# Diary vs Pals

The clearest difference is ads: Diary at none against Pals's shown. Pals's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month and Pals sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 — 5.0 for Diary against 5.0 for Pals. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Diary's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pals's.

Diary ships an update every 7 months, Pals fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary | Pals |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-cbt-notes/id1661301401/reviews) | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pals-daily-log-mood-journal/id6476132737/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **3** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 20 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ivan Medvedev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1661301403) | [Dau Long An](https://appshunter.io/developer/1528876817) |

## 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 |


### Pals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pals-daily-log-mood-journal/id6476132737)

This app helps you track your moods and emotions using a unique 'Pals' system. Enhance entries with details like relationships, activities, photos, and voice notes. View detailed statistics and share your moments on social media.

**Highlights:** Mood tracking with 'Pals', Add details: relationships, activities, photos, voice, Journeys display mood history and daily scores, Share moments on social media, Comprehensive mood statistics (weekly, monthly, yearly), Data stored locally with iCloud backup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| Annual Premium | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary free?

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

### Is Pals free?

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

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

Diary and Pals are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 3 ratings respectively.

### Do Diary or Pals have ads?

Pals shows ads; Diary does not.

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

Diary ships an update every 7 months, and Pals fortnightly. Most recently, Diary was updated on November 3, 2026 and Pals on November 4, 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.*