# Diarly

> Private Markdown journal for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch

Diarly is a private journal for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch built around a Markdown editor. Entries can hold photos, videos, drawings, audio, tags, locations and weather, and can be browsed by timeline, calendar, map or gallery. Journals stay on the device with no Diarly account; Premium syncs them through your own iCloud and adds multiple journals, password encryption of entry text, themes, more export formats and an AI Assistant.

- **Category:** Journaling Apps
- **Made by:** PureForm Studio
- **Website:** https://diarly.app
- **Runs on:** macOS, iOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Diarly has a free plan. Paid plans start at $2.99 per month, or $24.99 per year (US App Store in-app purchases).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** 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:** 7-day free trial of Premium.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/diarly-diary-private-journal/id1387167765 on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Diarly before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Yearly Premium saves about 30% over monthly** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/diarly-diary-private-journal/id1387167765

## App Store prices by country

"Premium Journal – Yearly Plan", as each country's App Store showed it on Oct 9, 2026. These are the app's prices, not the website's.

| Country | Price | In US dollars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | $24.99 | |
| United Kingdom | £18.99 | about $25.11 (about the same) |
| Germany | 22,49 € | about $25.20 (about the same) |
| Canada | $26.99 | about $18.97 (24% less) |
| Australia | $31.99 | about $22.33 (11% less) |
| India | ₹ 1,299 | about $13.43 (46% less) |
| Brazil | R$ 119,90 | about $23.96 (about the same) |
| Mexico | $509.00 | about $27.97 (12% more) |
| Turkey | ₺329,99 | about $6.71 (73% less) |
| Indonesia | Rp 329ribu | about $18.40 (26% less) |
| Philippines | ₱ 1,050.00 | about $16.71 (33% less) |
| South Africa | R249.99 | about $15.12 (39% less) |

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.7 out of 5 from 1,461 ratings in the United States, read Oct 6, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1387167765

## Works with

Apple Health, iCloud, Siri Shortcuts

**Tags:** Daily notes, Markdown, End-to-end encrypted, Local-first, Mood tracking, Templates, AI features

## Alternatives

- [Day One](https://toolgpa.com/tools/day-one): Encrypted journal for text, photos, audio and video across devices. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/day-one-vs-diarly)
- [Apple Journal](https://toolgpa.com/tools/apple-journal): Apple's free journaling app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apple-journal-vs-diarly)
- [Diarium](https://toolgpa.com/tools/diarium): Private journal with a one-time Pro purchase and your own cloud sync. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/diarium-vs-diarly)
- [Journey](https://toolgpa.com/tools/journey): Cross-platform diary with maps, mood tracking and guided programs. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/diarly-vs-journey)
- [Stoic](https://toolgpa.com/tools/stoic): Guided journal with morning and evening reflections and mood tracking. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/diarly-vs-stoic)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/diarly-diary-private-journal/id1387167765
- https://diarly.app
- https://diarly.app/pricing
- https://diarly.app/help/what-is-diarly
- https://diarly.app/help/privacy-and-security
- https://diarly.app/help/works-with-icloud
- https://diarly.app/help/using-diarly-on-multiple-devices
- https://diarly.app/help/ai-assistant
- https://diarly.app/help/integrating-apple-health
- https://diarly.app/help/how-to-import-journals
- https://diarly.app/help/siri-shortcuts

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/diarly
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).