# Diary Locked vs Diary Journal

The clearest difference is rating: Diary Journal at 4.7 against Diary Locked's 3.2. Diary Journal also leads on ratings volume (369 vs 5). Diary Locked's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Diary Journal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Diary Locked asks for nothing beyond the download.

Diary Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Diary Journal has 369 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Diary Locked's written reviews are positive against 67% of Diary Journal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Diary Locked ships an update every 3 weeks, Diary Journal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Diary Locked | Diary Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-locked/id967124056/reviews) | **[4.7 (369 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-lock/id1572225395/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **369** |
| Positive reviews | **72.7% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 22 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VINICORP JSC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/595567398) | [Heyou Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480358223) |

## What reviewers say

### Diary Locked

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-locked/id967124056)

Record your daily thoughts, ideas, and emotions with this secure digital journal. Attach photos to entries and easily search your memories by date, category, or tag. Protect your private thoughts with a password lock.

**Highlights:** Password protection, Attach photos to entries, Search by date, category, or tag, Backup and recovery, Simple and convenient interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Diary Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/diary-journal-with-lock/id1572225395)

This app provides a secure and private digital space for recording thoughts, memories, and dreams. It encourages self-reflection and personal growth through daily journaling, ensuring all entries are kept confidential.

**Highlights:** Secret diary entries, Log life events and progress, Record emotions and feelings, Password protection for privacy, Encourages self-reflection, Modern journal interface

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Diary Pro 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Password protection and privacy features
- 📹 Video diary functionality highly valued
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 📸 Ability to add photos and videos to entries
- 🎙️ Audio recording capability

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Limited free version (one entry per day)
- 💰 Premium features behind paywall
- 🔐 Password recovery impossible if forgotten
- 📱 Data transfer issues between devices
- ☁️ Backup to cloud not working reliably

**Reported bugs**

- Video uploads fail and crash repeatedly
- Long video entries don't save properly
- Data doesn't transfer to new phone despite cloud backup
- Import from ZIP file causes app to close
- App crashes when importing exported data

**Requested features**

- Timestamp for each journal entry
- Password reset or recovery option
- Multiple entries per day in free version
- Font customization (size, bold, italics, underline)
- Location tagging for entries


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Diary Locked free?

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

### Is Diary Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Diary Locked or Diary Journal?

Diary Journal is rated higher. Diary Locked averages 3.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Diary Journal averages 4.7 from 369 ratings.

### Do Diary Locked or Diary Journal have ads?

Neither Diary Locked nor Diary Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Diary Locked or Diary Journal?

Diary Locked ships an update every 3 weeks, and Diary Journal every 6 weeks. Most recently, Diary Locked was updated on November 1, 2026 and Diary Journal on November 7, 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.*