Comparison

Grid Diary Classic vs Grateful

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Grid Diary Classic

This journaling app offers a unique grid-based format with prompts to overcome writer's block. It allows for photo attachments, full-text search, and health data integration. Advanced features like passcode lock and cloud sync are available through a subscription or one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Unique grid format for journaling
  • Prompt library for writing inspiration
  • Photo attachment to entries
  • Full text search functionality
  • Backup and restore options
  • HealthKit integration for steps and calories
Read full description

NOTICE: A new generation of Grid Diary has been released, and this version will stop updating on Dec 31, 2019. Please visit https://diary-help.sumi.io/migrate-from-classic/ to learn more. ====== Featured by Apple in New & Noteworthy and What’s Hot! "Grid Diary is a new way to look at journaling." - AppAdvice "It’s a well-designed, good-looking and intuitive app with a clear purpose." - InsideMobileApps Watch Grid Diary in action: http://vimeo.com/sumisumi/grid-diary-3 Did you ever try to keep a diary but never succeeded? Or did you have writer's block problem? Grid Diary is here for you. Grid Diary is introducing a unique way of writing a diary. In Grid Diary, diary entry is made up of a number of "Grids", which is as simple as a question, prompt, or etc. It is like a pre-defined template for the diary. Thinking and writing in this way is more effective, and it feels more natural and fluid. You still have total freedom in the amount of the grid and the text you want to fill in a grid. We started with a simple and clear purpose, and have always kept minimal design in mind. Through carefully crafted gestures, Grid Diary enhanced user experience in many ways. === FEATURES === • Unique grid format • Prompt library for writing inspirations • Photo attachment • Reading mode • Full text search-able • Backup and restore • Cloud input • Record daily number of steps and calorie consumption(via HealthKit) === PRO FEATURES === • Passcode lock • Sync (iCloud Drive / Dropbox / WebDAV) • Export in various formats • Multiple reminders • Customizable font styles • Night mode • Export to Evernote / Dropbox • Text formatting tools Pro is available in two pricing models: 1. $9.99 for one time purchase 2. $2.49 monthly subscription Please note that price may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the subscription once activated. Manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. ---- Having any problems? Any suggestions? We would love to hear from you! You can reach us at support at: • Website http://griddiaryapp.com • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GridDiary • Twitter https://twitter.com/GridDiary ---- Privacy Policy: https://griddiaryapp.com/support/privacy Terms of Service: https://griddiaryapp.com/support/terms

About

Grateful

This app helps you cultivate a more positive outlook by making gratitude easy and fun. It offers daily prompts, allows you to add photos, and lets you easily browse past entries. Your journal remains completely private, stored only on your device.

Highlights
  • Daily gratitude prompts
  • Add photos to entries
  • Browse entries by time or prompt
  • Customizable prompts
  • Private and local storage
  • Edit past entries
Read full description

According to researchers at the Harvard Medical School, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” Grateful was created to make expressing gratitude in your life both easy and fun, as well as to remind you, during those down moments, of the many blessings in your life (that you've documented in Grateful). *Daily Prompts to Start You Off* With its simple interface and daily prompts, Grateful is designed to make reflection and giving thanks both a joyful and easy process. Daunted by a blank page? Not quite sure where to start? Grateful will greet you with one question, such as. 'What made you smile today'? or 'What made today a good day?'. All you have to do is answer. It can be a simple word. Or a simple paragraph. Grateful allows for both. You can also add a photo to support your thoughts. *Easy to Browse your Past Entries* Grateful's simple journal feed lets you browse your entries by TIME or by PROMPT. Want to see all the things that made you smile this year? Jump to those entries in your timeline. Want to see what your state of mind was last January? Jump to that month in your timeline. *Our Prompts or Yours* Grateful gives you the flexibility to make the journal truly yours. When sit down to write an entry, Grateful will start you off with a prompt. You have the option of: 1.) Answering the prompt 2.) Choosing a different prompt 3.) Writing your own prompt *Totally Private* No sign ups. No logins. No Facebook integration. All you data resides only on your device. FREE Features: • 15 journal entries • Unlimited reminders • No login of any kind required. This journal is for you only. • Each session starts with a prompt, making writing easy. • Grateful lets you answer the prompt and also save any additional thoughts for later reading. • Ability to edit past entries • Customize your timeline - show entries by time, prompt, tag, or randomly Additional PREMIUM Features (available with one-time upgrade or with a Growth Bundle subscription): • Unlimited entries (Free version allows 15 entries) • Data backup with Dropbox and iCloud • Passcode with Face ID for added privacy security • Ability to create your own prompts to answer • Export your entries to file (PDF or CSV format) Grateful‘s GROWTH BUNDLE is an optional monthly or annual subscription. If you choose to upgrade, payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, for the chosen plan's price. Subscriptions may be managed and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your iTunes/App Store Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Read more about our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy here: • Terms of Service: https://growthbundle.com/terms-of-service/ • Privacy Policy: https://growthbundle.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Grid Diary Classic4 screens
Grateful4 screens

