# Journal vs Secret Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Secret Diary at none against Journal's 5. Secret Diary also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (98 vs 1). Journal's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Secret Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secret Diary has 98 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Journal ships an update every 4 months, Secret Diary every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Journal | Secret Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-with-password/id6468249996/reviews)** | [4.7 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-diary-with-lock/id6468484543/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **98** |
| Positive reviews | — | 85.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 52 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Olufemi Adedire](https://appshunter.io/developer/1701746573) | [Trang Le Thi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1531252314) |

## What reviewers say

### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-with-password/id6468249996)

Securely record your thoughts, secrets, and private moments with this digital journal. Protect your entries with a password, Touch ID, or Face ID, and enrich them with photos and videos. Easily organize and search your memories.

**Highlights:** Password, Touch ID, Face ID lock, Add text, photos, and videos, Tagging for entries, Searchable diary, Export entries, iCloud sync

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly: Journal Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| 3-Monthly: Journal Pro Quarter | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| 6-Monthly:Journal Pro 6 months | $3.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly: Journal Pro Annual | $4.99 | per year |
| Journal Pro Lifetime Access | $5.99 | 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 Journal free?

Journal 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, Journal or Secret Diary?

Journal is rated higher. Journal averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Secret Diary averages 4.7 from 98 ratings.

### Do Journal or Secret Diary have ads?

Neither Journal nor Secret Diary shows ads.

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

Journal ships an update every 4 months, and Secret Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Journal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Secret Diary on November 3, 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.*