1 Second Everyday vs Day One
We give 1 Second Everyday a 3.0 GPA and Day One a 3.6, out of 4.0. Day One grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
1 Second Everyday
Video diary that stitches one second a day into a movie
Day One
Encrypted journal for text, photos, audio and video across devices
How we grade them
| 3.0GPA1 Second EverydayVery good | 3.6GPADay OneExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $49.99 a year, about typical for a journaling app, and it adds unlimited and longer snippets, cloud backup, music and export up to 4K. There's no monthly plan. Life of Pro is $249 once, so it takes about five years of the yearly price to pay off. | BSilver is $49.99 a year, which is about typical for a journaling app, and it adds sync on unlimited devices, 30 photos or videos per entry, audio and drawings. But there's no monthly plan, and the AI tools need Gold at $74.99 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree covers the original idea: one Journal project and one 1-second snippet a day. But there's no cloud backup and no 1080p export, and removing ads is a Pro thing. A 1-week free trial of Pro can be used only once. | BBasic gives you unlimited text entries and journals, prompts, templates and end-to-end encryption for nothing. But it works from 1 device with 1 photo per entry, so there's no sync. A free 1-month trial of a paid plan starts inside the app. |
| Features | BIt does one thing, the video diary, and does it fully: calendar projects, Freestyle projects for trips, a Collab mode for up to six people, Smart-Fill for a month in one tap, and a music editor in Pro. Writing is just a private note on a day, though, and filters are iOS only. | AMarkdown text with photos, video, audio, drawings and scanned PDFs. Browse by calendar, by map or by On This Day, which resurfaces entries from past years. Add a daily prompt, templates, streaks and an app lock, and on Gold an AI Daily Chat and entry summaries. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 48,200 App Store ratings. Pick a clip or a photo for the day and you're done, and the app does the stitching. Daily reminders prompt you, so the calendar doesn't fill up with holes. | A4.8 from about 118,400 App Store ratings. A daily prompt, a prompt gallery and templates are on every plan, so you've always got somewhere to start. Reminders and streaks are there to bring you back. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone and Android only, and on iPad it runs as the iPhone app at iPad size. There's no desktop or web version, and content doesn't sync between devices. It can use content from Google Photos, and that's the only connection on record. | AiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Mac, Windows, the web and a browser extension. Silver adds Strava, Zapier and IFTTT integrations. Just remember that journaling from more than one device is a paid feature. |
| Best for | a video diary made one second at a time | one journal on every device you own |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: 1 Second Everyday and Day One. How we grade
Where they differ
- 1 Second Everyday starts at $49.99 per year. Day One starts at $49.99 per year.
- Only Day One lists a web app.
- Only Day One lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Only Day One lists a browser extension.
- 1 Second Everyday can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Day One is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 1 Second Everyday also covers video editing.
- Day One also covers transcription, Markdown and templates.
At a glance
| 1 Second Everyday | Day One | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49.99 per year | $49.99 per year |
| Free plan | Free with one Journal project and one 1-second snippet a day. Extra projects, longer snippets, 1SE Cloud backup, 1080p and 4K export and ad removal need Pro. | Basic plan: unlimited text entries and journals, 1 photo per entry, end-to-end encryption, prompts, templates and web access, used from 1 device. |
| Free trial | 1-week free trial of Pro, which can be used only once. | Free 1-month trial of a paid plan, started inside the app. Eligibility is controlled by the app stores. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | 1 Second Everyday, P.B.C. | Automattic Inc. |
| Price read from | me.1se.co | dayoneapp.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
1 Second Everyday
- People who want a visual diary they can keep up in a few seconds a day
- Parents recording a child's first years as a single video
- Year-in-review or trip recap videos without manual editing
Day One
- People who want one journal across Apple, Android, Windows and the web
- Journals that mix writing with photos, video, audio and drawings
- Writers who want end-to-end encryption without paying
Worth knowing
1 Second Everyday
- Mobile only: there is no desktop or web version, and on iPad it runs as the iPhone app at iPad size.
