Comparison

Simple Journal vs Gratitude Diary Plus

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

Head to head
About

Simple Journal

Features
Read full description

Welcome to Simple Journal, a minimalist and beautifully designed diary app crafted to help you capture your thoughts, memories, and daily reflections without the clutter. We believe that journaling should be a private, peaceful experience. That is why Simple Journal is 100% ad-free, works entirely offline, and requires no account. Your data stays on your device, exactly where it belongs. FREE FEATURES: Minimalist Design A calm, modern interface designed specifically to keep you focused on writing. No clutter, no distractions, just you and your thoughts. Photo Attachments A picture is worth a thousand words. Seamlessly attach images from your camera roll directly to your journal entries to capture visual memories alongside your reflections. Markdown Formatting Express yourself clearly. Use simple markdown syntax to easily add bold text, italics, and bulleted lists to your daily notes. 100% Offline & Private Simple Journal lives exclusively on your device. We do not use servers, we do not require an account, and your data never leaves your phone. Swipe & Organize Effortlessly manage your diary timeline with intuitive gestures. Quickly swipe to delete or long-press on entries for fast management. Dark Mode Ready Beautifully adapts to your phone’s system light and dark modes for comfortable late-night writing and reflection. SIMPLE JOURNAL PRO (Premium Subscription): Upgrade to Pro to unlock advanced privacy and personalization features while supporting independent development: Biometric Privacy Lock Keep prying eyes out. Lock your entire journal securely behind Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode. 30-Day Writing Heatmap Build a consistent habit. Visually track your journaling consistency over the last month with an elegant activity heatmap. 9 Custom Themes Personalize your diary. Choose from a curated palette of beautiful, modern color themes to match your personal aesthetic. Secure TXT Export Future-proof your memories. Export your entire journal into a plain text (.txt) file at any time to back it up or save it to your computer. Experience a cleaner way to write. Download Simple Journal today and start your private journaling journey. Eula for in app purchases: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Gratitude Diary Plus

Features
Read full description

A five-second gratitude habit — three things you're grateful for, every evening, fully offline. • Three short slots, no journaling marathon • Today and last 3 days free • Year heatmap of consistency (Pro) • Search across every entry (Pro) • Weekly reflection prompt (Pro) Who it's for For anyone wanting a tiny end-of-day reflection without the overhead of a full journaling app. Subscription Premium is available as a weekly, monthly, or yearly subscription, with pricing shown in the app before you buy. Subscriptions auto-renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can cancel anytime in your Apple ID Subscription Settings — no charge on the first day if you cancel during the introductory window. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy: everything stays on your device by default. No analytics SDKs, no cross-app tracking. Privacy policy at https://bestpaid.app/legal/privacy. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Simple Journal4 screens
Gratitude Diary Plus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Simple Journal at 3 against Gratitude Diary Plus's 1. Simple Journal also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Simple Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Gratitude Diary Plus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
Simple Journal versus Gratitude Diary Plus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple JournalGratitude Diary Plus
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSick App Developers GmbHVasilii Polovnikov

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Simple Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Simple Journal Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Simple Journal Premium Yearly$14.991 Year
4 purchases

Gratitude Diary Plus

Subscriptions3
  • Premium · 1 week3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Premium · 1 month3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Premium · 1 year7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium · Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Simple Journal free?
Simple Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gratitude Diary Plus free?
Gratitude Diary Plus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simple Journal or Gratitude Diary Plus have ads?
Neither Simple Journal nor Gratitude Diary Plus shows ads.

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