Comparison

Diary Duck vs Journal

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

Head to head
About

Diary Duck

Create beautiful digital journals with a vast collection of stickers, templates, and AI-powered tools. Easily design custom layouts and protect your memories with password protection. Regularly updated with new materials and features.

Highlights
  • Extensive sticker and background materials
  • AI sticker generation
  • Hand account templates
  • Pen and tape drawing tools
  • Password protection for journals
  • Regular content updates
Features
Read full description

Hi~ Welcome to Diary Duck, let's record the beautiful life together, let us make the best hand account, use the hand account to collect small memories~ "High-Quality Materials" 1. Plenty of beautiful, fresh stickers, quality materials are waiting for you to use. 2. Background templates are designed by our illustrators, convenient, and definitely make your hand account look good and easy to use. 3. AI stickers, users can use AI function to turn pictures into stickers you want and save them in your material library.
 "Super Convenient Hand Account Making" 1. Hand account template, lots of hand account template materials, just modify the content, a good-looking hand account is made. 2. Border stickers, users can use border stickers to quickly layout and make the style you want. 3. The function is simple, the app's function is super powerful, and the operation is simple, it's super fast to get started.
 "Non-Stop Benefits and Activities" 1. We will do some activities irregularly to give back to new and old users, you have the chance to win prizes by participating. 2. Membership prices will also be adjusted on certain special days, taking care of every Duck student.
 "APP Features" 1. Sticker Materials: A lot of sticker materials allow you to create without worries. 2. Background Materials: Designed by illustrators, make your hand account look professional. 3. Hand Account Template: The official will produce some popular hand account template styles, making it super convenient for you to make a hand account in three steps. 4. Pen Function: Support hand-drawn drawing of some small stickers and border styles. 5. AI Stickers: Sticker images can be cut out through AI machine to make the stickers you want, create the stickers you want. 6. Tape Function: Create richer border styles, paint whenever you want. 7. Password book: Add passwords to hand accounts, only the hand account can be opened through the password. 8. Different styles of stickers, backgrounds, and materials will be updated continuously.
 "Feedback to Developers" There are many happy and unhappy things in life, you can use the hand account to collect your small memories, thank you for meeting, we know that there are many shortcomings, if there are any problems, or good ideas, welcome to feedback in the application, contact us, every message from you will be read carefully!
 "Renewal Description" This subscription will be automatically renewed through your iTunes account and the renewal fee will be deducted from your package within 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel automatic renewal in the account settings, and cancel automatic renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. If your trial is not over, the remaining days will be automatically invalidated after you start your subscription. To start a subscription, you need to agree to the following terms:
 Terms of Service: https://www-handaccount.gitlab.io/terms-of-use/ Privacy Agreement: https://www-handaccount.gitlab.io/privacypolicy/

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

Diary Duck4 screens
Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

Diary Duck and Journal both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Journal's written reviews are positive against 33% of Diary Duck's. Journal also leads on ratings volume (1.5K vs 77). Diary Duck's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, 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. Diary Duck sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Diary Duck against 4.6 for Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal has 1.5K ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of Diary Duck's written reviews are positive against 90% of Journal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Diary Duck ships an update weekly, Journal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Diary Duck versus Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiary DuckJournal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (77 ratings)4.6 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews89.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings771.5K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size205 MB45 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer立桓 孙受杰 柯

Customer experience

Diary Duck

All ratings77 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Journal

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

Bugs and requests

Diary Duck

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

3 purchases

Diary Duck

Subscriptions2
  • 月度会员3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • 年度会员3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • 终身会员$6.99
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 Diary Duck free?
Diary Duck 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 Duck or Journal?
Journal is rated higher. Diary Duck averages 4.6 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Journal averages 4.6 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Diary Duck or Journal have ads?
Both Diary Duck and Journal show ads.
Which is updated more often, Diary Duck or Journal?
Diary Duck ships an update weekly, and Journal every 6 weeks. Most recently, Diary Duck was updated on October 9, 2026 and Journal on October 17, 2026.

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