- Content does not sync between devices. Moving a project means restoring a 1SE backup, which needs Pro and replaces what is on the device.
- Free accounts get one Journal project and one 1-second snippet a day, with no cloud backup.
- The help center says there is no monthly plan: Pro is $49.99 a year or a one-time $249.
Day One
- The free Basic plan is limited to 1 device and 1 photo per entry; video, audio, drawings and collections need Silver.
- Paid plans are sold as annual subscriptions only; Day One's help guides say monthly plans are not offered.
- AI features are limited to Gold at $74.99 per year and have daily usage limits.
- Silver and Gold subscriptions cannot be shared through Apple Family Sharing.
Key features
1 Second Everyday
- Journal projects
- A calendar project where each day gets at least one second taken from a video or photo. Free accounts are limited to one Journal project and one snippet a day.
- Mashing into a movie
- The app compiles snippets into one continuous video of any length, such as a month, a season or several years. Pro adds HD and 4K export and removes the date stamp and 1SE branding.
- Freestyle and Freestyle Collab
- Freestyle projects are not tied to the calendar and suit trips or events. Freestyle Collab lets up to six people add snippets to one project; only one of them needs Pro.
- Smart-Fill and reminders
- Smart-Fill fills a month of days in one tap, and daily reminders prompt you to capture a moment. You can also add a private note to a day.
- Music and editing tools
- Pro includes a music editor with royalty-free tracks and access to your own music library, plus brightness and volume control for each snippet. Filters are iOS only.
- 1SE Cloud backup
- Pro backs up all projects, encrypted, to 1SE's servers on Amazon Web Services in the US. After a subscription ends the backup is kept for 12 months and then deleted.
Day One
- Multimedia entries
- Entries combine Markdown-formatted text with photos, video, audio recordings, drawings and scanned PDFs. Basic allows 1 photo per entry; Silver and Gold allow 30 media items.
- End-to-end encryption and app lock
- Every plan, including the free one, lists end-to-end encryption, passcode protection, biometric lock and secure cloud backup.
- Prompts, templates and streaks
- A daily prompt, a prompt gallery, journal templates, reminders and journal streaks are included on all three plans.
- On This Day, calendar and map views
- On This Day resurfaces entries from the same date in past years, and entries can also be browsed by calendar, map or media.
- Sync across devices
- Silver and Gold sync a journal across an unlimited number of devices. Basic backs up from one active device, with web access included.
- AI reflection tools
- Gold adds Daily Chat for guided reflection, Go Deeper prompts, entry summaries, title suggestions and image generation, each with daily usage limits.
Plans
1 Second Everyday
Free$0
One Journal project with a single 1-second snippet per day, without cloud backup or 1080p export.
Yearly Pro$49.99
per year
Unlimited projects and snippets per day, snippets up to 10 seconds, 1SE Cloud backup, a music editor, export up to 4K, collaboration and no ads.
Life of Pro$249
one-time payment
The same Pro features kept on the account for good with nothing to renew. Sold on the vendor's website.
Day One
Basic$0
Unlimited text entries and journals, 1 photo per entry, end-to-end encryption, prompts and templates, on 1 device.
Silver$49.99
per year (no monthly plan is offered)
30 photos or videos per entry, unlimited devices, audio recording and transcription, drawings, PDF scanning, and Strava, Zapier and IFTTT integrations.
Gold$74.99
per year (no monthly plan is offered)
Everything in Silver, plus Daily Chat, Go Deeper prompts, entry summaries, title suggestions and image generation.
Ways to pay less
1 Second Everyday
- Lifetime license
Life of Pro for a one-time $249
1SE's help center and purchase page list Life of Pro at $249 paid once, which keeps Pro on the account with nothing to renew. Earlier yearly payments do not count toward it.
- Other savings
Apple Family Sharing for Pro
A Pro subscription bought through the App Store can be shared with the members of an Apple Family Sharing group from the iPhone's subscription settings.
Day One
- Education
25% off for students for the first 4 years
Day One's FAQ offers students 25% off paid subscriptions for the first 4 years, after verifying student status with support by student ID or university email.
