Day One vs Five Minute Journal
We give Day One a 3.6 GPA and Five Minute Journal a 3.0, out of 4.0. Day One grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. Five Minute Journal grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on 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
Five Minute Journal
Guided gratitude journal with short morning and evening prompts
How we grade them
| 3.6GPADay OneExcellent | 3.0GPAFive Minute JournalVery 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. | CPremium is listed at $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US App Store, next to cheaper $4.99 and $19.99 to $24.99 items, some marked for existing users. Day One's paid plan is $49.99 a year and does far more. |
| 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. | AThe whole morning and evening routine is free: prompts, timeline, calendar, reminders, streaks, a passcode lock and export. You can keep this going for years and never pay. |
| 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. | BIt does one job, a short guided entry twice a day, with quotes, weekly challenges and streaks around it. Export goes to PDF, HTML or Dropbox. It's no full diary, though. Free writing is a Premium notes section. |
| 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. | A4.8 from about 17,600 App Store ratings. It asks, you answer, and you're done in a few minutes. Reviewers who dropped other journaling apps say they kept this one up. |
| 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. | CiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android, and that's it. No web or desktop version, so no typing at a proper keyboard. It talks to Apple Health and Dropbox. Four languages: English, French, German and Spanish. |
| Best for | one journal on every device you own | a quick gratitude habit on your phone |
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 Five Minute Journal. How we grade
Where they differ
- Day One starts at $49.99 per year. Five Minute Journal starts at $4.99 to $9.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase list).
- Only Day One lists a web app.
- Only Day One lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Only Day One lists a browser extension.
- Day One is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Five Minute Journal can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Day One also covers transcription, Markdown and templates.
- Five Minute Journal also covers mood tracking.
At a glance
| Day One | Five Minute Journal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49.99 per year | $4.99 to $9.99 per month (US App Store in-app purchase list) |
| 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 basic version: guided morning and evening entries, timeline and calendar, reminders, daily quotes, weekly challenges, streaks, passcode lock and backup or export. |
| Free trial | Free 1-month trial of a paid plan, started inside the app. Eligibility is controlled by the app stores. | Subscriptions come with free trials; the US App Store lists an annual plan with a 3-day trial. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Automattic Inc. | Intelligent Change |
| Price read from | dayoneapp.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 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
Five Minute Journal
- People who want a short guided gratitude routine each morning and evening
- Users of the paper Five Minute Journal who want the same format on a phone
- Beginners who prefer answering set prompts to free writing
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.
Five Minute Journal
- Listed for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android in English, French, German and Spanish; no web or desktop version is offered.
- Photos and video, custom questions, the notes section, the mood tracker and the widget need Premium.
- The vendor's site shows no prices; the US App Store lists several monthly and annual price points, some marked for existing users.
- The privacy policy says journal entries are stored on the vendor's servers, and that AI features send your messages to Anthropic's Claude once you consent in the app.
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.
Five Minute Journal
- Guided morning and evening entries
- A guided flow takes you through gratitude prompts at the start and end of the day, in a format modeled on the paper Five Minute Journal.
- Timeline and calendar
- Past entries appear as short daily excerpts on a timeline, and tapping a date in the calendar view opens that day's full entry.
- Eva AI coach and voice memos
- The App Store version notes introduce Eva, an AI coach that reflects on a finished entry with you, and voice memos that are transcribed. They do not say which plan each needs.
- Quotes, challenges and streaks
- The app delivers a daily quote and a weekly challenge, sends optional daily reminders and tracks your journaling streak.
- Lock and export
- Entries can be protected with a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, and backed up or exported to PDF, HTML or Dropbox for a chosen date range.
- Premium extras
- Premium adds a daily photo or video on any prompt, a photo timeline, a notes section, custom questions, a mood check-in, On this Day reminders and a home screen widget.
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.
Five Minute Journal
Free$0
Guided morning and evening entries, timeline and calendar views, reminders, quotes, challenges, streaks, passcode lock and export.
Premium (monthly)$4.99 to $9.99
per month
Adds photos and video, custom questions, notes, mood tracker and On this Day. The US App Store lists $9.99 for Journaling Premium and $4.99 monthly items.
Premium (yearly)$19.99 to $39.99
per year
The same Premium features billed yearly. The US App Store lists $39.99 for Annual Journaling Premium, plus $24.99 and $19.99 annual items.
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.
Five Minute Journal
- Annual discount
About 67% less with the annual plan
The US App Store lists Journaling Premium at $9.99 for one month and $39.99 for a year, about 67% less than twelve monthly payments.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime plan as an alternative to subscribing
Intelligent Change's help center says Premium is sold under monthly, yearly and lifetime plans. The lifetime price is not published on its site.
