# Exist vs Grid Diary

The clearest difference is rating: Grid Diary at 4.6 against Exist's 4.1. Grid Diary also leads on ratings volume (963 vs 46). Exist's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 48%) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Exist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.49 per month and Grid Diary sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Grid Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grid Diary has 963 ratings behind it against 46, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Exist's written reviews are positive against 48% of Grid Diary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Exist ships an update every 3 weeks, Grid Diary every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Exist | Grid Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (46 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist/id986201088/reviews) | **[4.6 (963 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grid-diary-journal-planner/id1392523148/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 46 | **963** |
| Positive reviews | **68.4% of reviews** | 48.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Size | 14 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hello Code Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/933609066) | [Sumi Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/597077264) |

## What reviewers say

### Exist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist/id986201088)

This app helps you understand and optimize your behavior by combining manual tracking with automatic syncing from various services. Track health, productivity, and more, uncover relationships between habits, and run experiments on your behavior. Gain daily insights and weekly summaries to improve your life.

**Highlights:** Track any data point manually, Automatic syncing from health and productivity services, Daily insights and weekly summaries, Discover correlations between habits, Run behavioral experiments, Integrates with Apple Health and other services

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exist monthly subscription | $8.49 | per month |


### Grid Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grid-diary-journal-planner/id1392523148)

This app offers a guided journaling experience to foster personal development and mindfulness. It helps users build positive habits, manage stress, and enhance various aspects of their lives through customizable prompts and unique layouts.

**Highlights:** Prompted journaling with custom questions, Unique grid and mandala layouts, Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning, Supports various journaling methods, Mindfulness and self-care focus, Stress and anxiety alleviation techniques

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent journaling app
- 📚 Customizable templates and prompts
- 🧠 Helps with self-reflection and mental health
- 🗓️ Organized grid layout
- 🔍 Useful search and timeline features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues and data loss
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Lack of account deletion or data export options
- 🤔 Confusing onboarding and upgrade process
- 🕰️ Slow loading times and app freezes

**Reported bugs**

- Entries disappearing or not syncing properly
- Password reset functionality not working
- Subscription issues and inability to access premium features
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add Apple Pencil support
- Improve sync reliability across devices
- Provide more customization options for layouts and fonts
- Integrate with other productivity apps and calendars
- Implement a one-time purchase option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Exist free?

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

### Is Grid Diary free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Exist or Grid Diary?

Grid Diary is rated higher. Exist averages 4.1 out of 5 from 46 ratings, while Grid Diary averages 4.6 from 963 ratings.

### Do Exist or Grid Diary have ads?

Neither Exist nor Grid Diary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Exist or Grid Diary?

Exist ships an update every 3 weeks, and Grid Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Exist was updated on October 8, 2026 and Grid Diary on October 13, 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.*