# Diary vs Secret Diary

The clearest difference is rating: Secret Diary at 4.7 against Diary's 4.0. Secret Diary also leads on ratings volume (98 vs 1). Diary's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 85%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Secret Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secret Diary has 98 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Diary's written reviews are positive against 85% of Secret Diary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary | Secret Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-mood-tracker/id1641270031/reviews) | **[4.7 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **98** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 85.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tien Dat Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540394030) | [Trang Le Thi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1531252314) |

## What reviewers say

### Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-mood-tracker/id1641270031)

Record your thoughts, memories, and emotional states in a secure and private journal. This app allows you to write entries, add photos, and easily browse or search your past records. It offers PIN and biometric protection to keep your personal reflections safe.

**Highlights:** Write diary entries, Record memories and journeys, Track moods, Add photos to entries, PIN and biometric security, Browse and search diary timeline

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 free?

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

### Is Secret Diary free?

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

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

Secret Diary is rated higher. Diary averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Secret Diary averages 4.7 from 98 ratings.

### Do Diary or Secret Diary have ads?

Neither Diary nor Secret Diary shows ads.

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

Diary ships an update fortnightly, and Secret Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Diary 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.*