Comparison

Private Notes and Secret Diary vs Lock Notes

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

Head to head
About

Private Notes and Secret Diary

Securely store and manage your private notes with password protection. Keep personal details safe from prying eyes on your device, even when sharing with others.

Highlights
  • Password protection for notes
  • Secure storage of personal details
  • Create simple notes
  • Share device while keeping notes secure
  • Prevent unauthorized access
Features
Read full description

Free for limited time This is a best solution for your privacy ** THE BEST NOTE LOCK APP EVER **. Provides functionality for creating simple notes and keeping these notes secure by requiring a password to be entered before any note can be viewed or edited. Allows you to share your iPhone with others and still keep your notes secure. Great for storing all of your personal details, pin numbers etc on your device without the risk that someone might get access.

About

Lock Notes

Securely store and protect your private notes with a passcode or Touch ID. Keep sensitive information like passwords, secrets, and diary entries safe from unauthorized access. Backup and sync notes across devices, customize their appearance, and even add images.

Highlights
  • Passcode and Touch ID protection
  • Security question recovery
  • iCloud backup and sync
  • Customizable font style and size
  • Insert images into notes
  • Print and share notes
Features
Read full description

FINALLY AN APP FOR ALL YOUR PRIVATE NOTES! Keep your most valuable, private, and secret notes away from prying eyes. Keep them all totally secret and safe. Store passwords, secrets, contacts or just keep your diary private. KEY FEATURES: • Use Touch ID or passcode to safely lock access to your private notes. • Set a security question and answer in case you forget your passcode. • Safely Backup your valuable notes to iCloud. • Quickly Sync notes between iPhone & iPad with iCloud. • Sort notes list by name, date or manual. • Select notes font style and size. • Insert images & photos into notes. • Print your notes. • Send notes via text message or email. • Save notes to Camera Roll. • Support for Emoji Emoticons. This app allows you to automatically backup your notes for $9.99 a year through an auto-renewing subscription. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period You will not be able to cancel a subscription during the active period. You can manage your subscriptions in the Account Settings after purchase. Terms of use: http://www.katans.com/terms-of-use Privacy policy: http://www.katans.com/privacy-policy This app can be freely used up to two notes. A SINGLE PURCHASE COVERS ALL YOUR IPHONE AND IPAD DEVICES.

Screenshots

Private Notes and Secret Diary4 screens
Lock Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lock Notes at 4.5 against Private Notes and Secret Diary's 3.9. Lock Notes also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 38%) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 10 months). Private Notes and Secret Diary's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Private Notes and Secret Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Lock Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lock Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lock Notes has 1.1K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Private Notes and Secret Diary's written reviews are positive against 73% of Lock Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Notes and Secret Diary ships an update every 10 months, Lock Notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Private Notes and Secret Diary versus Lock Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Notes and Secret DiaryLock Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (8 ratings)4.5 (1.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.5% of reviews73.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings81.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTigran MkhitaryanJulyApps Ltd

Customer experience

Private Notes and Secret Diary

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive38.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative53.8%

Lock Notes

All ratings1,149 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews832 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative20.7%

Bugs and requests

Private Notes and Secret Diary

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Lock Notes

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Notes disappearing after updates
  • Inability to access notes after device reset
  • Sync issues between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Advanced formatting options
  • Ability to change passcode
  • Improved search capabilities
  • Folder/organization system
  • Better backup and restore options

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Private Notes and Secret Diary

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
3 purchases

Lock Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Auto Backup$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Unlimited Notes$4.99
  • Lock Notes Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Private Notes and Secret Diary free?
Private Notes and Secret Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lock Notes free?
Lock Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Private Notes and Secret Diary or Lock Notes?
Lock Notes is rated higher. Private Notes and Secret Diary averages 3.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Lock Notes averages 4.5 from 1.1K ratings.
Do Private Notes and Secret Diary or Lock Notes have ads?
Neither Private Notes and Secret Diary nor Lock Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Notes and Secret Diary or Lock Notes?
Private Notes and Secret Diary ships an update every 10 months, and Lock Notes every 10 days. Most recently, Private Notes and Secret Diary was updated on September 12, 2026 and Lock Notes on September 30, 2026.

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