# writesome | Journaling vs cal

The clearest difference is rating: cal at 5.0 against writesome | Journaling's 3.8. cal also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). writesome | Journaling's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. writesome | Journaling sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. cal asks for nothing beyond the download.

cal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | writesome | Journaling | cal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writesome-journaling/id6756517158/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-diary/id6766692881/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 30 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tom Melters](https://appshunter.io/developer/1399949017) | [Begimay Ahmatova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896315951) |

## What reviewers say

### writesome | Journaling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writesome-journaling/id6756517158)

This app encourages daily writing through streaks and provides prompts for inspiration. Organize thoughts into lists and keep them private with end-to-end encryption. Premium features unlock offline access and more customization.

**Highlights:** Daily writing streaks, Inspirational prompts, Organized lists, Private and secure encryption, Offline journaling (premium), Customizable lists (premium)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| writesome - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| writesome - Forever | $19.99 | one-time |


### cal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-diary/id6766692881)

Capture and revisit your daily memories with photos and notes. This app presents your month as a visual calendar, allowing you to easily view past moments. Your data remains private and stored solely on your device.

**Highlights:** Add photos to any day, Jot down notes for each entry, View month as a photo calendar, Full-screen view of daily memories, Export entries for sharing, Private, on-device storage

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is writesome | Journaling free?

writesome | Journaling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is cal free?

cal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, writesome | Journaling or cal?

cal is rated higher. writesome | Journaling averages 3.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while cal averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do writesome | Journaling or cal have ads?

Neither writesome | Journaling nor cal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, writesome | Journaling or cal?

writesome | Journaling ships an update every 10 days, and cal every 10 days. Most recently, writesome | Journaling was updated on October 14, 2026 and cal on October 10, 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.*