Day One alternatives
· Facts checked October 30, 2026
On an iPhone and don't want to pay? Apple's Journal app is free and end-to-end encrypted in iCloud. For a private journal on Apple devices that imports Day One, Diarly costs less. If you need Android, Windows or Linux too, Journey runs everywhere and imports Day One. If you mostly want AI help, Reflection has a free plan.
Our sources, all read on October 30, 2026: Day One's pricing page, export guide and AI guide; the homepage, pricing or import help page of each alternative; and the US App Store listing for every app (price list, privacy label, devices and rating). What we did not do: we did not buy any plan, move a real journal between apps, or test an import. Wherever this page says an app "imports Day One," that is the company's own claim, untested by us. Joyful is ours, and it got the same checks.
The comparison table
| App | Price (US) | Free plan | Imports Day One | Encryption (company's words) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day One | Silver $49.99 a year; Gold (with AI) $74.99 a year | Yes, unlimited entries on one device | Not needed | End-to-end | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Android, web, Windows |
| Apple Journal | Free | Free | None named in its listing | End-to-end in iCloud | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Diarly | Premium from $24.99 a year (App Store list) | Yes, one journal, unlimited entries | Yes, Day One JSON export | End-to-end for entry text (Premium) | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Journey | $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year | Free to download | Yes, Day One JSON export | End-to-end with Journey Cloud Sync | Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Linux, web, Chrome OS |
| Reflection | $8 a month, or $5.75 a month billed yearly | Yes, unlimited entries | Yes | AES-256 at rest, TLS in transit | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, web |
| Penzu | Pro $29.99 a year on its site | Yes, unlimited entries | Not named | "Military strength" (Pro+) | Web, iPhone, Android |
| Joyful (ours) | $13.99 a month, or $118.99 a year | 10 entries | No | In transit and at rest | iPhone, Android |
- Price (US):
- Silver $49.99 a year; Gold (with AI) $74.99 a year
- Free plan:
- Yes, unlimited entries on one device
- Imports Day One:
- Not needed
- Encryption (company's words):
- End-to-end
- Platforms:
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Android, web, Windows
- Price (US):
- Free
- Free plan:
- Free
- Imports Day One:
- None named in its listing
- Encryption (company's words):
- End-to-end in iCloud
- Platforms:
- iPhone, iPad, Mac
- Price (US):
- Premium from $24.99 a year (App Store list)
- Free plan:
- Yes, one journal, unlimited entries
- Imports Day One:
- Yes, Day One JSON export
- Encryption (company's words):
- End-to-end for entry text (Premium)
- Platforms:
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
- Price (US):
- $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year
- Free plan:
- Free to download
- Imports Day One:
- Yes, Day One JSON export
- Encryption (company's words):
- End-to-end with Journey Cloud Sync
- Platforms:
- Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Linux, web, Chrome OS
- Price (US):
- $8 a month, or $5.75 a month billed yearly
- Free plan:
- Yes, unlimited entries
- Imports Day One:
- Yes
- Encryption (company's words):
- AES-256 at rest, TLS in transit
- Platforms:
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, web
- Price (US):
- Pro $29.99 a year on its site
- Free plan:
- Yes, unlimited entries
- Imports Day One:
- Not named
- Encryption (company's words):
- "Military strength" (Pro+)
- Platforms:
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Price (US):
- $13.99 a month, or $118.99 a year
- Free plan:
- 10 entries
- Imports Day One:
- No
- Encryption (company's words):
- In transit and at rest
- Platforms:
- iPhone, Android
Years of entries? Read the "Imports Day One" column first. Each figure is from the company's own pages or its US App Store listing on October 30, 2026; Sources has the links. Joyful is ours. Prices change, so check before you pay.
Which one suits you
- Stay with Day One if: you write on Apple and Android or Windows, want photos, audio and maps in one record, and $49.99 a year is fine.
- Apple Journal if: you only use an iPhone, iPad or Mac and want free.
- Diarly if: you want a private journal on Apple devices that stays in your own iCloud.
- Journey if: you need Android, Windows or Linux and want your Day One years to come with you.
- Reflection if: you want AI questions as you write, with a free plan.
- Penzu if: you mostly write in a web browser.
- Joyful (ours) if: you'd rather talk through a hard day out loud than keep a record.
Apple Journal
Free, and already on your iPhone. Nothing in the listing costs extra.1 On privacy it matches Day One: Apple says every Journal entry is end-to-end encrypted in iCloud, "so that no one but the user can access them."2 It suggests moments to write about from your photos, workouts and places, transcribes voice recordings, and syncs your iPhone, iPad and Mac through iCloud.1
What it won't do is take your Day One years: its listing mentions printing and exporting entries but names no import from Day One, and there's no Android, Windows or web app to carry them to anyway.1
If every device you own is Apple and you're willing to start fresh, nothing here costs less.
