# Lao Diary vs Emote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lao Diary at 100% against Emote's 43%. Lao Diary also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.0). Emote's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months) and rating (4.4 vs 4.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lao Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Emote sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Emote holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emote has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Lao Diary's written reviews are positive against 43% of Emote's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Lao Diary ships an update every 6 months, Emote every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lao Diary | Emote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lao-diary/id929957342/reviews) | **[4.4 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emote-ai-note/id1589406815/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **8** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 10 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TopOfStack Software Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/370530694) | [浩龙 郭](https://appshunter.io/developer/1566814838) |

## What reviewers say

### Lao Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lao-diary/id929957342)

Create and store notes with images using specialized Lao keyboards. Easily search your entries by time or text, and share them across various social networks or via email and SMS. Your notes are automatically saved and can be backed up to iCloud.

**Highlights:** Manage text and image notes, Special Lao keyboard layouts, Search notes by time and text, Share notes to social media, Auto-save texts, iCloud backup and restore

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro version | $4.99 | one-time |


### Emote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emote-ai-note/id1589406815)

This AI-powered note-taking app offers a chat-style interface for easy record-keeping. It features real-time voice transcription, AI memory enhancement, and a personalized AI pen pal for emotional support. Enjoy cloud synchronization, offline mode, and detailed statistics.

**Highlights:** AI interactive records, Real-time voice transcription, AI memory enhancement, Personalized AI pen pal, Cloud synchronization, Offline note mode, Data statistics

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $3.99 | per year |
| Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| 30000 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $19.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lao Diary free?

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

### Is Emote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Lao Diary or Emote?

Emote is rated higher. Lao Diary averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Emote averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.

### Do Lao Diary or Emote have ads?

Neither Lao Diary nor Emote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lao Diary or Emote?

Lao Diary ships an update every 6 months, and Emote every 9 days. Most recently, Lao Diary was updated on October 6, 2026 and Emote on October 9, 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.*