Comparison

Dear Diary vs Journal

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

Head to head
About

Dear Diary

Features
Read full description

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"

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Dear Diary4 screens
Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Dear Diary versus Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDear DiaryJournal
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDIGITALLY 16Tag Studios Limited Liability Company

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Dear Diary

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium$29.991 Year
None

Journal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dear Diary free?
Dear Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Journal free?
Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dear Diary or Journal have ads?
Neither Dear Diary nor Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dear Diary or Journal?
Dear Diary ships an update every 3 days, and Journal every 2 months. Most recently, Dear Diary was updated on October 28, 2026 and Journal on October 31, 2026.

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