# Journal vs My Diary With Lock

The clearest difference is ads: My Diary With Lock at none against Journal's shown. Journal's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and My Diary With Lock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Journal against 4.7 for My Diary With Lock. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Journal's written reviews are positive against 91% of My Diary With Lock's.

Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, My Diary With Lock every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Journal | My Diary With Lock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608/reviews) | **[4.7 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-diary-with-lock/id6737590485/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | 89.7% of reviews | **91.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 45 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [受杰 柯](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634142370) | [MEETFIRE LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1861677709) |

## What reviewers say

### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608)

This app allows users to create a personal diary with a variety of cute stickers and backgrounds. It offers automatic saving of drafts, password protection for privacy, and the ability to insert photos. The app is also optimized for iPad use.

**Highlights:** Customizable stickers and backgrounds, Automatic draft saving, Password protection for privacy, iPad support with Apple Pencil, Photo insertion for diary entries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Version | $2.99 | per month |
| Plus Version | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and aesthetic design
- 📚 Helpful for journaling and planning
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds and stickers
- 👍 Easy to use and organize
- 🥰 Fun and enjoyable experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Limited free features, many paid options
- 🔑 Issues with login/access
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 📝 Limited font/formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to reopen saved pages
- Stickers not displaying properly in some cases
- Sync issues causing data loss

**Requested features**

- Add more free stickers and customization options
- Improve syncing and backup functionality
- Allow creating custom backgrounds and stickers
- Introduce a dark mode option


### My Diary With Lock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-diary-with-lock/id6737590485)

This app provides a secure and private space to record daily thoughts, moods, and memories. It offers password protection, mood tracking with emotion icons, and a calendar view to revisit past entries. Customize your journal with various artistic styles.

**Highlights:** Password and Face ID protection, Mood tracking with emotion icons, Quick notes with photos and emojis, Calendar view for browsing entries, Customizable fonts, backgrounds, and covers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly VIP | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly VIP | $7.99 | per year |
| Lifetime VIP | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cute and aesthetically pleasing design
- 🔒 Secure with password protection
- 💡 Ability to customize fonts and backgrounds
- 🚀 Fast and easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for journaling and note-taking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💡 Limited selection of journal cover options
- 🐛 Font settings not always retained
- 💡 Lack of backup and restore functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Submitted diary entries sometimes reset font settings
- Occasional data loss when switching devices

**Requested features**

- Add more journal cover options
- Implement backup and restore functionality
- Improve font customization options
- Introduce a dark mode theme


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Journal free?

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

### Is My Diary With Lock free?

My Diary With Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Journal or My Diary With Lock?

My Diary With Lock is rated higher. Journal averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while My Diary With Lock averages 4.7 from 2K ratings.

### Do Journal or My Diary With Lock have ads?

Journal shows ads; My Diary With Lock does not.

### Which is updated more often, Journal or My Diary With Lock?

Journal ships an update every 6 weeks, and My Diary With Lock every 3 months. Most recently, Journal was updated on November 7, 2026 and My Diary With Lock on November 8, 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.*