Daybook vs Journey
We give Daybook and Journey the same GPA: 3.6 out of 4.0. Daybook grades higher on the free plan. Journey grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Daybook
Cloud-synced diary with guided journals and voice entry
Journey
Cross-platform diary with maps, mood tracking and guided programs
How we grade them
| 3.6GPADaybookExcellent | 3.6GPAJourneyExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $3.49 a month or $39.99 a year on Daybook's website, a little under typical for a journaling app. It adds mood analytics, AI features, custom templates and themes. The US App Store disagrees, though, listing $4.49 a month, $29.99 a year or $94.99 once. | BMembership is $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year, about typical for a journaling app, and it unlocks every platform with 10GB and 5,000 entries of cloud sync. Premium is $17.99 once, but only for Android or iOS, whichever you bought it on. Lifetime Membership is $199.00. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe free plan has unlimited entries, sync across devices and automatic cloud backup, which is what a lot of journals charge for. Most people could stay here. Mood analytics, AI, custom templates and the full set of guided journals are Pro. | BFree never runs out and syncs through Google Drive. But on Journey Cloud Sync it stops at 70MB and 60 entries, photo uploads are limited, and there's no desktop app, audio, video or text formatting. You get 10 Odyssey AI questions a day. |
| Features | BGuided journals for reflection, gratitude and mental health check-ins, a mood and activity tracker, dictation, AI summaries on Pro, a calendar, tags, a passcode lock and PDF export with layouts for printing. A good spread. But the App Store shows the iOS app's last update as November 2024. | AEntries with photos, video and audio, tables and checklists. Browse by calendar, by map in Atlas or by Throwback to past dates. There are more than 60 guided programs, shared journals, entries by email and optional end-to-end encryption. One catch: turning encryption on disables search, for good. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from 899 App Store ratings. Your entries are on your phone and in the browser, and backup to the cloud is automatic. If typing puts you off, you can speak an entry. | A4.6 from about 5,100 App Store ratings. Coach programs and prompt templates give you a way in. What takes thought is the buying: Premium, Membership, Lifetime and a separate Signature plan each cover different things. |
| Platforms and integrations | AAndroid, iPhone, iPad and a web app, with voice access through Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Bixby, and a GPT in the ChatGPT store. No Mac or Windows app is listed, so on a computer it's the browser. | AAndroid, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web, which is everything. It connects to Google Drive, Zapier, WhatsApp, Apple Health, WordPress and Siri Shortcuts, among others. There's even a Docker image if you want to host the sync drive yourself. |
| Best for | a free diary that syncs phone and browser | a journal on every platform, Linux included |
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: Daybook and Journey. How we grade
Where they differ
- Daybook starts at $3.49 per month, or $39.99 per year. Journey starts at $17.99 one-time per platform, or $49.99 per year for Membership.
- Only Journey lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Journey is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Daybook also covers dictation.
At a glance
| Daybook | Journey | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.49 per month, or $39.99 per year | $17.99 one-time per platform, or $49.99 per year for Membership |
| Free plan | Free plan with unlimited entries, sync across devices and automatic cloud backup. Mood analytics, AI features, custom templates, themes and the full set of guided journals need Pro. | Free version with no time limit: Google Drive sync, or 70MB and 60 entries on Journey Cloud Sync, limited photo uploads and 10 Odyssey AI questions a day. No desktop app, audio or video. |
| Free trial | The App Store listing mentions a free trial before the subscription is charged; its length is not stated. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Daybook Labs Inc | Two App Studio Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | daybook.app | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Daybook
- People who want a free journal that syncs between phone and browser
- Dictating entries by voice or through a voice assistant
- Guided gratitude, mood and reflection journaling
Journey
- People who want one journal on phone, desktop (including Linux) and web
- Travel journals, with entries tagged by place and shown on a map
- Guided journaling through coach programs and templates
- Buyers who would rather pay once than subscribe
Worth knowing
Daybook
- Vendor prices disagree: the website shows Pro at $3.49 a month or $39.99 a year, while the US App Store lists Premium at $4.49 a month, $29.99 a year or $94.99 once.
- Mood analytics, AI features, custom templates, themes, higher-resolution photos and the full set of guided journals need the paid tier.
- Entries are stored in Daybook's cloud and encrypted in transit; the site does not claim end-to-end encryption.
