Comparison

Simple Journal vs Crying Diary

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” 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

Crying Diary

Features
Read full description

Some days you cry and you don't know why. Crying Diary helps you see the pattern. Log a cry in about ten seconds: how many tears, sad or happy, why, and a note if you want one. Then let the charts show you what you couldn't see day to day β€” which weekday is hardest, how the months compare, what keeps coming up as the reason. Your data never leaves your phone. Not as a promise β€” as a fact. The app has no network access at all. No account, no cloud, no ads, no trackers. Everything is stored locally on your device, and backups are files you control. β€’ Calendar with a teardrop on every day you logged β€’ Happy vs sad tears, weekday patterns, tears per month, top reasons β€’ Longest streak without crying β€’ Custom categories with your own names and emoji β€’ Shareable stats card β€’ Light and dark theme β€’ English, French, German, Serbian, Slovenian β€’ Free, no in-app purchases Export your diary any time, including to the Day One format.

Screenshots

Simple Journal4 screens
Crying Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Crying Diary at none against Simple Journal's 2. Simple Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Simple Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Crying Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Journal ships an update every 10 days, Crying Diary every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Simple Journal versus Crying Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple JournalCrying Diary
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 days β€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 β€” better15.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size34 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSick App Developers GmbHIvan Antonijevic

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Simple Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Simple Journal Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Simple Journal Premium Yearly$14.991 Year
None

Crying Diary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple Journal free?
Simple Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crying Diary free?
Crying Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Simple Journal or Crying Diary have ads?
Neither Simple Journal nor Crying Diary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Journal or Crying Diary?
Simple Journal ships an update every 10 days, and Crying Diary every 3 weeks. Most recently, Simple Journal was updated on October 3, 2026 and Crying Diary on October 11, 2026.

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