Alternatives to Day One
The polished journaling standard
Day One ranks #2 of 6 in Journaling apps, with an Alt Score of 80. It is proprietary, freemium from $49.99/year and available on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows and Web. 8 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
People who want to keep a private, long-term personal journal — for daily reflection, memory-keeping, or documenting life events — across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Android, Windows, or the web.
A journaling app for rich, multimedia entries that combine text with photos, video, audio, and drawings. Entries can be tagged with location and weather, and the 'On This Day' feature resurfaces past entries from previous years. Reminders prompt regular journaling, and entries are protected with passcode/biometric lock and end-to-end encryption. A free tier is available, with a paid Day One Premium/Gold plan unlocking unlimited photos, multiple journals, and other extras.
You write entries in the app on any supported device, attaching media, location, and weather data as you go; entries sync automatically across devices via an encrypted cloud library and can be browsed by calendar, timeline, or search.
Where Day One stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Day One
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Journaling apps checklist (13 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Journaling apps checklist | Day One | Journey | Diarium | Daylio | Stoic | Apple Journal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| E2E encryption | ||||||
| Templates & prompts | ||||||
| Photos & media | ||||||
| Mood tracking | ||||||
| Export formats | ||||||
| Sync across devices | ||||||
| On-this-day memories | ||||||
| One-time purchase option | ||||||
| Markdown support |
Every fact and feature listed for Day One is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
-
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-08
© Automattic
https://dayoneapp.com/features/sync/ -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-08
Unlimited journal entries, Unlimited journals, 1 photo per entry, end-to-end encryption, daily prompts, templates, search & filters, memories, streaks
https://dayoneapp.com/pricing/ -
Starts at $49.99/year verified 2026-07-08
$49.99 per year
https://dayoneapp.com/pricing/ -
Platforms iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, Web verified 2026-07-08
Day One Sync is our service for syncing and backing up your Day One journal on all of your Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows devices.
https://dayoneapp.com/features/sync/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
Day One Silver (Premium): $8.99/month or $49.99/year
https://dayoneapp.com/pricing/ -
E2E encryption Yes verified 2026-07-08
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) utilizes a private key to encrypt all entries before they reach Day One servers.
https://dayoneapp.com/guides/day-one-sync/end-to-end-encryption-faq/ -
Templates & prompts Yes verified 2026-07-08
Journal templates are a great way to add structure and consistency to your entries.
https://dayoneapp.com/features/ -
Photos & media Yes verified 2026-07-08
Preserve even more powerful memories with unlimited photos and videos
https://dayoneapp.com/features/ -
Export formats Yes verified 2026-07-08
PDF, JSON, plain-text/Markdown, CSV.
PDF exports include formatted text and photos inline in each entry.
https://dayoneapp.com/features/export/ -
Sync across devices Yes verified 2026-07-08
Day One Sync is our service for syncing and backing up your Day One journal on all of your Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows devices.
https://dayoneapp.com/features/sync/ -
On-this-day memories Yes verified 2026-07-08
Relive past memories with On This Day.
https://dayoneapp.com/features/ -
One-time purchase option No verified 2026-07-08
Subscription-only; legacy perpetual licenses (pre-2017) no longer sold.
Day One Silver (Premium): $8.99/month or $49.99/year
https://dayoneapp.com/pricing/ -
Markdown support Yes verified 2026-07-08
Powerful rich text formatting with markdown.
https://dayoneapp.com/features/
FAQ
Yes. Journey, Diarium and Daylio have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.