# Pudding Note vs Secret Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Secret Diary at none against Pudding Note's 3. Secret Diary also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (98 vs 6). Pudding Note's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pudding Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Secret Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pudding Note against 4.7 for Secret Diary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secret Diary has 98 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Pudding Note's written reviews are positive against 85% of Secret Diary's.

Pudding Note ships an update every 10 days, Secret Diary every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pudding Note | Secret Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pudding-note-diary-and-journal/id1662421778/reviews) | **[4.7 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **98** |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **85.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 50 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shenzhen Finger Game Technology Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455330123) | [Trang Le Thi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1531252314) |

## What reviewers say

### Pudding Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pudding-note-diary-and-journal/id1662421778)

Create a personalized digital journal with a variety of decorative stickers, fonts, and backgrounds. This app offers a fun and easy way to log your daily life, memories, and thoughts with cloud synchronization for data safety.

**Highlights:** Easy pocketbook creation, Cute Q version and fresh backgrounds, Exquisite stickers and fancy fonts, Customizable notebook covers, Cloud synchronization, Memo, notepad, and painting functions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly VIP | $1.99 | per month |
| Annually VIP | $17.99 | per year |
| Permanently VIP | $31.99 | one-time |


### 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 Pudding Note free?

Pudding Note 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, Pudding Note or Secret Diary?

Secret Diary is rated higher. Pudding Note averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Secret Diary averages 4.7 from 98 ratings.

### Do Pudding Note or Secret Diary have ads?

Pudding Note shows ads; Secret Diary does not.

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

Pudding Note ships an update every 10 days, and Secret Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Pudding Note 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.*