# Diary vs CBT Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CBT Diary at none against Diary's 1. CBT Diary also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Diary's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. CBT Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Diary against 5.0 for CBT Diary. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Diary's written reviews are positive against 100% of CBT Diary's.

Diary ships an update every 7 months, CBT Diary every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary | CBT Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-cbt-notes/id1661301401/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbt-diary/id6461776590/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 5 months** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 20 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Ivan Medvedev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1661301403) | [Victor Kravchenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1702717048) |

## What reviewers say

### Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-cbt-notes/id1661301401)

This app helps you track your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to understand and change unhelpful patterns. It's a tool for developing coping strategies and improving overall well-being through cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.

**Highlights:** Record events, thoughts, and emotions, Identify cognitive distortions, Track behaviors and body reactions, Develop rational responses, Monitor progress over time, Set mental health goals

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $0.99 | per month |


### CBT Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbt-diary/id6461776590)

This app helps you understand your mind using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles. It guides you to identify negative thought patterns, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and develop healthier perspectives in a private space. Export logs to share with your therapist for more productive sessions.

**Highlights:** Structured thought records, Therapy log export, Complete on-device privacy, Daily reflection reminders, Intuitive design, Identify negative thought patterns

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary free?

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

### Is CBT Diary free?

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

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

Diary and CBT Diary are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Diary or CBT Diary have ads?

Neither Diary nor CBT Diary shows ads.

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

Diary ships an update every 7 months, and CBT Diary every 5 months. Most recently, Diary was updated on August 30, 2026 and CBT Diary on June 1, 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.*