By Harsh Vats, who makes WOYM · Updated 2 November 2026 · 5 min read
Apple Journal vs Day One
One is free and already on your iPhone. The other costs $50 a year. Here's when each is the right call.
The short answer: if every device you own is made by Apple and you want something simple, use Apple Journal. It's free and already installed. If you also write on Android, Windows or the web, want AI help, or want end-to-end encrypted journals, Day One is worth its yearly price.
I make a third journal app, WOYM, so I have no reason to favour either. There's a section on it at the end, for people who want neither.
At a glance
Price
- Apple Journal: Free
- Day One: Free Basic plan; Silver $49.99 a year; Gold $74.99 a year
Platforms
- Apple Journal: iPhone; iPad and Mac since iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26
- Day One: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and the web
Free plan
- Apple Journal: Everything
- Day One: Unlimited journals on one device; sync needs Silver
Prompts
- Apple Journal: Suggestions from your photos, places and workouts
- Day One: Daily prompts and templates
AI
- Apple Journal: No AI chat
- Day One: Daily Chat, summaries and more with Gold
Lock
- Apple Journal: Face ID or passcode
- Day One: Face ID or passcode; end-to-end encrypted journals
Where Apple Journal wins
It costs nothing and it's already there. No account, no subscription, no app to find. For most people that's the whole argument.
It knows your day. Journaling Suggestions pull in the photos you took, the places you went and your workouts, so an entry can start from a moment instead of a blank page.
It finally left the iPhone. With iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26, Journal came to iPad and Mac, along with multiple journals, a map of where you wrote, and drawing with Apple Pencil.
Where Day One wins
It works on everything. iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and the web. If anyone in your life might hand you a Windows laptop or an Android phone, your journal comes with you.
More in each entry. Silver allows up to 30 photos, videos, recordings, drawings or PDFs per entry, plus journal entries by email and SMS, and integrations such as Strava and IFTTT.
AI if you want it. Gold adds Daily Chat, which talks your day through with you, and summaries across entries. Apple Journal has nothing like it.
Privacy you can check. Day One journals can be end-to-end encrypted, so only your devices can read them.
The catch with each
Apple Journal locks you to Apple: switch to Android or a Windows laptop and your journal stays behind, apart from the export. Day One's free plan is one device, and its paid plans are billed yearly only.
A third option: WOYM
WOYM is free on iPhone and iPad with unlimited entries, photos, videos and voice notes, and no account, and it imports your Apple Journal export with its photos, dates and places, for free, right on your iPhone. Premium adds the web version, so you can write on any computer, and dictation that types as you talk in English, Hindi or a mix of both. The catch, in fairness: WOYM isn't end-to-end encrypted. For more options, see the best journal and diary apps, or the full table in WOYM vs Day One, Journey and Diarium.
Try WOYM free
Bring your Apple Journal with you, free. Unlimited entries, no account, no ads.
Questions people ask
Is Journal an Apple app?
Yes. Journal is made by Apple and comes with iPhone (from iOS 17.2), and with iPad and Mac from iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26. It's free.
Is Apple Journal on Mac?
Yes, since macOS Tahoe 26. Entries sync between your iPhone, iPad and Mac through iCloud.
Is Day One worth paying for?
If you write on Android, Windows or the web, want more than one device on a plan, or want AI features, yes. If you only use Apple devices and Apple Journal does what you need, the free option is hard to beat.
Can I move my entries from Apple Journal?
Yes. On iPhone, open Settings, then Apps, then Journal, then Export All Journal Entries. You get a ZIP of every entry with its photos and recordings, which other apps can import.
Last updated November 2026. Prices are in US dollars. Details come from Apple's and Day One's own pages and may have changed since.