# Daily Journal vs Text Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Text Diary at none against Daily Journal's 6. Daily Journal's advantage is ratings volume (5.6K vs 6) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Daily Journal sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Text Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Daily Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Daily Journal has 5.6K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Daily Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, Text Diary every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and July 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Daily Journal | Text Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-journal-diary-with-lock/id1605113008/reviews)** | [4.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-diary-journal-notebook/id1620144716/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.6K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 93.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 143 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SimpleInnovation LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1479770962) | [FugaPiyo Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1497887610) |

## What reviewers say

### Daily Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-journal-diary-with-lock/id1605113008)

This app serves as a private digital journal to record daily experiences, emotions, and memories. Secure your entries with password, fingerprint, or face ID, and enhance them with photos. Track your moods and use built-in reminders to cultivate a consistent journaling habit.

**Highlights:** Password, fingerprint, and face ID security, Add photos to journal entries, Mood and emotion tracking, Calendar view for memories, Daily journaling reminders, Simple and beautiful interface

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Journal for 1 month - 30% OFF | $1.99 | per month |
| Daily journal for 1 month | $2.99 | per month |
| Cute notes for 1 year 30% OFF | $12.99 | per year |
| Cute notes for 1 year | $17.99 | per year |
| Secret diary Forever 30% OFF | $41.99 | one-time |
| Secret diary with lock Forever | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Secure with password and biometric lock
- 📝 Allows easy journaling and expression of feelings
- 🎨 Customizable themes and backgrounds
- 📊 Mood tracking and insights
- 🆓 Free to use with no ads or subscriptions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔑 Limited free features, many premium options
- 🖼️ Inability to use own photos as backgrounds
- 🕰️ No reminders to write daily entries

**Reported bugs**

- Password recovery not working for some users
- Occasional app crashes or freezes

**Requested features**

- More free stickers and fonts
- Ability to organize entries by categories
- Option to add videos or audio recordings
- Sync across devices


### 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 Daily Journal free?

Daily 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, Daily Journal or Text Diary?

Daily Journal is rated higher. Daily Journal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.6K ratings, while Text Diary averages 4.5 from 6 ratings.

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

Both Daily Journal and Text Diary show ads.

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

Daily Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Text Diary every 2 months. Most recently, Daily Journal was updated on September 27, 2026 and Text Diary on July 9, 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.*