Day One vs Life Note

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

Life Note

• People who want a written response to each entry instead of a blank page
• Readers of philosophy and psychology who want replies styled on a chosen thinker
• Journal keepers moving from Day One, Journey or Reflectly, whose exports import free

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.

Life Note

• Free accounts are limited to 3 journal entries a week and 1 mentor response per entry.
• The security guide says Life Note is not end-to-end encrypted in the strict sense, because mentors must read entries to reply, although the homepage uses that term.
• No desktop app is listed: on a computer it runs in the browser, and the App Store listing is designed for iPhone.
• The connector for Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP clients is read-only, so an assistant cannot add entries.

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.

Life Note

Replies from AI mentors

Each entry is answered by an AI mentor drawn from more than 1,000 historical figures. Free accounts get one response per entry and subscribers up to three, from different mentors.

Deep Chat

A mentor's reply can be continued as a conversation with follow-up questions, and past conversations can be archived. Free accounts have limited usage.

Weekly Letter and Inner Portrait

Write three entries in a week and a mentor sends a letter on Sunday along with a generated artwork of the week. Both are available without a subscription.

Voice journaling

Spoken entries are recorded and transcribed into the journal. Free accounts get 10 recordings a week and subscribers 200 a month.

Inner Weather and Inner Wisdom

Inner Weather shows top feelings and emotional trends after 3 entries. Inner Wisdom answers questions from your own journal history once you have 10 entries.

Import, export and AI connections

Takes export files from Day One, Journey, Reflectly, ChatGPT and Claude, and exports to CSV, JSON, Markdown or ZIP. A read-only MCP connector lets Claude or ChatGPT read the journal.

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.

Life Note

• Free$0

  3 entries a week, 1 mentor response per entry, limited Deep Chat, 10 voice recordings a week and standard-resolution photos.

• Premium$10.99

  per month, or $99.99 per year

  Unlimited entries, up to 3 mentor responses per entry, more Deep Chat usage, higher memory quality and 200 voice recordings a month.

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.

Life Note

• Annual discount

  Save 24% with the annual plan

  Life Note's FAQ lists Premium at $10.99 a month or $99.99 a year and describes the yearly price as a 24% saving.

• Other savings

  Free subscription time for referrals

  Each account has a referral link in Settings. Five friends who sign up and journal earn one free month, and ten earn a full year.