Diarly
Diarly is a Day One-style journal for Apple devices, at about half the price. Premium was $24.99 a year on its App Store list, against $49.99 for Day One Silver, and for that you get a journal that lives on your device, syncs through your own iCloud, and by Diarly's account is never stored on its servers.3,4
Moving over is two steps: export to JSON in Day One, then use Import in Diarly.5 Diarly says Day One entries "come across with their photos and dates."6
It's Apple only, and Diarly says so plainly: no Android, Windows or web.5 One detail on the encryption: Premium encrypts entry text, but "images and other attachments are not encrypted by Diarly."6
Journey
If you write on a Windows laptop or an Android phone, Journey is the alternative here that can follow Day One across that many screens. It lists Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, web and Chrome OS, plus a Linux download.7 Membership costs $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year, and the App Store list also showed a $199 lifetime membership.8
Its help center says Day One imports work on every platform with Journey Cloud Sync, the web included.9 Read the warning first, though. Existing entries may be overwritten, and importing the same file twice can leave duplicates.9
There's an AI companion too, "Barry or Sherry," that you can chat with by text or voice, according to its App Store listing.8 End-to-end encryption needs Journey Cloud Sync.8
Reflection
Reflection is for people who mainly miss Day One Gold's AI. It costs less, or nothing. It imports from Day One or CSV, exports to PDF, JSON or CSV, and its free plan includes unlimited entries, search and reviews, with Premium at $8 a month or $5.75 a month billed yearly.10 If you used Day One for photos, you'll feel the difference: the free plan allows one photo per entry and limited syncing, and the App Store privacy label lists identifiers as data that may be used to track you.10,11
Penzu
Penzu lives in a web browser, so any computer will do, and there are iPhone and Android apps as well.12 It says it is "always free" for unlimited entries, and Pro adds encryption locking, tags and PDF export.12
Its prices disagreed with themselves when we checked. The website showed Pro at $29.99 a year and Pro+ at $49.99 a year, while the App Store listing said $4.99 a month or $19.99 a year.12,13 Check the price inside the app before you pay, and note that the same listing names identifiers and usage data as possible tracking data.13
Where Joyful fits (and yes, it's ours)
Joyful is ours. It's a different kind of app. It can't import your Day One entries, and it isn't a photo journal or a lifelong record. If that's what you need, pick one of the apps above.
It's for the days you'd rather say it than write it. On a hard day you open it and talk; Joy answers, and keeps track of what you said on earlier calls. There's a thought record among the guided CBT entries, which slows one thought down into steps, and every entry ends with a summary of the emotions, themes and thinking patterns in it, with a weekly one on top. Ten entries are free. Then it's $13.99 a month or $118.99 a year, once a 7-day trial ends.14
There's no web or desktop app.14
Some people keep Day One for the record and use Joyful for the hard days.
Staying with Day One
If price is the only problem, the simplest fix is Day One's own free plan, Basic, which keeps your end-to-end encryption and unlimited entries as long as you write on a single device.4 The paid tiers are where the money goes: Silver ($49.99 a year) adds up to 30 photos and videos per entry, audio with transcription and every device, and Gold ($74.99 a year) adds Daily Chat, AI summaries and Go Deeper prompts.4
It's still being worked on. The iPhone app was updated on October 23, 2026.15
Two things to weigh. Its AI features decrypt an entry on your device and send it to a provider, "currently OpenAI," while they run.16 And its App Store label lists data linked to you, including location and health data, though none is listed as used to track you.15
How to switch
- Export from Day One. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, then Import/Export, pick a journal and choose a format.17 Choose JSON if the new app imports Day One. The web and Windows apps export JSON only.17
- Import in the new app. Diarly: File, then Import on a Mac, or Settings, then Import on iPhone.5 Journey: Settings, then Data & Cloud Services, then Import.9
- Keep a PDF too. Day One's PDF export keeps formatted text and photos inline, so you have a copy you can open anywhere.17
- Cancel last. Open the new app, find an old entry, then cancel Day One.
Scroll back to an entry from a year ago. What were you worried about then, and how did it turn out? Write two sentences about what you'd tell yourself now.
Answer this with JoyQuestions people ask
Which is better, Day One or Apple Journal?
It comes down to your phone. Apple Journal costs nothing but stops at the edge of Apple's devices.1,2 Day One crosses over to Android, the web and Windows, and charges for its AI and its bigger photo limits.4,17 All Apple, no need for AI: try Apple Journal first.
What is the best free diary app?
On an iPhone, Apple Journal. Off Apple, three let you keep writing for nothing: Day One's Basic plan, Reflection's free plan and Penzu.4,10,12
Is Day One shutting down?
No sign of it. On October 30, 2026, its pricing page listed three plans, and its iPhone app had been updated a week before.4,15
Is Day One the best journaling app?
For a lifelong record across Apple, Android and Windows, it's one of the strongest, with 4.8 stars from 118,778 ratings on the US App Store.15 Other apps win for a free Apple-only journal, or for talking instead of typing. Our best journaling apps list ranks the wider field.
The verdict
Leaving with your entries narrows the list to three: Diarly on Apple devices, Journey everywhere else, and Reflection if the AI was the point. Starting fresh on an iPhone, take Apple Journal. Choose Joyful, which is ours, for talking things through rather than keeping a record. And if the bill was the only thing wrong, drop to Day One Basic before you move anything.