Day One vs Waffle
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
Waffle
Shared journal app for couples, families and friends
Where they differ
- Day One starts at $49.99 per year. Waffle starts at $14.99 per month, or $9.99 per week (US App Store in-app purchases).
- 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.
- Day One also covers transcription, Markdown and templates.
At a glance
| Day One | Waffle | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49.99 per year | $14.99 per month, or $9.99 per week (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: unlimited journals, entries and journal members, with basic journal covers and basic question decks. Photos, comments, search and export need Waffle Plus. |
| 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 Waffle Plus, offered during setup or later from the profile menu. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Automattic Inc. | Poppy AI, Inc. |
| 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
Waffle
- Couples, including long-distance ones, who want a shared daily check-in
- Families and friend groups who like answering a question together
- Therapy clients sharing day-to-day notes with a therapist between sessions
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.
Waffle
- Phone only: the FAQ says laptops are not supported, and the App Store listing is for iPhone.
- The free plan has no photos, video, voice notes, comments, read receipts, search or PDF export.
- A journal's creator cannot remove a member; the FAQ says members have to leave on their own.
- Plus prices are not on the website. The App Store lists ten purchases, and only the weekly and monthly ones name a billing period.
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.
Waffle
- Shared journals
- A journal is shared through an invite code, and every member writes entries the others can read. There is no limit on journals or members, and a journal can also be kept solo.
- Daily Waffle questions
- Each journal gets a daily question from decks matched to its preset, such as Partner, Family members or Friends. Basic decks are free and personalized decks need Plus.
- Waffle AI prompts
- Waffle AI uses a journal's relationship type and its entries to suggest more personal prompts. An 'AI Questions Only' mode is part of Plus.
- Photos, video and voice notes
- Entries can carry photos, a video or a recorded voice note. All three attachment types are locked on the free plan and included in Waffle Plus.
- Comments and read receipts
- Plus journals let members comment on each other's entries and see who has read an entry. Neither is available on the free plan.
- Search and PDF export
- Plus adds search across entries and export of a journal as a printable PDF. Journal settings also include a local backup option on the device.
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.
Waffle
Free$0
Unlimited journals, entries and members, with basic journal covers and basic question decks.
Waffle Plus$9.99 to $199.99
billing period not shown for most App Store purchases
Photos, video, voice notes, comments, search and PDF export. The US App Store lists Waffle Weekly at $9.99, Waffle Monthly Plus at $14.99 and others from $39.99 to $199.99.
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.
Waffle
- Other savings
One subscription upgrades the whole journal
Only one member of a journal needs Waffle Plus for everyone in that journal to get the Plus features, according to the FAQ.
- Other savings
Discounts for licensed therapists
The FAQ says Waffle offers discounts to licensed therapists who use the app with clients. The terms are given on request.
- Other savings
Bulk discounts for teams
The FAQ says discounts are available for bulk purchases by companies and organizations. Pricing is given on request.
