# Orca vs Dining Note

The clearest difference is ads: Orca at none against Dining Note's shown. Orca also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (4.1K vs 857). Dining Note's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Orca sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Dining Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Orca against 4.8 for Dining Note. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.1K and 857 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 93% and 94% positive.

Orca ships an update every 9 days, Dining Note every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Orca | Dining Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (4.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-gratitude-journal/id707073943/reviews) | [4.8 (857 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dining-note-simple-diet-diary/id1194971321/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.1K** | 857 |
| Positive reviews | 93.2% of reviews | **93.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 55 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HappyFeed Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/707073946) | [4th May Games Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/975488129) |

## What reviewers say

### Orca

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-gratitude-journal/id707073943)

This app is a daily photo and video journal focused on gratitude and positive memories. It helps users reflect on good things to boost happiness and offers private or group sharing options. Features include daily prompts, memory recaps, and secure storage.

**Highlights:** Daily photo and video journaling, Gratitude prompts and quotes, Private and group memory sharing, Daily throwbacks and widgets, Gratitude Jar for random memories, Passcode and biometric lock, PDF/CSV export (Plus only)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Video Diary & Log - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Daily Photo Journal - Yearly | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ❤️ Gratitude journal
- 📷 Ability to add photos
- 🗓️ Ability to look back on past entries
- 🙂 Helps focus on the positive
- 🤗 Brings joy and happiness

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free version
- 💰 Subscription model
- 🗓️ Limited calendar view in free version
- 📝 Character limit for entries
- 🤖 Distracting prompts

**Reported bugs**

- Widget not working properly
- Entries not saving correctly
- Crashes on older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to add more than 3 entries per day
- Offline mode
- More customization options
- Advanced search and filtering
- Ability to comment on others' entries


### Dining Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dining-note-simple-diet-diary/id1194971321)

Easily track your daily food and drink intake, including meals and snacks. Record exercise, add photos, and set a password for privacy. Improve your eating habits with simple monthly statistics.

**Highlights:** Record meals and beverages, Track exercise, Add photos to entries, Password protection, Customizable themes, Monthly statistics

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Premium | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Straightforward interface
- 💡 Flexible for recording food intake
- 🚀 Minimal and non-intrusive
- 👍 Doesn't focus on calories or weight loss

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 💡 Limited customization options
- 💡 Lack of syncing between devices
- 💡 No notes or mood tracking section

**Reported bugs**

- Swipe up gesture to exit app sometimes doesn't work
- Photo uploads can be unreliable or cause app to crash
- Inconsistent behavior when trying to save entries

**Requested features**

- Add ability to edit or delete entries
- Implement time stamps for meals
- Include option to export data
- Add more drink categories beyond just water and coffee
- Integrate with Apple Health or other fitness apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Orca free?

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

### Is Dining Note free?

Dining Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Orca or Dining Note?

Orca and Dining Note are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4.1K and 857 ratings respectively.

### Do Orca or Dining Note have ads?

Dining Note shows ads; Orca does not.

### Which is updated more often, Orca or Dining Note?

Orca ships an update every 9 days, and Dining Note every 5 weeks. Most recently, Orca was updated on October 16, 2026 and Dining Note on October 17, 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.*