Comparison

A Lemon Diary vs the waterfall

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

Head to head
About

A Lemon Diary

This text-only diary app allows users to create multiple themed journals for organized event recording. Customize diary covers with unlimited color and emoji sticker combinations. Easily export entries as screenshots or CSV files for sharing and backup.

Highlights
  • Topic-based diary creation
  • Customizable cover colors and emoji stickers
  • Screenshot export
  • CSV file import/export
  • Offline functionality
  • iCloud Drive automatic backups
Features
Read full description

A Lemon Diary is a special text-only diary app where users can create different topics diaries using it, separating daily events by topics for clearer and more organized recording and referencing. The cover color of the diary books can have unlimited combinations with emoji stickers to cater to different user preferences. Additionally, we offer a highly convenient screenshot export feature, making it easy for users to edit and share their daily or monthly experiences with their loved ones. ----------- A Lemon Diary is a standalone application that does not require an internet connection. All diary data is stored on the user's own device. We also support automatic backups to the user's iCloud Drive. Since we do not have servers or an account system, please enable the automatic backup function for the database or manually backup your database regularly. In addition to providing database backup functionality, we also offer CSV file export and import capabilities, making it easier for users to manage their data effectively. ----------- EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

the waterfall

This app serves as a personal introspection companion, allowing users to record thoughts, ideas, and memories. It features guided questions for deeper self-reflection, supports Markdown for expressive text, and allows tagging and image association with entries. Data is stored locally and synced with iCloud for privacy.

Highlights
  • Guided self-reflection questions
  • Markdown support for text
  • Tagging and image association
  • Local data storage with iCloud sync
  • Pinning important memories
  • Record reading notes and movie reviews
Features
Read full description

Waterfall —— More than just a diary app, it's your personal introspection companion. Waterfall is committed to helping you think, remember, and discover the beauty in life. As a unique diary app, the charm of Waterfall lies in its potential to touch every detail of life. Here, you can record your thoughts and ideas. Furthermore, our question feature allows for deeper pondering — just hold down on a diary entry and prompt yourself with a question, like "What did you eat today?", "What are you thinking about?", or "Was there something today that made you happy?". Each question is a deep dive into your own self-reflection. Moreover, Waterfall is fully featured — it supports Markdown, making your text even more expressive. You can also associate tags and pictures with your memories, turning them into visual echoes. So, what exactly can Waterfall record? The answer is: almost everything. Apart from life's snippets, you can use it to log your reading notes, movie reviews, and even life goals. Pin important things to remind yourself to always keep up the enthusiasm for life. In the end, we hope that you enjoy your time with Waterfall, where each day, you can cherish the last moment of the day and reminisce about the day's experiences. Here, every day, you have your own waterfall. It's worth noting that Waterfall takes your privacy very seriously. All your data are stored locally and automatically synced with iCloud, visible only to you. At Waterfall, your privacy is always given the highest level of protection. May you have a beautiful day with Waterfall. Wishing you a waterfall day.

Screenshots

A Lemon Diary4 screens
the waterfall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: A Lemon Diary at fortnightly against the waterfall's every 3 months. A Lemon Diary also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. A Lemon Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and the waterfall sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for A Lemon Diary against 5.0 for the waterfall. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 5 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of A Lemon Diary's written reviews are positive against 88% of the waterfall's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A Lemon Diary ships an update fortnightly, the waterfall every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
A Lemon Diary versus the waterfall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA Lemon Diarythe waterfall
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews88.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6 — better5
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.5 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZIZICICI LIMITED文杰 李

Customer experience

A Lemon Diary

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

the waterfall

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive88.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative8.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

A Lemon Diary

One-time1
  • Lemon Pro Lifetime$3.99
1 purchases

the waterfall

One-time1
  • WATERFALL UPGRADE$7.99

Questions

Is A Lemon Diary free?
A Lemon Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is the waterfall free?
the waterfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, A Lemon Diary or the waterfall?
A Lemon Diary and the waterfall are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do A Lemon Diary or the waterfall have ads?
Neither A Lemon Diary nor the waterfall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A Lemon Diary or the waterfall?
A Lemon Diary ships an update fortnightly, and the waterfall every 3 months. Most recently, A Lemon Diary was updated on October 7, 2026 and the waterfall on October 14, 2026.

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