DailyTxT vs Day One
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Day One
Encrypted journal for text, photos, audio and video across devices
Free plan · from $49.99/yr
Where they differ
- DailyTxT is free. Day One starts at $49.99 per year.
- Only Day One lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Only Day One lists a browser extension.
- DailyTxT is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Day One is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Day One also covers transcription.
In commonFree planWebMarkdownDaily notesTemplates
At a glance
| DailyTxT | Day One | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $49.99 per year |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the MIT license. You run it on your own server with Docker; there is no paid hosted service, and the author accepts donations through Buy Me a Coffee. | 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 | None listed | 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 | PhiTux | Automattic Inc. |
| Price read from | github.com | dayoneapp.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
DailyTxT
- Self-hosters who want a private diary on their own server
- Households sharing one instance with separately encrypted accounts
- People who write in Markdown and attach photos or files to each day
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
DailyTxT
- There is no hosted version beyond a live demo: you run it with Docker and look after TLS, updates and backups yourself.
- Encryption is done on the server, not end to end in the browser; the README says search would not work otherwise.
- There are no native mobile or desktop apps; phones use the responsive web app, which installs as a PWA.
- The author does not guarantee backward compatibility, and moving from version 1 means following the migration steps.
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
DailyTxT
- Encryption on the server
- Entries and files are encrypted with ChaCha20-Poly1305 before they reach storage, using a per-user key unlocked by a key derived from the password. The admin cannot read them.
- Markdown editor
- Entries are written in Markdown with a live preview and saved automatically. A read mode shows a month's entries without the editor.
- File uploads and image viewer
- Any file can be attached to a day, up to 500 MB each, and is stored encrypted. Images are recognized and shown in a gallery with a full-screen view.
- Tags, search and templates
- Entries take tags, search covers any word, tag or file name, and custom templates can be created, including a default template.
- Map and GPX tracks
- Locations can be pinned to each day and viewed on a map. The map also shows GPX files when they are available.
- Multi-user, admin panel and export
- One instance holds several accounts, each with its own encryption key. An admin panel manages users and registration, and entries export to HTML with their files.
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
DailyTxT
Self-hosted$0
The complete web app as a Docker image for AMD64 and ARM64, with multiple user accounts on your own server.
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
DailyTxT
No public discounts listed.
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.