Verdict

The call

Grid Diary Classic and Grateful both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of Grid Diary Classic's written reviews are positive against 48% of Grateful's. Grid Diary Classic also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.0). Grateful's advantage is ratings volume (3K vs 774). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Grid Diary Classic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Grateful sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Grateful holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 774 and 3K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Grid Diary Classic's written reviews are positive against 48% of Grateful's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Grid Diary Classic ships an update every 3 weeks, Grateful every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Grid Diary Classic versus Grateful: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGrid Diary ClassicGrateful
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (774 ratings)4.6 (3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.6% of reviews — better48.1% of reviews
Number of ratings7743K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB126 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSumi InteractiveKodeon, Inc.

Customer experience

Grid Diary Classic

All ratings773 ratings
Positive86.0%
Neutral4.5%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews1,152 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative17.1%

Grateful

All ratings3,044 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews264 reviews
Positive48.1%
Neutral8.7%
Negative43.2%

User reviews

Grid Diary Classic

From 774 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 📝 Helps with daily reflection and journaling
  • 🎨 Clean and minimalist design
  • 🔍 Customizable prompts and templates
  • 🌐 Syncs across devices

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Paid version required for password protection
  • 🖼️ Limited photo storage in free version
  • 🌐 Sync issues for some users
  • 💰 Concerns over transition to subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs

Grateful

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Simple and effective
  • 📷 Ability to add photos
  • 🗓️ Helpful prompts and reminders
  • 💻 Clean and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 💰 Paid subscription required after limited free entries
  • 🔒 Lack of customer support and unresponsive developers
  • 💾 Issues with data backup and restoration
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

Bugs and requests

Grid Diary Classic

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Upgrade issues and failed purchases
  • Entries disappearing or being deleted
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • More font and color customization options
  • Integration with calendar and other apps
  • Ability to export/backup journal entries
  • More emotion/mood options
  • Desktop/web version

Grateful

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashing on launch
  • Inability to restore previous purchases
  • Entries disappearing or not saving properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Calendar view to track progress
  • Custom prompt writing
  • Improved photo handling and display
  • Cloud sync across devices

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Grid Diary Classic

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Subscription$2.491 Month
One-time1
  • Upgrade to Pro$9.99
9 purchases

Grateful

Subscriptions8
  • Grateful Growth Bundle: Month$3.991 Month
  • Grateful Premium$14.991 Year
  • Grateful Premium7 Days trial$14.991 Year
Show 5 more
  • Annual Subscription$14.991 Year
  • Grateful Growth Bundle: Yearly$18.991 Year
  • Grateful Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Grateful Premium1 Year trial2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Grateful Growth Bundle: Yearly1 Year trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-Time Premium Upgrade$4.99

Questions

Is Grid Diary Classic free?
Grid Diary Classic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grateful free?
Grateful is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Grid Diary Classic or Grateful?
Grateful is rated higher. Grid Diary Classic averages 4.4 out of 5 from 774 ratings, while Grateful averages 4.6 from 3K ratings.
Do Grid Diary Classic or Grateful have ads?
Neither Grid Diary Classic nor Grateful shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Grid Diary Classic or Grateful?
Grid Diary Classic ships an update every 3 weeks, and Grateful every 2 months. Most recently, Grid Diary Classic was updated on November 6, 2026 and Grateful on November 6, 2026.

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