# Real Diary Lite vs Fresh Diary

The clearest difference is rating: Fresh Diary at 4.9 against Real Diary Lite's 4.0. Fresh Diary also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). Real Diary Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Real Diary Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Fresh Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Fresh Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fresh Diary has 30 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Real Diary Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of Fresh Diary's.

Real Diary Lite ships an update every 2 months, Fresh Diary every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Real Diary Lite | Fresh Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/real-diary-lite/id513789149/reviews) | **[4.9 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fresh-diary-pure-diarynotes/id6443731752/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **30** |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 131 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Owl Family Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/510310880) | [峰峰 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1648860305) |

## What reviewers say

### Real Diary Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/real-diary-lite/id513789149)

A user-friendly digital journal for managing schedules, notes, and moods. Customize your entries with themes, stickers, and pictures. Share updates to social media and track your emotions with mood charts.

**Highlights:** Customizable themes and stickers, Password protection with time settings, Mood charting and analysis, Social media uploads (Twitter, Facebook), Event scheduling and reminders, Data backup and restore

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to paid version | $2.99 | one-time |


### Fresh Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fresh-diary-pure-diarynotes/id6443731752)

A minimalist and private journaling app with a powerful rich text editor. Track your moods, visualize your entries on a map, and set yearly goals. Securely sync across devices and export your memories.

**Highlights:** Rich text editor, Diary footprints on map, Mood statistics, Calendar view, Year goals, Cloud synchronization, Bulk export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 月度会员 | $0.99 | per month |
| 年度会员 | $6.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Membership | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Real Diary Lite free?

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

### Is Fresh Diary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Real Diary Lite or Fresh Diary?

Fresh Diary is rated higher. Real Diary Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Fresh Diary averages 4.9 from 30 ratings.

### Do Real Diary Lite or Fresh Diary have ads?

Real Diary Lite shows ads; Fresh Diary does not.

### Which is updated more often, Real Diary Lite or Fresh Diary?

Real Diary Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Fresh Diary every 6 days. Most recently, Real Diary Lite was updated on October 7, 2026 and Fresh Diary on October 17, 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.*