# Real Diary Lite vs Diary with Lock

The clearest difference is rating: Diary with Lock at 4.9 against Real Diary Lite's 4.0. Diary with Lock also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Real Diary Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Real Diary Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Diary with Lock asks for nothing beyond the download.

Diary with Lock holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Diary with Lock has 992 ratings behind it against 4, 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 96% of Diary with Lock's.

Real Diary Lite ships an update every 2 months, Diary with Lock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Real Diary Lite | Diary with Lock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/real-diary-lite/id513789149/reviews) | **[4.9 (992 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-diary-journal/id6497171567/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **992** |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | **96.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 131 MB | 150 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Owl Family Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/510310880) | [Simple Health](https://appshunter.io/developer/1687443479) |

## 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 |


### Diary with Lock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-with-lock-diary-journal/id6497171567)

Securely record daily thoughts, feelings, and memories with a customizable, password-protected digital journal. Enhance entries with photos, audio, and a mood tracker to understand your emotional journey. Offers prompts and themes for inspiration and organization.

**Highlights:** Password and Face ID protection, Multimedia entries (photos, audio), Mood tracking calendar, Customizable themes and fonts, Journal prompts, Tagging for organization, Cloud backup

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🩷 Lovely app
- 🔒 Secure with password protection
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🩷 Cute and colorful
- ✨ Helpful for expressing emotions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Limited customization options for password recovery

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- More background and font options
- Ability to move photos freely
- Draw own drawings
- Additional background themes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Real Diary Lite free?

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

### Is Diary with Lock free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Real Diary Lite or Diary with Lock?

Diary with Lock is rated higher. Real Diary Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Diary with Lock averages 4.9 from 992 ratings.

### Do Real Diary Lite or Diary with Lock have ads?

Real Diary Lite shows ads; Diary with Lock does not.

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

Real Diary Lite ships an update every 2 months, and Diary with Lock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Real Diary Lite was updated on October 23, 2026 and Diary with Lock on October 25, 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.*