Comparison

RoseGarden vs Micro Journal

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

Head to head
About

RoseGarden

Features
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RoseGarden is a private garden journal built for real rose growers: track every rose you plant, log every care action, and score your blooms against real show-judging standards, all from your phone. MY GARDEN • Track every rose you grow, from bare root, potted, cutting, or seed • Starting from a cutting or seed? Start a New Rose tracks her from day one, with an Establishing badge • Log Watering, Fertilizing, Pruning, and Bloom activity; edit or delete any entry, always with a confirmation first • Keep each rose's health status up to date; litres or gallons, your choice • Archive a rose instead of deleting it; its history stays intact. Nothing is ever silently lost. • Export a rose's full history to CSV • Back up your entire garden on demand, show countdowns included, and restore it any time from Settings. Restoring skips roses already on your phone. SHARE YOUR ROSE • Every rose Dashboard has a Share Profile card with your photo, bloom count and details • After you log a bloom, RoseGarden offers to share it (rarely, and you can switch it off) BLOOM SHOW RATING: score for the show bench • Score a bloom against the six real American Rose Society judging categories: Form, Color, Substance, Stem & Foliage, Balance & Proportion, and Size • A real disqualification checklist: correct labeling, no side buds, no stem-on-stem growth, no foreign substances • A weighted readiness score and verdict (Show Ready, Getting There, or Needs Work) matching real judging weight, not a flat average • Set a target show date on any rose and see a live countdown on its Dashboard • Rate every bloom, with a full rating history • Share a branded Show Card, or export a Show Entry Packet: your rose's identity and full logged care history as a dated evidence trail HOME SCREEN WIDGET • See your active rose count and lifetime bloom total at a glance • Earn achievement tiers as your bloom count grows, from Sprout to Rose Whisperer • A gentle nudge shows which rose has gone longest without care ROSE LIBRARY • 13 real, verified rose varieties with botanical names, bloom seasons, hardiness zones, disease resistance, and care tips • Add your own custom roses with full details and a photo ROSE HEALTH GUIDE & GROWER BASICS • Pruning, deadheading, watering, feeding, planting, propagation, winter care, and suckers • Plus common diseases, pests, nutrient deficiencies, prevention tips, and organic treatments, with photos • A built-in App Guide in Settings explains every icon and flow GROW DIARY • Dated diary entries per rose, with photos, so you can look back on any season's story 100% PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Every rose, care log, diary entry and photo stays on your device: never uploaded, shared or sold • The only data that ever touches a server is the shared rose reference library: real botanical info, not your personal garden FREE AND PREMIUM • Free for everyone: the Rose Library, Grow Diary, every care log, Bloom Show Rating, the Health Guide and backups, with up to 5 roses in your garden (archived roses count toward the 5) • Premium unlocks unlimited garden roses, plus a daily Care Reminder so you never forget to water or feed. Choose monthly or yearly. RoseGarden is built for growers who want to remember what they did, prove what they grew, and know when a bloom is ready for the show bench. ---------- RoseGarden Premium is an auto-renewable subscription (monthly or yearly) that unlocks unlimited garden roses and daily Care Reminders. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://douglasdavis-coder.github.io/rosegarden-legal/privacy-policy.html

About

Micro Journal

Features
Read full description

Micro Journal is your sweet, private space to capture life — one little entry at a time. Start for free. WRITE FREELY • Capture entries with a title, your thoughts, and a mood • A fresh writing prompt every day to spark reflection • Organise everything into colourful folders • Search your whole journal in seconds A PRIVATE VAULT • Lock your most personal entries behind a PIN, password, or Face ID • Hide private photos and videos in a secure vault • Create private folders for entries and media • Your secrets stay only on your device BUILD A HABIT YOU LOVE • Keep a daily writing streak and watch it grow • Gentle reminders so you never miss a day YOUR PERSONAL ASSISTANT • Plan your day on a beautiful calendar • Set tasks with times and get reminded right when it matters • Reminders ring like an alarm, with snooze, so nothing slips by FREE & PRO • Free: daily journaling, planning, moods, streaks and reminders • Pro: unlimited entries & folders, the private vault, and no ads MADE TO FEEL GOOD • A soft, cheerful design that's a joy to open • Everything stored privately on your device — MICRO JOURNAL PRO — Unlock the full experience. • Plans: Weekly and Yearly • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase • Your subscription renews automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings Privacy Policy: https://microjournalapp.whipify.shop/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

RoseGarden4 screens
Micro Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: RoseGarden at none against Micro Journal's shown. RoseGarden also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. RoseGarden sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and Micro Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RoseGarden ships an update every 9 days, Micro Journal monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
RoseGarden versus Micro Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoseGardenMicro Journal
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB10 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDouglas DavisHezmart

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RoseGarden

Subscriptions1
  • RoseGarden Premium$4.991 Month
2 purchases

Micro Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Micro Journal Weekly Pro$4.997 Days
  • Micro Journal Yearly Pro$79.991 Year

Questions

Is RoseGarden free?
RoseGarden is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Micro Journal free?
Micro Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RoseGarden or Micro Journal have ads?
Micro Journal shows ads; RoseGarden does not.
Which is updated more often, RoseGarden or Micro Journal?
RoseGarden ships an update every 9 days, and Micro Journal monthly. Most recently, RoseGarden was updated on October 24, 2026 and Micro Journal on October 10, 2026.

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