# Secret Diary vs cal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: cal at none against Secret Diary's 3. cal also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months). Secret Diary's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.4). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Secret Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. cal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Secret Diary ships an update every 4 months, cal every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Secret Diary | cal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-diary/id6766692881/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 14 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shankar Dutt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1866130658) | [Begimay Ahmatova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896315951) |

## What reviewers say

### Secret Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secret-diary-private-journal/id6760246711)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime | $49.99 | 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 Secret Diary free?

Secret Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is cal free?

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

### Do Secret Diary or cal have ads?

Neither Secret Diary nor cal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Secret Diary or cal?

Secret Diary ships an update every 4 months, and cal every 10 days. Most recently, Secret Diary was updated on October 24, 2026 and cal on October 24, 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.*