Comparison

Mwaka vs dab

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

Head to head
About

Mwaka

Features
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Mwaka helps you capture a memory each day and watch your year fill up over time. The app blends a simple daily journal with a visual year view, so you can track progress, revisit past days, and keep what matters in one place. Key features Daily memory composer with gentle prompts and a calm writing space Year‑at‑a‑glance grid that reveals your progress and past entries Quick access to past days and highlights Customizable paper color palettes and doodle styling Optional reminders to keep a steady habit Mwaka is designed to be minimal, warm, and easy to return toβ€”whether you write a sentence or a full reflection. Free to download. Premium features require a subscription or lifetime purchase. Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

dab

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your journal, your stickers, your page a day. dab-dab is a warm little journal you actually get to decorate. snip the subject out of any photo into a sticker β€” right on your phone β€” or doodle one from scratch, then keep them in your own tin and reuse them on any day. it's your sticker book and your diary, in one. make your own stickers cut anyone (or anything) out of a photo with a tap, or draw a sticker by hand. dress it with an outline, a dashed cut-out edge, a torn-paper rim, or a puffy pop. then drop it in your tin β€” your growing little collection β€” and pull it back out to decorate any page, any day. a page to fill, your way β€’ doodle across two layers with soft vintage inks and pens β€’ write a note in a warm handwriting font β€’ add a postmark for a place, a feeling, or a small occasion β€’ set a photo β€” or a live photo β€” behind the day β€’ look back on the year wall: every page you kept, like a scrapbook of your year calm, never a chore no streaks, no scores, no chain to keep. show up however small β€” it's a place to land, not one more thing to keep up with. yours, and only yours no account, no sign-up, no cloud. everything stays on your phone, and nothing is collected. free dab-dab is a real, everyday journal. dab-dab+ opens the studio: an unlimited sticker tin, every writing font and size, the full drawing kit, the year wall reading view, live-photo backgrounds, more notes and photos a day, and the home-screen widget. β€” dab-dab+ is a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription (yearly includes a 7-day free trial) or a one-time lifetime purchase. payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. subscriptions renew automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Privacy Policy: https://reveriearchive-studio.github.io/dab-dab-privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Mwaka4 screens
dab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Mwaka at 3 against dab's 1. Mwaka also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Mwaka sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and dab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on May 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Mwaka versus dab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMwakadab
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 β€” better18.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size51 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJerry Munyoka NkongoloAntheia Li

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Mwaka

Subscriptions1
  • Mwaka Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Mwaka Lifetime$14.99
3 purchases

dab

Subscriptions2
  • dab-dab+ Monthly$2.991 Month
  • dab-dab+ Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • dab-dab+ Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Mwaka free?
Mwaka is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is dab free?
dab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mwaka or dab have ads?
Neither Mwaka nor dab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mwaka or dab?
Mwaka ships an update weekly, and dab weekly. Most recently, Mwaka was updated on May 24, 2026 and dab on September 19, 2026.

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