# Colored Note vs Diary

The clearest difference is ads: Colored Note at none against Diary's shown. Colored Note also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Diary's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 54%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Colored Note holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Colored Note's written reviews are positive against 81% of Diary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Colored Note ships an update every 5 days, Diary every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Colored Note | Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colored-note/id907913367/reviews)** | [4.5 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-password/id1259894631/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | 53.7% of reviews | **80.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 32 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Veniamin Gribkov](https://appshunter.io/developer/907913370) | [Aurel Criste](https://appshunter.io/developer/1190603157) |

## What reviewers say

### Colored Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colored-note/id907913367)

Capture your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with a versatile diary and notepad. Add photos, color-code entries, and organize with tags for easy retrieval. Share your notes with friends or keep them private with passcode protection.

**Highlights:** Add photos to notes, Color-code notes for organization, Assign tags for searching, Sort notes as desired, Share notes with friends, Secure notes with a passcode

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Variety of colors and fonts
- 📝 Helpful for note-taking
- 🌟 Great app overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or data loss
- 🔍 Difficulty finding or organizing notes
- 🔒 Lack of security features (e.g., password protection)
- 🔧 Issues with recent updates

**Reported bugs**

- Notes disappearing or not saving properly
- Cursor jumping or text selection issues
- Glitches with recent app updates

**Requested features**

- Add checklist/to-do list functionality
- Improve note sorting and search options
- Implement password protection or biometric security
- Provide more font and customization options


### Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-password/id1259894631)

This app provides a secure and beautiful space to record your thoughts, plans, and life moments. Protect your entries with a password and enjoy a customizable interface with features like image support and PDF export.

**Highlights:** Password protection with PIN, Add/edit/remove images, Search functionality, Export entries to PDF, Customizable color and font styles, Reminders, Auto-lock for privacy

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome app
- 🔒 Password protected
- 👍 Customizable font, color, and theme
- 💡 Ability to add photos
- 💡 Ability to set reminders

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Entries disappear without warning
- 🐛 Password issues, unable to reset
- 🐛 Scrolling/jumping text when writing longer entries
- 🔋 Excessive ads
- 🐛 Unable to recover deleted entries

**Reported bugs**

- Password not working consistently
- Entries disappearing or not saving properly
- Scrolling/jumping text when writing longer entries
- Inability to recover deleted entries

**Requested features**

- Backup and sync across devices
- More customization options (fonts, colors, backgrounds)
- Ability to export entries
- Night mode/dark theme
- Voice-to-text entry


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Colored Note free?

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

### Is Diary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Colored Note or Diary?

Colored Note is rated higher. Colored Note averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5K ratings, while Diary averages 4.5 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Colored Note or Diary have ads?

Diary shows ads; Colored Note does not.

### Which is updated more often, Colored Note or Diary?

Colored Note ships an update every 5 days, and Diary every 5 months. Most recently, Colored Note was updated on October 2, 2026 and Diary on September 29, 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.*