| Premium (Annual) | $39.99 | one-time |


### Diary with Lock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-idiary/id1625609721)

Capture and cherish life's moments in a secure, beautifully designed digital journal. Add text, photos, and videos, track your mood and weather, and protect your entries with a passcode. Back up your memories to iCloud and export them as PDFs.

**Highlights:** Photo and text diary entries, Lock screen passcode protection, iCloud backup, Mood and weather tracking, Font customization, Intruder snapshots, PDF export

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iDiary Pro | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Purple Diary free?

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

### Is Diary with Lock free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Purple Diary or Diary with Lock?

Purple Diary is rated higher. Purple Diary averages 4.8 out of 5 from 91 ratings, while Diary with Lock averages 4.2 from 19 ratings.

### Do Purple Diary or Diary with Lock have ads?

Neither Purple Diary nor Diary with Lock shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Purple Diary or Diary with Lock?

Purple Diary ships an update fortnightly, and Diary with Lock every 3 months. Most recently, Purple Diary was updated on October 24, 2026 and Diary with Lock on October 24, 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.*