# Daily Journal vs Diary with Lock

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Daily Journal at 94% against Diary with Lock's 0%. Daily Journal also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (5.7K vs 19). Diary with Lock's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 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.

Daily Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Daily Journal has 5.7K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Daily Journal's written reviews are positive against 0% of Diary with Lock's.

Daily Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, Diary with Lock every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Daily Journal | Diary with Lock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-journal-diary-with-lock/id1605113008/reviews)** | [4.2 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-idiary/id1625609721/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.7K** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | **93.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 139 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SimpleInnovation LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1479770962) | [Heyou Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480358223) |

## 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 DISCOUNT | $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


### 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 Daily Journal free?

Daily Journal 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, Daily Journal or Diary with Lock?

Daily Journal is rated higher. Daily Journal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.7K ratings, while Diary with Lock averages 4.2 from 19 ratings.

### Do Daily Journal or Diary with Lock have ads?

Daily Journal shows ads; Diary with Lock does not.

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

Daily Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, and Diary with Lock every 3 months. Most recently, Daily Journal was updated on November 1, 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.*