Comparison

HeartNote Diary vs sDiary

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

Head to head
About

HeartNote Diary

Features
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HeartNote is an offline-first private journaling app focused on privacy, security, and a calm writing experience. Your entries, photos, audio, video, files, and doodles are stored locally on your device by default. No account is required, and your data is not forced into the cloud. HeartNote helps you capture everyday life in richer ways. In addition to plain text, you can write with images, image groups, video, audio, files, and doodles. The editor supports mixed media layouts, flexible block reordering, and Markdown text, so writing feels natural and expressive. HeartNote also helps you organize and revisit your memories with: Timeline and calendar views Notebooks, tags, weather, and mood metadata Search and filters Media library for browsing attachments On This Day, trends, and review insights Time Capsule reminders for future reflection For privacy and protection, HeartNote supports app lock, PIN, biometric unlock, and local backup and restore, so your journal stays under your control. This version also adds: Multi-year diary Notebook-based journal export Direct journal creation from a selected calendar date Export a single entry as a shareable journal card If you want a journaling app that stays private, works offline, and supports rich content, HeartNote is built for long-term personal use.

About

sDiary

Features
Read full description

One day a page. One intention, a few moments, then seal it. sDiary is a slow, intentional journal. You write a single line for what the day is about, capture a handful of moments as text, photos, or voice, and then seal the page. Once a day is sealed it goes into your book: the long arc of every page you've written. No streaks. No engagement loops. No coach. No social. The day is yours, and so is the book. The flow. Morning. Set an intention. One sentence. Through the day. Add moments. Text, photo, or voice. Evening. Reflect. Seal the day. The page closes; tomorrow is a fresh one. Threads (Pro). The phrases that keep coming back across your sealed days, surfaced automatically. All computation happens on your device. No cloud, no AI provider. Trusted Reader (with Sync). Invite exactly one person you trust to read your sealed days. They see what you chose to share, when you chose to share it. Revoke any time. Year-Review. Every December 31, sDiary auto-opens a retrospective of the year: the intentions, the recurring threads, the sealed-day count. Free, Pro, and Sync. The base app is free, forever. Pro is a one-time unlock that opens Threads, voice moments, unlimited photos per day, full-history search, and Year-Reviews. Sapplify Sync is free with a Sapplify account and covers multi-device sync and the Trusted Reader feature, across every Sapplify app. Local-first, by default. Your days live in a SQLite database on your phone. Nothing leaves your device unless you turn on Sapplify Sync, and even then, only your own data, to your own account. Terms of Use: https://www.sapplify.com/terms/sdiary/ Sapplify Account Privacy: https://www.sapplify.com/policies/account/ Sapplify Account Terms: https://www.sapplify.com/terms/account/

Screenshots

HeartNote Diary4 screens
sDiary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HeartNote Diary at none against sDiary's 3. HeartNote Diary also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. sDiary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. HeartNote Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
HeartNote Diary versus sDiary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeartNote DiarysDiary
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 โ€” better15.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size55 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerไฟ ็Ž‹Anthony Eli Rasch

In-app purchases

None

HeartNote Diary

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

sDiary

Subscriptions2
  • Sapplify Sync Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Sapplify Sync Yearly1 Month trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • sDiary Pro$29.99

Questions

Is HeartNote Diary free?
HeartNote Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is sDiary free?
sDiary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HeartNote Diary or sDiary have ads?
Neither HeartNote Diary nor sDiary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HeartNote Diary or sDiary?
HeartNote Diary ships an update every 3 weeks, and sDiary every 3 weeks. Most recently, HeartNote Diary was updated on October 9, 2026 and sDiary on October 10, 2026.

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