Day One vs Diarly
We give Day One a 3.6 GPA and Diarly a 3.4, out of 4.0. Day One grades higher on platforms. Diarly grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
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
Diarly
Private Markdown journal for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
How we grade them
| 3.6GPADay OneExcellent | 3.4GPADiarlyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | APremium is $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year on the US App Store, well below what journaling apps usually charge. It adds iCloud sync, multiple journals, entry encryption, themes and an AI Assistant. Audio transcription and OCR are a separate $1.99 a month, called AI+. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BFree forever gets one journal with unlimited entries and media, plus Markdown editing and export. That's generous on content. But it lives on a single device with no sync, and encryption needs Premium. There's a 7-day free trial of Premium. |
| Features | 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. | AA Markdown editor with slash commands, checklists and tables. Entries hold photos, videos, drawings and audio, and templates can drop in the weather, calendar events and Apple Health details. Browse by timeline, calendar, map or gallery, and track moods in a mood calendar. |
| Ease of use | 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. | A4.7 from about 1,500 App Store ratings. There's no Diarly account to create, and the Mac version is a native app with a menu bar and keyboard shortcuts. Importers bring entries over from Day One, Apple Journal or Journey. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, synced through iCloud on Premium. That's all Apple: there's no Windows, Android or web version. It works with Apple Health and Siri Shortcuts. |
| Best for | one journal on every device you own | a Markdown journal across your Apple devices |
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: Day One and Diarly. How we grade
Where they differ
- Day One starts at $49.99 per year. Diarly starts at $2.99 per month, or $24.99 per year (US App Store in-app purchases).
- Only Day One lists a web app.
- Only Day One lists Windows and Android apps.
- Only Day One lists a browser extension.
- Day One also covers transcription.
- Diarly also covers mood tracking.
At a glance
| Day One | Diarly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49.99 per year | $2.99 per month, or $24.99 per year (US App Store in-app purchases) |
| Free plan | 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 forever: one journal with unlimited entries and media, kept on the device. iCloud sync, multiple journals, encryption, themes and extra export formats need Premium. |
| Free trial | Free 1-month trial of a paid plan, started inside the app. Eligibility is controlled by the app stores. | 7-day free trial of Premium. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Automattic Inc. | PureForm Studio |
| Price read from | dayoneapp.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Diarly
- Apple users who want a journal stored on their devices and their own iCloud
- Writers who prefer plain-text Markdown entries they can export
- People moving from Day One, Apple Journal or Journey, which have importers
Worth knowing
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.
Diarly
- Built only for Apple devices: there is no Windows, Android or web version.
- Sync between devices needs Premium and runs through iCloud; the free version keeps one journal on one device.
- Encryption covers the text of entries, needs Premium, and entries cannot be recovered if the encryption password is forgotten.
- The vendor's pricing page shows no amounts; the US App Store lists yearly Premium at both $24.99 and $29.99.
Key features
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.
Diarly
- Markdown editor
- Entries are written in Markdown with slash commands, checklists, tables and a typewriter mode. The Mac version is a native app with a menu bar and keyboard shortcuts.
- Media and context in entries
- Add photos, videos, drawings, audio recordings, files, tags and map locations. Templates can insert the weather, calendar events and Apple Health details automatically.
- Timeline, calendar, map and gallery
- Browse entries by date on a timeline or calendar, by place on a map or by image in a gallery. On This Day brings back entries from earlier years.
- Mood tracker and insights
- Log moods and emotions inside entries and see how they change in a mood calendar and Insights. Writing goals, streaks and reminders support a daily habit.
- On-device storage and iCloud sync
- Journals are saved on the device and never on Diarly's servers. Premium syncs them through your iCloud Drive and can encrypt entry text with a password only you know.
- AI Assistant and AI+
- Premium includes an OpenAI-powered assistant reached with the /ask command, plus daily affirmations and advice. AI+ is a separate subscription for audio transcription and OCR.
Plans
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.
Diarly
Free$0
One journal with unlimited entries and media, Markdown editing and export, saved on a single device without sync.
Monthly Premium$2.99
per month
iCloud sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, multiple journals, entry encryption, themes, more export formats and the AI Assistant.
Yearly Premium$24.99
per year
The same Premium features billed yearly. The US App Store lists the promoted yearly plan at $24.99 and a second yearly entry at $29.99.
AI+$1.99
per month
Optional separate subscription that transcribes audio entries into text and extracts text from photos with OCR.
Ways to pay less
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.
Diarly
- Annual discount
Yearly Premium saves about 30% over monthly
The US App Store lists Monthly Premium at $2.99 and the yearly plan at $24.99. Twelve monthly payments come to $35.88, so paying yearly saves $10.89.