- No Mac or Windows app is listed, so desktop use is through the web app. The App Store shows the iOS app's last update as November 2024.
Journey
- The free version has no desktop app access and caps Journey Cloud Sync at 70MB and 60 entries.
- A Premium license covers a single platform; the help center says the Journey Desktop and web apps do not support it.
- Turning on end-to-end encryption disables search, and the vendor says it cannot be reversed.
- Membership stops at 10GB and 5,000 entries; more needs the separate Signature subscription, whose price is not shown publicly.
Key features
Daybook
- Cloud sync across devices
- Entries and photos back up automatically to Daybook's cloud and sync between phone, tablet and the web app. Unlimited entries and sync are part of the free plan.
- Guided journals
- Structured journals cover nightly reflection, mental health check-ins and gratitude. Access to every guided journal is one of the paid unlocks.
- Mood and activity tracker
- Log daily moods and activities alongside entries. Mood analytics and word analysis of what you wrote are listed under Pro.
- Voice-to-text and voice assistants
- Entries can be dictated with speech-to-text, and the store listings describe voice features through Alexa and Google Assistant. A Daybook GPT is listed in the ChatGPT store.
- AI features
- AI summarizes entries, offers insights and suggests improvements, and the iOS listing describes a Journal GPT that answers questions about your entries. AI features are part of Pro.
- Calendar, tags and PDF export
- A calendar view and tags help you find past entries, and entries export to PDF with customizable layouts for printing. A passcode lock keeps the journal private.
Journey
- Multimedia entries
- Entries hold photos, videos and audio, with formatting such as tables, checklists and text color. The free version limits photo uploads and has no audio, video or text formatting.
- Atlas, calendar and Throwback
- Atlas maps entries and media by tagged location, the calendar shows entries by date, and Throwback resurfaces entries from a week, a month or years ago.
- Sync and end-to-end encryption
- Journals sync through Google Drive or Journey Cloud Sync. Journey Cloud Sync has optional end-to-end encryption with a passphrase the company does not store, and a Docker image for a self-hosted sync drive is offered.
- Coach programs and templates
- More than 60 guided journaling programs and a set of prompt templates. Free and Premium get limited access; Membership unlocks all programs and custom templates.
- Odyssey AI
- A chat assistant answers questions about your own past entries. Free and Premium accounts can ask 10 questions a day, and Membership raises that to 50.
- Shared journals and web links
- Journals can be shared with other people, and selected entries published as web links that open in a browser. Free accounts get 2 web links, Membership 50.
Plans
Daybook
Free$0
Daybook's basic features: unlimited entries, sync across multiple devices and automatic cloud backup.
Pro (monthly)$3.49
per month
Mood analytics and word analysis, AI features, guided journals, themes, custom templates, higher-resolution photos and the advanced printer.
Pro (yearly)$39.99
per year
The same Pro features billed once a year, as shown under the Yearly toggle on the vendor's website.
Journey
Free$0
Mobile and limited web access, Google Drive sync, 70MB and 60 entries on Journey Cloud Sync, shared journals and limited photo uploads.
Premium$17.99
one-time purchase per platform (US App Store price)
Unlocks rich text, audio, themes, Throwback and export on the platform it was bought for, Android or iOS. Not supported on the desktop or web apps.
Membership$6.99
per month, or $49.99 per year
Every platform including desktop and web, 10GB and 5,000 entries on Journey Cloud Sync, all coach programs, custom templates, email entries and Zapier.
Lifetime Membership$199.00
one-time purchase
The Membership features on every platform for a single payment instead of a subscription.
Ways to pay less
Daybook
- Annual discount
Yearly billing costs slightly less than monthly
The website lists Pro at $3.49 a month or $39.99 a year. Twelve monthly payments come to $41.88, so the yearly plan saves $1.89, about 4.5%.
- Lifetime license
One-time purchase of Daybook Premium
The US App Store lists a Daybook Premium OneTime in-app purchase at $94.99 as an alternative to a subscription. The listing's description text gives the figure as $94.49.
Journey
- Annual discount
About 40% less with the annual Membership
The US App Store listing prices Membership at $6.99 monthly or $49.99 a year, which works out to about 40% less than twelve monthly payments.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Membership for a single payment
Journey's membership page offers a lifetime purchase as an alternative to the subscription. The US App Store lists Lifetime Membership at $199.00.
