# Simple Journals vs Text Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Text Diary at none against Simple Journals's 2. Simple Journals's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Journals sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 6 months. Text Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Simple Journals ships an update fortnightly, Text Diary every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Journals | Text Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.5 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-diary-journal-notebook/id1620144716/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **6** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | — | Ad-supported |
| Size | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.2** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Peter Shevill](https://appshunter.io/developer/467204832) | [FugaPiyo Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1497887610) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Journals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-journals/id1609238651)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6 Month Subscription | $0.49 | per 6 months |
| 12 Month App Subscription. | $0.99 | per year |


### 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 Simple Journals free?

Simple Journals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Text Diary free?

Text Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Simple Journals or Text Diary have ads?

Text Diary shows ads; Simple Journals does not.

### Which is updated more often, Simple Journals or Text Diary?

Simple Journals ships an update fortnightly, and Text Diary every 2 months. Most recently, Simple Journals was updated on October 6, 2026 and Text Diary on October 1, 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.*