# Diary vs Ember

The clearest difference is ads: Diary at none against Ember's shown. Diary also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.4). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Ember sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Diary ships an update every 2 days, Ember every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary | Ember |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Size | 52 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thuyet Luong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1655884965) | [丽佳 施](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894580777) |

## What reviewers say

### Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-simple-note-your-life/id6449438289)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 week subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |


### Ember

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-private-diary/id6769777961)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ember Pro | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary free?

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

### Is Ember free?

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

### Do Diary or Ember have ads?

Ember shows ads; Diary does not.

### Which is updated more often, Diary or Ember?

Diary ships an update every 2 days, and Ember every 3 weeks. Most recently, Diary was updated on October 8, 2026 and Ember on October 7, 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.*