Comparison

Text Diary vs Zen

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

Head to head
About

Text Diary

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
Read full description

It's a simple text diary app. All features are completely free to use. Features: - Unlimited daily diary - Classified by folder, color, tag - Search diary - Filter by date or tag - Quick start-up, comfortable operability - Dark mode - All free URL scheme: textdiary://

About

Zen

This minimal journaling app helps you build a daily habit of recording your thoughts and experiences. It offers a simple, line-by-line entry system, calendar synchronization, and security features like password and biometric unlock. Organize entries with tags for easy retrieval.

Highlights
  • Effortless line-by-line recording
  • Calendar synchronization for context
  • Daily notification reminders
  • Minimalist and intuitive design
  • Password and biometric security
  • Tag-based organization and search
Read full description

Zen is the minimal diary app. Zen was developed based on the developer's own struggles of not being able to continue any diary. - Effortlessly Record If you try to write perfectly, you will not know where to start. Zen allows you to keep a diary in a simple and easy manner by recording what happened in fragments, line by line, just like a note. Even on days when you are tired, you can keep a diary as if it were a note, making it easy to continue to keep a diary every day. Of course, you can also record detailed information. - Calendar Sync Zen automatically displays your schedule for the day by connecting to your calendar. This makes it easy to look back on the day and smoothly start writing in the diary. Even if you forget to keep a diary for a few days, you can easily keep a diary by checking the day's schedule. - Make Journaling a Habit Receiving notifications at a set time every day will support in making journaling a habit. - Minimal We paid special attention to the design because it is an app that you use every day. The minimal design allows you to keep track of your daily activities intuitively without getting lost in the operations. - Wabi-sabi Wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. We are not perfect. So we don't need to write perfect sentences. Just write what you think. The essence is short. That's why Zen has a limit of 280 characters. - Security You can set a password when you start the app to further enhance your privacy. You can also unlock the app with fingerprint or face-ID. - Organize with Tags You can add keywords or categories related to your diary as tags. This allows you to efficiently manage and search diary entries using tags. Don’t worry, just write. --- Our Story There are many diary apps in the world, but I couldn't master any of them because they are all too complex. So, I decided to create my own minimal diary app that only includes the bare minimum necessary features. The only thing this app can do is to record and look back on daily events. I am constantly updating the app so that people who are looking for a simple diary app like me can be satisfied with it. I would be happy if this app can be of any help in your life. I wish for your life to be enriched. Terms of Use: https://tinylab-apps.web.app/TermsOfService/ja.html Privacy Policy: https://tinylab-apps.web.app/PrivacyPolicy/ja.html

Screenshots

Text Diary4 screens
Zen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Text Diary at none against Zen's 2. Text Diary also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3). Zen's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Zen sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Text Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Text Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Text Diary ships an update every 2 months, Zen every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
Text Diary versus Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterText DiaryZen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Number of ratings7 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFugaPiyo Inc.Ryunosuke Nagase

Customer experience

Text Diary

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Zen

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Text Diary

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Zen

Subscriptions2
  • PREMIUM - MONTHLY14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • PREMIUM - ANNUAL14 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Text Diary free?
Text Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Zen free?
Zen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Text Diary or Zen?
Text Diary is rated higher. Text Diary averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Zen averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Text Diary or Zen have ads?
Both Text Diary and Zen show ads.
Which is updated more often, Text Diary or Zen?
Text Diary ships an update every 2 months, and Zen every 10 days. Most recently, Text Diary was updated on October 24, 2026 and Zen on October 24, 2026.

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