# cal vs Micro Journal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: cal at none against Micro Journal's 3. Micro Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for cal against 5.0 for Micro Journal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

cal ships an update every 10 days, Micro Journal weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | cal | Micro Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cal-diary/id6766692881/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/micro-journal-daily-diary/id6783354281/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.4 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Begimay Ahmatova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896315951) | [PETALFORM LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6776037172) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Micro Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/micro-journal-daily-diary/id6783354281)

Effortlessly capture your daily thoughts with a simple, private journal. Focus on writing one entry per day without pressure from streaks or notifications. An optional one-time purchase allows for lifetime export of your entries.

**Highlights:** Private journaling, One entry per day, No streaks or notifications, Automatic saving, Lifetime export option, No account required

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Micro Journal Plus Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Micro Journal Plus Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Micro Journal Plus | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is cal free?

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

### Is Micro Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, cal or Micro Journal?

cal and Micro Journal are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do cal or Micro Journal have ads?

Neither cal nor Micro Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, cal or Micro Journal?

cal ships an update every 10 days, and Micro Journal weekly. Most recently, cal was updated on October 24, 2026 and Micro Journal on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*