Comparison

My Private Diary vs Diary Journal

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

Head to head
About

My Private Diary

Securely record your thoughts, ideas, and memories with a personalized digital journal. Features robust security, customizable interfaces, and the ability to attach photos. Supports multiple languages and offers easy backup options.

Highlights
  • Passcode and biometric protection
  • Intruder detection with photo capture
  • Customizable colors and paper styles
  • Photo integration and quick-view icons
  • Magazine-style printing via AirPrint
  • Easy backups via File Sharing
  • Support for 19 languages
Features
Read full description

My Private Diary: Secure, Personal, and Truly Global. My Private Diary is the ultimate secure space for your innermost thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Whether you're recording daily memories or brainstorming your next big idea, My Private Diary keeps your life organized and your secrets safe. SECURE & PRIVATE Your privacy is our priority. My Private Diary features a robust security suite with a built-in safety net. Passcode Protection: Keep prying eyes away with a secure, private code. Biometric Recovery: Never get locked out! Recover forgotten codes instantly using Touch ID or Face ID. Intruder Detection: If someone tries to break in, the app can automatically capture a photo of the intruder and play a custom audio warning message. PERSONALIZE YOUR JOURNAL Make your diary look exactly how you want it. Custom Colors: Use precision sliders to choose any color style for your diary interface. Paper Styles: Choose between lined or blank paper, toggle red margin lines, and select between crisp white or custom-tinted pages. Portrait & Landscape: Designed specifically for iPad and iPhone, the app works perfectly in any orientation. RICH FEATURES Daily Reminders: Set a custom notification to ensure you never miss a day of recording your journey. Photo Integration: Attach photos from your library or take live photos directly within your entries. Smart Entry Filtering: Quickly filter your diary to see only dates with entries or use the "Today" button to jump to the current date instantly. Quick-View Icons: See at a glance which entries contain text, photos, or both. Magazine-Style Printing: Print your memories via AirPrint* in three layouts: Text Only, Magazine Style (scaled to fit), or Full Page. Easy Backups: Securely back up your entries to your computer via iTunes/Finder File Sharing. NOW SUPPORTS 19 LANGUAGES My Private Diary is localized for users around the world, supporting: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Greek, Polish, Ukrainian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino. TECHNICAL NOTES Default Passcode: "000" *AirPrint: Requires a wireless network and a printer that supports AirPrint technology. **Permissions: Ensure Photos, Camera, Microphone, and Biometrics are enabled in your device settings to enjoy all security and media features. WE VALUE YOUR FEEDBACK We work hard to make My Private Diary the best it can be. If you love the app, please leave us a review! If you have ideas for improvement or encounter a technical issue, contact us via the "App Support" button on the Information screen or visit our website. Thank you for choosing JS Digital Productions, Inc. -- Making the World a Better Place One App at a Time™

About

Diary Journal

This app provides a secure and private digital space for recording thoughts, memories, and dreams. It encourages self-reflection and personal growth through daily journaling, ensuring all entries are kept confidential.

Highlights
  • Secret diary entries
  • Log life events and progress
  • Record emotions and feelings
  • Password protection for privacy
  • Encourages self-reflection
  • Modern journal interface
Features
Read full description

Diary, a secret diary which is a new special place for your thoughts, memories, dreams! Mark down all special events, write about your moments and rest assured all your secrets are safe here in the cutest personal journal. It's a modern journal that will encourage you to open up and motivate you to become the best version of yourself. Log life events & progress with our journal diary with password app. A convenient, safe, reliable and simple to use mobile diary app to log your daily life activities, emotions and feelings. You can keep it securely from others eyes, no one will see your diary book. Privacy Policy: https://www.bytecrazy.com/common_privacy_en.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Diary Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Diary Journal at Free against My Private Diary's $1.99. Diary Journal also leads on ratings volume (369 vs 5) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). My Private Diary's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating and ads 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

Diary Journal is free to download; My Private Diary costs $1.99 up front. Diary Journal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. My Private Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for My Private Diary against 4.7 for Diary Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Diary Journal has 369 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

My Private Diary ships an update every 5 months, Diary Journal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
My Private Diary versus Diary Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMy Private DiaryDiary Journal
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (5 ratings) — better4.7 (369 ratings)
Positive reviews—66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings5369 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJS Digital Productions, Inc.Heyou Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

My Private Diary

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Diary Journal

All ratings367 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral9.5%
Negative23.8%

Bugs and requests

My Private Diary

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Diary Journal

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Video uploads fail and crash repeatedly
  • Long video entries don't save properly
  • Data doesn't transfer to new phone despite cloud backup
  • Import from ZIP file causes app to close
  • App crashes when importing exported data
Show 4 more
  • Audio playback volume extremely faint
  • Audio doesn't work with headphones or speakerphone
  • Slow performance when reviewing weekly entries
  • No customer support response to data loss issues

Requested features

10 requests
  • Timestamp for each journal entry
  • Password reset or recovery option
  • Multiple entries per day in free version
  • Font customization (size, bold, italics, underline)
  • Location tagging for entries
Show 5 more
  • Longer video duration allowance
  • Better fake diary with generic text and pictures
  • Login system for cloud data sync
  • Cross-device data transfer
  • Improved audio volume and headphone support

In-app purchases

None

My Private Diary

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Diary Journal

Subscriptions1
  • Diary Pro 1 Year$19.991 Year

Questions

Is My Private Diary free?
My Private Diary costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Diary Journal free?
Diary Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, My Private Diary or Diary Journal?
My Private Diary is rated higher. My Private Diary averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Diary Journal averages 4.7 from 369 ratings.
Do My Private Diary or Diary Journal have ads?
Neither My Private Diary nor Diary Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, My Private Diary or Diary Journal?
My Private Diary ships an update every 5 months, and Diary Journal every 6 weeks. Most recently, My Private Diary was updated on November 1, 2026 and Diary Journal on November 7, 2026.

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