Dear Diary vs Journal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dear Diary
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Dear Diary is a private and secure digital journaling app designed to help you reflect, write, and organize your thoughts. Write daily diary entries, capture emotions, and build a personal space for self-reflection and mindfulness. Whether you want to document your day, manage your feelings, or simply clear your mind, Dear Diary provides a calm and distraction-free experience. Your entries are stored securely and are accessible only to you. Dear Diary does not use ads or tracking, allowing you to focus fully on your personal writing journey. Start building a healthy journaling habit today with Dear Diary. Terms of Use: https://digitally16.com/dear-diary/terms Privacy Policy: https://digitally16.com/dear-diary/privacy"
Journal
A private, offline diary and notes app that keeps your thoughts secure on your device. Write freely, set custom reminders, and track your progress with a distraction-free editor. Everything is encrypted and stored locally for ultimate privacy.
- Private offline diary
- Secure with Face ID/Touch ID/passcode
- Encrypted local storage
- Customizable reminders
- Home screen widget for quick capture
- Mood and tag tracking
- Writing streak and mood trend analysis
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Journal is a private diary and reminders app that keeps everything on your device. No accounts, no cloud sync, no tracking — your words never leave your iPhone. A secure place to write Write freely in a clean, distraction-free editor. Your journal is protected by Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, and entries are encrypted on your device. Add moods and tags, revisit past entries by date, and search everything instantly. Reminders that use your own words Jot down to-dos, plans, or affirmations and let Journal remind you at the times you choose. Turn notifications on or off per note, so you're nudged about what matters and left alone about what doesn't. Quick capture A home screen widget lets you capture a thought the moment it hits — no need to open the app and find the right screen. Track your rhythm See your writing streaks, mood trends over time, and a calendar view of your journaling history. Yours, and only yours Everything is stored locally and encrypted. There are no accounts to create and nothing is uploaded to a server. Export or make an encrypted backup whenever you want. Private by design. Simple by choice.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Journal at none against Dear Diary's 2. Dear Diary's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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
Both are free to download. Dear Diary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dear Diary ships an update every 3 days, Journal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dear Diary | Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DIGITALLY 16 | Tag Studios Limited Liability Company |
In-app purchases
Dear Diary
- Monthly Premium$2.991 Month
- Yearly Premium$29.991 Year
Journal
No in-app purchases









