# Minimal Diary vs General Journal

Minimal Diary and General Journal are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Minimal Diary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and General Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Minimal Diary ships an update every 9 days, General Journal every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Minimal Diary | General Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-diary-simple-journal/id6761893037/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 74 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Masashi Inoue](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527046314) | [Zhegang Xu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1710880748) |

## What reviewers say

### Minimal Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-diary-simple-journal/id6761893037)

A minimalist journaling app with a clean white design for enjoyable daily writing. It offers easy organization with hashtags, calendar view, and secure passcode protection. Personalize your experience with vibrant theme colors and quickly find past memories.

**Highlights:** Minimalist white design, No registration required, Hashtag organization, Calendar view for entries, Secure passcode lock, 15 theme colors, Instant search

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Plan (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Pro Plan (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Pro Plan | $34.99 | one-time |


### General Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/general-journal/id6771730545)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| General Journal Basic | $1.99 | per month |
| General Journal Premium | $2.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Minimal Diary free?

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

### Is General Journal free?

General Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Minimal Diary or General Journal have ads?

Both Minimal Diary and General Journal show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Minimal Diary or General Journal?

Minimal Diary ships an update every 9 days, and General Journal every 5 days. Most recently, Minimal Diary was updated on October 25, 2026 and General Journal on October 11, 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.*