Is there a genuinely free baby diary app?
Yes — with one honest caveat: in the app world, "completely free" almost never means completely. Lunita's diary core is permanently free: both parents writing together, photos, milestones, daily duet questions, sealed letters and the weekly family recap. Premium features are optional (€39.99/year), and every family starts with 30 days of the full version.
The honest answer, not the marketing answer
If you're searching for a free baby diary app, your expectation is fair: I want to keep my child's memories without signing up for a subscription. An app should meet that expectation without asterisk tricks. So here is exactly what costs what in Lunita.
What stays free in Lunita, forever
The diary core is permanently free — not a trial, a promise. It includes:
- Both parents writing together in one shared diary
- Diary, photos and milestones — the firsts board included
- Daily duet questions: the same loving question for both parents, answers revealed only once both have written
- Letters to the future — sealed until a date you choose
- The weekly family recap for grandparents
- 1 child
That's enough to document the entire first year without spending a cent.
What Premium costs — and what it adds
Premium features are optional, at €39.99 per year or €5.99 per month. They add the AI keepsakes: speak a few words and Lunita writes warm diary prose (speech recognition runs on your device); monthly stories woven from your moments; print-ready photo books. The Family plan (€59.99/year) opens the full shared timeline to grandparents and covers as many children as life brings.
And you don't have to decide blind: every family gets the first 30 days with everything included — the full version, no strings. After that, the free diary core simply continues if you don't subscribe.
Why "free + ads" is often the more expensive deal
Many apps in this category are "100% free" — funded by ads, analytics SDKs or data partnerships. That's a legitimate model, but you should know the price: you pay with attention (ads between your baby photos) and with data about you and your family life. For a casual game, maybe fine. For a diary about your child, it's a different question.
Lunita is funded exclusively by the optional Premium subscriptions: no ads, no tracking, no selling of data. The free tier isn't bait — it works because enough families love the Premium keepsakes. Why an ad-free diary is the better long-term choice is the subject of baby diary app without ads; for a sober, sourced market overview see baby diary apps compared.
Three questions to ask any "free" baby app
- What does the app live on? If the answer isn't on the website, the answer is usually: your data or your attention.
- Can I get my data out? In Lunita you can export everything or delete your account with all data — anytime, right in the app.
- What happens after year one? A diary is a promise measured in decades. A permanently free core without ad funding is a steadier foundation than a free model that eventually presents its bill.
If privacy is your main concern, also have a look at the private baby diary app page.