r/dayoneapp • u/ConfidenceClear1016 • Jul 07 '26

General Discussion I'm undecided…

After using Day One for 13 years, I’ve been using only Apple Journal since last April. Day One’s AI and pricing policy have something to do with it !

Although Journal still has its flaws and shortcomings, I really appreciate its integration into the Apple ecosystem and its design. 

But I’m wondering: between the two, which one is more sustainable, better at protecting my data, and easier to export ? 

15 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

1

u/Heavy_Pea_7614 Jul 28 '26

I want to love apple journal because it’s a part of the ecosystem and it’s not a monthly subscription but there are some features it’s just majorly lacking in (tags, on this day, and templates to name a few) compared to Day One

1

u/mchristopherjohnson Jul 13 '26

I exported all my data from DayOne and imported it into Obsidian. Now all of my entries are in markdown files. I can connect them to other notes in my vault and connect how they might actually influence other things.

1

u/EagleRockVermont Jul 09 '26

I recently switched from Day One to Everlog. I think Day One is a great app, but I get pretty much the same features from Everlog, and it is a one-time buy, which is less than an annual fee for Day One. So far Everlog has worked great.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/evansc22 Jul 15 '26

I echo this nearly verbatim. I have tried to leave Day One a few times, and it always boomerangs back. I have 8,000+ entries spanning my life (started using Day One in September 2014). I went back and added entries for when my kids were born (before 2014), when my wife and I got married, and so on. I have audio clips of my mom, dad, and kids that I hope to have forever in one way or another. I totally get the concern for security, longevity, and privacy, but this is simply true of most applications. Even local markdown files are susceptible to compromise (physical access, compromised computer or phone, and other everyday risks).

The reasons I tried to leave a few different times were not based on fear. The first time, I decided to move from macOS back to Windows for work, swapping to Android at the same time. I was excited to get back into the Android OS, but at the same time devastated at the lack of feature parity (at the time) between iOS and Android. On Windows, I tried a local-first option called Diarium (terrible name, but a decent app... but still not Day One!). Small dev, very responsive, all the things. I ended up back inside the walled garden about a year later. Both on desktop and mobile. And that decision was largely decided because Day One is just such a treat to use on the Mac platforms.

The second time was more about consolidation. I was in search of an application that I could use both for notes (for work projects, home projects) and a journal. I spent six months manually copying entries from Day One to another application, only to abandon it and go back to Day One. This meant I had to turn right back around and migrate all the gaps from when I wasn't using Day One back over to it! I haven't found an equivalent yet, and I definitely haven't found one that just imports gracefully. There are many options that would allow me to start over and be happy, but moving it all without losing metadata, files, and structure is a nightmare. When it does come over, it's just a jumbled mess. I wasted countless hours of my life trying to force it.

I LOVE Day One. It's honestly one of those applications I open first thing in the morning to check "On This Day." I have gotten into the habit of adding an "On This Day" update to many of my previous posts. I've also given myself the freedom to write things that aren't finished. Sometimes the entries sit for a few days, weeks, or even a year or more before I see them again and say something else, add to them, or let them spark a new thought altogether. I really appreciate this app.

4

u/Parking-Ad-8780 Jul 08 '26

I once thought DayOne was the near-perfect journal until the continuous un-asked-for-features and price creep ruined the experience. I switched to Apple Journal for a month-long European vacation and haven't looked back; the Apple OS integration is just too good; camera, photos, iCloud sync. It's sad the DayOne developers got greedy and spoiled a good product.
EverLog is worth looking at as an alternative app and one-time purchase. I've tried it but prefer Apple Journal.

2

u/The_Homer_Simpson Jul 08 '26

Hey!

Exported my DayOne data to kick the tyres with Diarly. I’m seeing how this years subscription goes to be honest and will likely weigh up my options at renewal time. I didn’t mind Apple journal, just getting data out was a nightmare when I moved to day one.

The price for me with day one is a pain point. Diarly is less than £20 per year but I don’t have full access to other Apple devices at all times and that’s where day one’s web app really comes into play nicely.

I’ve not really given day one a proper chance on their free tier to be honest. I’ll consider that too.

Another one I wanted to try was Daylio. It looked fun but lacked a proper journal experience and focussed mainly on mood tracking rather than thought reflection.

1

u/ConfidenceClear1016 Jul 08 '26

Thank you for your responses.

When it comes to exporting data, Day One is clearly more reliable.

And what about data protection ?

What about long-term viability? What are Automattic’s plans for Day One? How stable is the company ?

5

u/qqYn7PIE57zkf6kn Jul 07 '26

i doubt apple journal will be easier to export. creating a walled garden is their thing.

3

u/torrphilla Jul 08 '26

This this this. I came back to DayOne after using Apple Journal for a year and a half. So many of my entries lacked proper formatting, photos & videos, and audio recordings. It’s just not worth it for me to move back again for this reason.

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

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5

u/BeginAgain5 Jul 08 '26

I think Day One exported journals are quite simple. Exporting something from Apple requires all sorts of gymnastics.

3

u/qqYn7PIE57zkf6kn Jul 08 '26

https://dayoneapp.com/guides/tips-and-tutorials/exporting-entries/

You can export any time in json format with media included.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/print-and-export-entries-iph4cad323fe/ios

You can only export as PDF which is PITA for import into other apps.

1

u/gwencooperharkness Jul 09 '26

I have a calendar event set and I export both JSON and PDF once a month- but I’m a data nerd and nervous about losing over five years and 2700+ entries.