# Diary Journal Notes vs Secret Diary

The clearest difference is rating: Secret Diary at 4.7 against Diary Journal Notes's 4.0. Secret Diary also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). Diary Journal Notes's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary Journal Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Secret Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Secret Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secret Diary has 98 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Diary Journal Notes's written reviews are positive against 85% of Secret Diary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Diary Journal Notes ships an update daily, Secret Diary every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary Journal Notes | Secret Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-notes-onediary/id6458145030/reviews) | **[4.7 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **98** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 85.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 79 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pixel Crater Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/562219117) | [Trang Le Thi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1531252314) |

## What reviewers say

### Diary Journal Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-notes-onediary/id6458145030)

This app allows you to capture life's moments, thoughts, and memories through digital journaling. It offers rich media integration, emotion tracking, and robust security features to keep your entries private. Discover self-awareness and personal growth by reflecting on your experiences.

**Highlights:** Digital journaling with typing or dictation, Automatic date and time stamps, Add photos, videos, and mood emojis, PIN, fingerprint, or facial recognition lock, Track emotions and identify patterns, Quick search for entries

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $9.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $24.99 | one-time |


### Secret Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543)

Securely record your thoughts, daily events, and journeys with this private diary app. It offers robust security features like Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode lock, and allows for extensive personalization with themes, fonts, and backgrounds. All entries are stored locally for maximum privacy.

**Highlights:** Face ID, Touch ID, passcode lock, iCloud backup and restore, Unlimited editing options, Add photos, backgrounds, fonts, Personalize with artistic themes, Local data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and friendly design
- 🔒 Secure with passcode/lock
- ✍️ Allows dictation and writing feelings
- ✨ No in-app purchases
- 🎨 Customizable fonts, sizes, and backgrounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Background theme selection issues
- 🐛 Lock screen appears after entries
- 🐛 App crashes in airplane mode
- 🐛 Difficulty remembering/recovering passcode
- 🐛 Passcode not always visible/functional

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot get back to previous background themes
- Lock screen appears after entries are visible
- App crashes when phone is on airplane mode
- Difficulty entering or recovering passcode
- Passcode not visible or functional at times

**Requested features**

- Allow autocorrect while typing
- Ensure lock screen appears first
- Recover passcode when forgotten
- Add backup feature
- Enable Face ID/Touch ID for login


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary Journal Notes free?

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

### Is Secret Diary free?

Secret Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Diary Journal Notes or Secret Diary?

Secret Diary is rated higher. Diary Journal Notes averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Secret Diary averages 4.7 from 98 ratings.

### Do Diary Journal Notes or Secret Diary have ads?

Diary Journal Notes shows ads; Secret Diary does not.

### Which is updated more often, Diary Journal Notes or Secret Diary?

Diary Journal Notes ships an update daily, and Secret Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Diary Journal Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Secret Diary on October 23, 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.*