Comparison

Secret Diary vs Diary Journal with Lock

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

Head to head
About

Secret Diary

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
Read full description

Secret Diary is a free diary journal app with high security. Your data is safe with iCloud backup and restore. This app use Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode lock to protect the security of your secret thoughts, daily diary and journeys. To ensure privacy and security, all your entry will only be saved on your device and not sent to any servers. Secret Diary provide unlimited dairy editing options, adding photos, backgrounds, fonts, moods, etc. Also, you can personalize this app with multiple artistic and kawaii themes. Everything is free! This App will protect your memories securely. Please try and enjoy it!

About

Diary Journal with Lock

Capture your thoughts, track your mood, and build a journaling habit in a secure, customizable space. This app offers guided prompts, mood insights, and expressive tools to help you reflect and grow.

Highlights
  • Daily journal and notes
  • Private diary lock (PIN, pattern, fingerprint)
  • Customizable themes, colors, and fonts
  • Mood tracker with insightful charts
  • Smart templates for guided writing
  • Diary streaks and habit tracking
  • Auto backup and sync
Features
Read full description

Journal & Diary – Daily Notes is the ultimate private space to capture your thoughts, track your mood, and build a habit of daily journaling. Whether you want to write a personal diary, create a gratitude journal, or keep secure notes with lock, this app gives you everything you need in one beautiful and customizable place. 1. Write & Capture Your Life Start writing your story with our easy-to-use note editor. Add text, emojis, and stickers to make each entry personal and fun. Whether it’s your daily routine, future goals, dreams, or private thoughts, you can quickly create diary notes that reflect your true self. 2. Private & Secure Diary Lock Your secrets stay safe. Protect your journal with PIN, pattern, or fingerprint lock. Only you can access your personal diary, making it a secure place for your most intimate thoughts. 3. Customize Your Diary Theme Express yourself by customizing your journal. Choose from beautiful themes, colors, and fonts to design a diary that feels truly yours. Personalization makes journaling more engaging and enjoyable every day. 4. Smart Templates for Every Mood Not sure what to write? Our unique templates guide you with prompts like: - Gratitude & Growth - Friendship Files - Private Thoughts - My Inner World - Daily Reflections These templates help you stay consistent and build a powerful journaling habit. 5. Track Mood & Build Streaks Stay connected to your emotions with our mood tracker. Log how you feel daily and view insightful charts to understand your emotional patterns. Keep up your diary streaks and celebrate progress as you write consistently. 6. Designed for Everyone With millions of satisfied users worldwide, Journal & Diary – Daily Notes is loved by students, professionals, writers, and anyone who wants to organize their thoughts, track their feelings, or build a journaling routine. Key Features: - Daily Journal & Notes – capture thoughts, memories, and routines - Private Diary Lock – secure with PIN, pattern, or fingerprint - Customizable Themes – personalize your diary look & feel - Mood Tracker – track emotions and mental health - Smart Templates – guided prompts for gratitude, goals & growth - Diary Streaks & Insights – analyze habits & moods over time - Auto Backup & Sync – keep your notes safe and accessible - Emoji & Stickers – make journaling fun and expressive Why Choose Journal & Diary – Daily Notes? Unlike simple notepad apps, this app combines journal, diary, mood tracker, planner, and secure notes into one seamless experience. It’s perfect for: - Building a daily journaling habit - Tracking mental health & mood - Keeping a gratitude journal - Protecting private thoughts with lock - Writing goals, memories & personal stories With Journal & Diary – Daily Notes, you don’t just write — you grow, reflect, and understand yourself better. We know what US users search for in the App Store: journal, diary, daily notes, mood tracker, secure diary, gratitude journal, planner, reminders, private notes. That’s why this app is designed to deliver on all those needs — giving you a reliable, private, and inspiring space for self-expression. Download Journal & Diary – Daily Notes today and start your journey of self-reflection, growth, and happiness. Your personal story deserves a safe place. Privacy Policy - https://sites.google.com/view/deardiaryapp Terms of Use (EULA) - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Secret Diary4 screens
Diary Journal with Lock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Secret Diary at 4.7 against Diary Journal with Lock's 3.3. Secret Diary also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support 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. Diary Journal with Lock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Secret Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Secret Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secret Diary has 98 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Secret Diary versus Diary Journal with Lock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecret DiaryDiary Journal with Lock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (98 ratings) — better3.3 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings98 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTrang Le ThiYash Baraiya

Customer experience

Secret Diary

All ratings59 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral11.9%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative7.5%

Diary Journal with Lock

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Secret Diary

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

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

Diary Journal with Lock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Secret Diary

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Diary Journal with Lock

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Subscription$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Subscription$14.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Secret Diary free?
Secret Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Diary Journal with Lock free?
Diary Journal with Lock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Secret Diary or Diary Journal with Lock?
Secret Diary is rated higher. Secret Diary averages 4.7 out of 5 from 98 ratings, while Diary Journal with Lock averages 3.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Secret Diary or Diary Journal with Lock have ads?
Diary Journal with Lock shows ads; Secret Diary does not.
Which is updated more often, Secret Diary or Diary Journal with Lock?
Secret Diary ships an update every 2 weeks, and Diary Journal with Lock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Secret Diary was updated on November 3, 2026 and Diary Journal with Lock on October 30, 2026.

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