Comparison

MemoMa vs Years Journal

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

Head to head
About

MemoMa

Capture your memories by writing notes alongside photos. Organize your experiences in a visual calendar and easily search for both notes and images. This app offers a simple, fast, and nostalgic way to preserve your daily life.

Highlights
  • Write notes with photos
  • Calendar view of memories
  • Search notes and photos
  • Phone and Apple Watch support
  • Simple and fast interface
Features
Read full description

There are things you want to write down without worrying about what anyone else might think. Sometimes you want a personal album of memories that isn't meant to be shared with anyone. MemoMa is an app for people like you. MemoMa displays only your own notes and photos. There are no ads or recommendation algorithms, so you can enjoy a completely private space, free from social media. It's perfect for keeping a journal of everyday life that doesn't need to be shared, or for recording personal health information that you'd rather keep private. Of course, you can also relive your favorite trips through photos and add notes to your pictures so they're easier to find later. Your notes are available across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so you can pick up where you left off on any of your devices. If you enable iCloud Photos, your photos will be available across your devices as well. Simply open MemoMa and tap the "+" button to create a note. Your notes appear in chronological order on each day's timeline. Photos are not imported into MemoMa. Instead, the app displays the photos you've taken with the Camera app. You can choose to display only specific albums or hide photos you don't want to see. Long-press a photo and select "Add Note" to make it searchable by the note's contents. You can search using multiple keywords with either "Match All" or "Match Any" options. If you set a date and time when creating a note, it can also be saved as a calendar event. In Edit mode, you can duplicate notes and events, change their dates, or delete multiple items at once. You can take notes while viewing your photos, keep the notes, and later delete photos you no longer need with a simple long press. Please note: MemoMa cannot protect the privacy of items added to public calendars or shared photo albums. Calendar data itself is not encrypted, so other apps that have access to the same calendar may also be able to view it. To help protect your privacy, MemoMa includes a Private Mode that prevents others from casually viewing your information. For more information, please read the User Guide from the Settings screen in the app.

About

Years Journal

This app allows you to record your daily thoughts and emotions, and revisit past entries for the same date. You can attach photos, search your history, and enjoy a visually organized calendar view. Automatic backups and multi-device support ensure your memories are always accessible.

Highlights
  • Write and display journal entries
  • Attach photos to entries
  • Calendar view of entries
  • Search past entries
  • Automatic data backup
  • Multi-device viewing and editing
  • Dark mode and theme customization
Features
Read full description

Years is a journal app that displays entries for the same date. You can reflect on what experiences they had and what emotions they felt on that day in the past. ● Main Features - Display and write journal entries - Attach photos - Display calendar - Search entries - Display a list of photos - Automatic data backup - Viewing and editing on multiple devices - Setting dark mode and theme colors

Screenshots

MemoMa4 screens
Years Journal3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Years Journal at none against MemoMa's 3. Years Journal also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). MemoMa's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and monetization model 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. MemoMa sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Years Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MemoMa ships an update fortnightly, Years Journal every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MemoMa versus Years Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMemoMaYears Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (24 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews72.5% of reviews72.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTsuyoshi NiwaYutaro Kido

Customer experience

MemoMa

All ratings24 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral7.2%
Negative20.3%

Years Journal

Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

MemoMa

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$0.991 Month
  • Every 6 Months$4.496 Months
  • Yearly Subscription$7.991 Year
None

Years Journal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MemoMa free?
MemoMa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Years Journal free?
Years Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MemoMa or Years Journal have ads?
Years Journal shows ads; MemoMa does not.
Which is updated more often, MemoMa or Years Journal?
MemoMa ships an update fortnightly, and Years Journal every 10 days. Most recently, MemoMa was updated on October 14, 2026 and Years Journal on October 13, 2026.

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