# Diary with Lock vs Secret Diary

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Secret Diary at 85% against Diary with Lock's 0%. Secret Diary also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.7 vs 4.2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary with Lock sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Secret Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Secret Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secret Diary has 98 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Diary with Lock's written reviews are positive against 85% of Secret Diary's.

Diary with Lock ships an update every 3 months, Secret Diary every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary with Lock | Secret Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-idiary/id1625609721/reviews) | **[4.7 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 19 | **98** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **85.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 58 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Heyou Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480358223) | [Trang Le Thi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1531252314) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Secret Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543)

Securely record your thoughts, daily events, and journeys with this private diary app. It offers robust security features like Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode lock, and allows for extensive personalization with themes, fonts, and backgrounds. All entries are stored locally for maximum privacy.

**Highlights:** Face ID, Touch ID, passcode lock, iCloud backup and restore, Unlimited editing options, Add photos, backgrounds, fonts, Personalize with artistic themes, Local data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and friendly design
- 🔒 Secure with passcode/lock
- ✍️ Allows dictation and writing feelings
- ✨ No in-app purchases
- 🎨 Customizable fonts, sizes, and backgrounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Background theme selection issues
- 🐛 Lock screen appears after entries
- 🐛 App crashes in airplane mode
- 🐛 Difficulty remembering/recovering passcode
- 🐛 Passcode not always visible/functional

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot get back to previous background themes
- Lock screen appears after entries are visible
- App crashes when phone is on airplane mode
- Difficulty entering or recovering passcode
- Passcode not visible or functional at times

**Requested features**

- Allow autocorrect while typing
- Ensure lock screen appears first
- Recover passcode when forgotten
- Add backup feature
- Enable Face ID/Touch ID for login


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary with Lock free?

Diary with Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Secret Diary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Diary with Lock or Secret Diary?

Secret Diary is rated higher. Diary with Lock averages 4.2 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Secret Diary averages 4.7 from 98 ratings.

### Do Diary with Lock or Secret Diary have ads?

Neither Diary with Lock nor Secret Diary shows ads.

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

Diary with Lock ships an update every 3 months, and Secret Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Diary with Lock was updated on October 24, 2026 and Secret Diary on October 23, 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.*