Comparison

Years Journal vs Nostalgia Notes

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

Head to head
About

Years Journal

This app allows you to record your daily thoughts and emotions, and revisit past entries for the same date. You can attach photos, search your history, and enjoy a visually organized calendar view. Automatic backups and multi-device support ensure your memories are always accessible.

Highlights
  • Write and display journal entries
  • Attach photos to entries
  • Calendar view of entries
  • Search past entries
  • Automatic data backup
  • Multi-device viewing and editing
  • Dark mode and theme customization
Features
Read full description

Revisit this day in past years. See journal entries from the same date, year by year. Write about today with words and photos, then look back at what you were doing on this day before. Features โ€ข Entries from the same date, grouped by year โ€ข Journal entries with text and photos โ€ข A calendar for choosing a date โ€ข Search by words you remember โ€ข A photo album that opens the entry from that day โ€ข Automatic data backup and viewing and editing across devices โ€ข Theme colors and dark mode โ€ข Passcode lock On supported devices, set a passcode first, then enable Face ID or Touch ID in Settings โ†’ Lock. Backup and use across devices require an account and an internet connection. A Premium subscription is available to remove ads. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lightnet328.notion.site/Years-Privacy-Policy-2cfa38e8fd534d96931fd95bcd22770d

About

Nostalgia Notes

Easily create, update, and delete diary entries. Review past entries sorted by day, week, month, or year. Track your progress with enriched statistical data to stay motivated.

Highlights
  • Diary creation
  • Update diary entries
  • Delete diary entries
  • Review past entries
  • Sort entries by date
  • Statistical data tracking
Features
Read full description

Main Features 1.Diary creation Simple to create a diary. 2.Update Diary You can update the contents of your diary. 3.Delete Diary You can easily delete your diary by swiping it. 4.Review You can look back on the past in various axes by displaying diaries sorted by daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Statistics As you continue to keep a diary, the statistical data will be enriched, motivating you to continue.

Screenshots

Years Journal4 screens
Nostalgia Notes3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Years Journal at 73% against Nostalgia Notes's 50%. Years Journal also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Nostalgia Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Years Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, Nostalgia Notes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 4 level
Years Journal versus Nostalgia Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYears JournalNostalgia Notes
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews โ€” better50.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size29 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYutaro KidoMasaaki Kishimoto

Customer experience

Years Journal

Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

Nostalgia Notes

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Years Journal

No in-app purchases

None

Nostalgia Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Years Journal free?
Years Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nostalgia Notes free?
Nostalgia Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Years Journal or Nostalgia Notes have ads?
Both Years Journal and Nostalgia Notes show ads.
Which is updated more often, Years Journal or Nostalgia Notes?
Years Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nostalgia Notes every 4 days. Most recently, Years Journal was updated on November 4, 2026 and Nostalgia Notes on October 30, 2026.

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