# Paper Diary 2 vs HW Journal

The clearest difference is price: HW Journal at Free against Paper Diary 2's $4.99. HW Journal also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). Paper Diary 2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

HW Journal is free to download; Paper Diary 2 costs $4.99 up front. HW Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Paper Diary 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Paper Diary 2 ships an update monthly, HW Journal every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Paper Diary 2 | HW Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 4 days** |
| Size | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Akira Hiraoka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1668714727) | [KAZUTO IIDA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896346639) |

## What reviewers say

### Paper Diary 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-diary-2/id6741551901)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### HW Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hw-journal/id6767013958)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HW Journal PRO | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paper Diary 2 free?

Paper Diary 2 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HW Journal free?

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

### Do Paper Diary 2 or HW Journal have ads?

Neither Paper Diary 2 nor HW Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Paper Diary 2 or HW Journal?

Paper Diary 2 ships an update monthly, and HW Journal every 4 days. Most recently, Paper Diary 2 was updated on October 5, 2026 and HW Journal on October 2, 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.*