# Diary Book vs Journal

The clearest difference is update cadence: Journal at every 6 weeks against Diary Book's every 3 months. Journal also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 80%) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 314). Diary Book's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary Book sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Diary Book against 4.6 for Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal has 1.8K ratings behind it against 314, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Diary Book's written reviews are positive against 90% of Journal's.

Diary Book ships an update every 3 months, Journal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary Book | Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (314 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-book-mood-diary/id1620651765/reviews)** | [4.6 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 314 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **89.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 76 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [俊柯 吴](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618672666) | [受杰 柯](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634142370) |

## What reviewers say

### Diary Book

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-book-mood-diary/id1620651765)

This app allows users to privately record their daily life, moods, and memories. It offers tools for creative journaling with customizable covers, stickers, and dynamic themes. Users can track their feelings over time and revisit past entries.

**Highlights:** Mood tracking with calendar expressions, Customizable handbook covers, Graphic stickers and collage materials, Daily diary entries with pictures, Dynamic home page themes, Calendar date querying

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Subscription quarter | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro version | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Very cute and adorable app
- ✍️ Good for drawing and writing
- 💖 Useful for messy or non-existent diaries
- ✨ Helpful in life
- 🤩 Obsessively cute design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 VIP is expensive
- 💰 High cost for frames
- 🚫 VIP is a no-no
- 🤔 VIP is really expensive, please make it cheaper
- ⚠️ App glitches and deletes unsaved writing

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when accessing music notes
- App glitches and deletes unsaved writing

**Requested features**

- Make VIP cheaper
- Add a password option


### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Version | $2.99 | per month |
| Plus Version | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and aesthetic design
- 📚 Helpful for journaling and planning
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds and stickers
- 👍 Easy to use and organize
- 🥰 Fun and enjoyable experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Limited free features, many paid options
- 🔑 Issues with login/access
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 📝 Limited font/formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to reopen saved pages
- Stickers not displaying properly in some cases
- Sync issues causing data loss

**Requested features**

- Add more free stickers and customization options
- Improve syncing and backup functionality
- Allow creating custom backgrounds and stickers
- Introduce a dark mode option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary Book free?

Diary Book 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, Diary Book or Journal?

Diary Book is rated higher. Diary Book averages 4.6 out of 5 from 314 ratings, while Journal averages 4.6 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Diary Book or Journal have ads?

Both Diary Book and Journal show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Diary Book or Journal?

Diary Book ships an update every 3 months, and Journal every 6 weeks. Most recently, Diary Book was updated on October 30, 2026 and Journal on October 27, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*