Comparison

Memory vs Journal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Memory

Easily track important dates and count down to special occasions like anniversaries, vacations, and holidays. Never miss a significant day again with this intuitive event reminder and day counter.

Highlights
  • Countdown to events
  • Count up from past events
  • Widgets for countdown and calendar
  • Customizable event icons
  • Add notes to events
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

「Memory」is a simple countdown and day tracker app that can help you count down to special events and occasions, such as anniversaries, vacations, birthdays, holidays, the New Year, and more. With 「Memory」, you'll never miss an important day. Start by adding events and keeping track of your important days! ==Main Features== * Countdown the days to an event / Count up from past events * Widgets: countdown widgets, calendar widget, lock screen countdown widget * Choose an icon image for every event * Add notes to an event * Automatically sync records among all devices through iCloud. Privacy Policy: https://memoryteam.github.io/privacypolicymemory/ Terms of Service: https://memoryteam.github.io/termsofservicememory/

About

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.

Highlights
  • Customizable stickers and backgrounds
  • Automatic draft saving
  • Password protection for privacy
  • iPad support with Apple Pencil
  • Photo insertion for diary entries
Features
Read full description

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

Memory4 screens
Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Memory at 5.0 against Journal's 4.6. Memory also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 90%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Journal's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 8). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Memory sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Memory holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal has 1.5K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Memory's written reviews are positive against 90% of Journal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Memory versus Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMemoryJournal
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (8 ratings) — better4.6 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better89.7% of reviews
Number of ratings81.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQing Gao受杰 柯

Customer experience

Memory

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Journal

All ratings1,523 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral4.5%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews242 reviews
Positive89.7%
Neutral6.2%
Negative4.1%

Bugs and requests

Memory

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

1 purchases

Memory

One-time1
  • Memory Pro$1.99
3 purchases

Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Version3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Plus Version3 Days trial$4.993 Months
One-time1
  • Pro Version$8.99

Questions

Is Memory free?
Memory is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Journal free?
Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Memory or Journal?
Memory is rated higher. Memory averages 5.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Journal averages 4.6 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Memory or Journal have ads?
Both Memory and Journal show ads.
Which is updated more often, Memory or Journal?
Memory ships an update every 6 weeks, and Journal every 6 weeks. Most recently, Memory was updated on October 7, 2026 and Journal on October 13, 2026.

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