Comparison

Safe Notes is a secure notepad vs Personal Diary (Journal) App

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

Head to head
About

Safe Notes is a secure notepad

This app provides a secure way to store your notes using 128-bit encryption. Access your notes quickly with a PIN or secret question, and organize them with separate titles. It offers features like auto-save, backup, and the ability to send notes via SMS or email.

Highlights
  • 128-bit encryption
  • PIN and secret question access
  • Separate note titles
  • Automated database backup via Google Drive
  • Notes up to 5000 characters
  • Send notes via SMS or Email
  • Auto-save notes
Features
Read full description

Safe Notes is a notepad application that stores your notes in a secure manner using 128 bit encryption and provides quick & easy access using a simple PIN or a secret question/answer (can be used like a password instead of PIN). Notes can be identified using a separate title instead of just the first line of the note. Safe Notes is easy to use and provides a simple interface. Safe Notes is a secure and easy to use notepad application. Remembers login for 1 minute so you do not have to login again if you navigate away for a short time. Delete notes by swiping on a note in the list. Safe Notes (free version) is ad (AdMob integration) supported. If you have any comments or feature suggestions, please let us know at www.yougosoft.com. We are always working to improve our applications and welcome your ideas on how to make our applications better. Safe Notes uses Google Drive integration for automated notes database backup. This feature must be turned on before it can be used. Features: * Pin access (auto locks after 1 minute) * Secret question/answer access (can leave out pin for password style access) * Separate note title * Create/Delete notes * Notes can be up to 5000 characters * Sort Options (ascending and descending) * Search functionality * Send note as SMS or Email * Database storage * Send note as email or SMS message * Destroy Database option * All data encrypted (128 bit encryption) * Backup and Restore note data from iCloud * Auto-Save notes * PIN and Security Question can be setup in the Settings screen.

About

Personal Diary (Journal) App

This app provides a simple and secure digital space for journaling. It offers passcode and biometric protection, iCloud sync across devices, and the ability to add photos, moods, and weather to your entries. It's designed to be an accessible and ad-free journalling experience.

Highlights
  • Passcode & biometric protection
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Import photos into entries
  • Set mood and weather
  • Daily writing reminders
  • VoiceOver support
  • Dark Mode
Features
Read full description

"When all you want is the digital equivalent of a paper diary, this is the perfect one." - goyyboy "Loving the lighthearted feel of this deceptively powerful app." - plinkplok "Good and accessible with VoiceOver" - Allan.summers Need a simple, free, and easy-to-use journalling app? Meet Personal Diary! With no advertisements, limitations, nor any upfront cost, Personal Diary is your simplest and best journalling tool yet. Easily access all your entries in all your devices with iCloud Sync. Write diary entries without worrying that someone will peek at what you wrote, with passcode & biometric protection. Forgot about your diary? The app can 'summon' you back with a friendly nudge. You can also import as many photos as you wish into your entries. As an optional addition, you can set your mood, and add weather and tags to an entry. Notable Features: - Numeric passcode lock (any number of digits). - Unlock using Touch ID or Face ID on supported devices. - Auto-saves as you type. - Simple & easy to use. - Sync data between devices via iCloud Drive. - Ability to pick a mood and weather of the day. - Mood & weather can be automatically chosen. - Import photos to your entries. - Select a theme to suit your style. - Dark Mode for better night use. - VoiceOver fully supported. - Simple Rich Text editing supported. - Optimized for multitasking on iPad. - Full support for physical keyboards, trackpad, and mice. - watchOS keyboard support on Series 7+, and FlickType keyboard support for legacy watch models. - Fully compatible with all modern iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch* models. - Daily notifications for writing in your diary. - No advertisements & absolutely FREE! :D *Some features may not be available on the Apple Watch. Primary editing and viewing functions, such as the Timeline interface and entry editor, are available on the watch. Don't forget to let me know what you think of Personal Diary by leaving a review on the App Store! Reviews and ratings help and let other users find this app. If you have any problems or questions, feel free to send a feedback; I might be able to help! :) Warning: - Please do not forget your password. If you forget your password and your identity cannot be verified, you may not be able to access your data. This app allows you to tip/donate to directly support the development of this app through in-app purchases. No new features will be provided when you tip, it's just to support the app's development if you would like to. Selecting a Small/Medium/Large Tip will initiate a one-time payment for tipping. A Continuous Tip is an automatic-renewal subscription to tip every month, and will renew automatically every month unless it's turned off or cancelled (through your account settings) at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. For this, your Apple account will be charged when payment is confirmed, and charged for auto-renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the selected price. You may locate our terms at https://legal.wern.cc/app/terms and privacy policy at https://legal.wern.cc/app/privacy.

Screenshots

Safe Notes is a secure notepad4 screens
Personal Diary (Journal) App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Personal Diary (Journal) App at 87% against Safe Notes is a secure notepad's 35%. Personal Diary (Journal) App also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.1) and ads (none vs shown). Safe Notes is a secure notepad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). On price and ratings volume 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. Personal Diary (Journal) App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Safe Notes is a secure notepad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Personal Diary (Journal) App holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 104 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Safe Notes is a secure notepad's written reviews are positive against 87% of Personal Diary (Journal) App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Safe Notes is a secure notepad ships an update every 3 months, Personal Diary (Journal) App every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Safe Notes is a secure notepad versus Personal Diary (Journal) App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSafe Notes is a secure notepadPersonal Diary (Journal) App
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (36 ratings)4.4 (104 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.3% of reviews87.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings36104 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenny IsbellWern Jie Lim

Customer experience

Safe Notes is a secure notepad

All ratings36 ratings
Positive47.2%
Neutral13.9%
Negative38.9%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive35.3%
Neutral11.8%
Negative52.9%

Personal Diary (Journal) App

All ratings104 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral9.6%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews183 reviews
Positive87.4%
Neutral4.9%
Negative7.7%

Bugs and requests

Safe Notes is a secure notepad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Personal Diary (Journal) App

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Entries sometimes disappear or fail to load
  • Passcode/Touch ID not working reliably
  • Syncing issues between devices
  • Unexpected crashes when opening the app

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to password protect individual entries
  • Implement calendar view for better navigation
  • Allow adding videos and other media types
  • Improve search capabilities with advanced filters
  • Provide better data backup and export options

In-app purchases

None

Safe Notes is a secure notepad

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Personal Diary (Journal) App

Subscriptions1
  • Continuous Tip$1.991 Month
One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Safe Notes is a secure notepad free?
Safe Notes is a secure notepad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Personal Diary (Journal) App free?
Personal Diary (Journal) App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Safe Notes is a secure notepad or Personal Diary (Journal) App?
Personal Diary (Journal) App is rated higher. Safe Notes is a secure notepad averages 3.1 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Personal Diary (Journal) App averages 4.4 from 104 ratings.
Do Safe Notes is a secure notepad or Personal Diary (Journal) App have ads?
Safe Notes is a secure notepad shows ads; Personal Diary (Journal) App does not.
Which is updated more often, Safe Notes is a secure notepad or Personal Diary (Journal) App?
Safe Notes is a secure notepad ships an update every 3 months, and Personal Diary (Journal) App every 5 weeks. Most recently, Safe Notes is a secure notepad was updated on October 12, 2026 and Personal Diary (Journal) App on October 16, 2026.

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