Best Day One Journal Apps

222+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.7 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated June 2026

Day One is the household name in day one journal, but it's far from the only option. We track 222+ alternatives and competitors on iOS — many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Top Picks for Day One Journal

Day One: Daily Journal & Diary#1

Day One: Daily Journal & Diary by Bloom Built Inc

Private Gratitude Journaling
Editor's Choice
💪 Health & Fitness
4.8😊(117K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
#68in Health & Fitness
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 1
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 2
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 3
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 4
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 5

Record your life with a private digital journal. Securely save text, photos, audio, and video. Features include reminders, prompts, and automatic data import to help you stay consistent and reminisce.

What We Love

  • 💻 Excellent journaling app
  • 🗓️ Ability to create multiple journals
  • 🎨 Customizable journal templates
  • 🔍 Powerful search and filtering

Room to Improve

  • 🔒 Subscription model for premium features
  • 🗓️ Issues with syncing and data loss
  • 🖌️ Limited customization options
Journey - Diary, Journal#2

Journey - Diary, Journal by Two App Studio Pte. Ltd.

Daily Motivation & Journal
Strong Contender
🌟 Lifestyle
4.6😊(5K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Journey - Diary, Journal screenshot 1
Journey - Diary, Journal screenshot 2
Journey - Diary, Journal screenshot 3
Journey - Diary, Journal screenshot 4
Journey - Diary, Journal screenshot 5
Journey - Diary, Journal screenshot 6

This app helps you capture memories, express yourself through writing, and track your emotions. It offers tools for creating rich journal entries, collaborative journaling, and secure storage. Enhance your experience with templates, plugins, and reminders for a more mindful and organized life.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 📚 Great journaling features
  • 🌍 Cross-platform sync
  • 💾 Reliable backup and export options

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔍 Limited search and organization options
Diary With Password#3

Diary With Password by 帆 杨

No Ads Journal Diary Notebook
Worth Considering
📊 Productivity
4.7😊(26K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Diary With Password screenshot 1
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Diary With Password screenshot 6

This app provides a private digital space to record daily thoughts, emotions, and life events. It offers robust security features like password and biometric locks, alongside tools for organizing, searching, and exporting your entries. Enjoy a customizable and ad-free journaling experience.

What We Love

  • 💻 Simple and easy to use
  • 🔒 Password protection
  • 📝 Customizable fonts and layout
  • ⏱️ Time stamp feature

Room to Improve

  • 🔍 Difficulty finding/accessing past entries
  • 🖼️ No image/media support
  • 🔄 Lack of syncing across devices

More Day One Journal apps to explore

4
My Diary - Journal with Lock
My Diary - Journal with Lock
My Diary - Journal with Lock
Journaling Diary with password
Free

This app offers a secure and personalized digital journal for recording daily thoughts, memories, and emotions. Enhance entries with photos, themes, and mood tracking. It's designed to support mental well-being by providing a private space for self-reflection and emotional processing.

Password-protected diaryAdd photos and drawingsCustomizable themes and backgrounds
🌟 Lifestyle
(28K)
free with in-app purchases
5
stoic. journal & mental health
stoic. journal & mental health
stoic. journal & mental health
AI Self Care & Daily Gratitude
Free

This app guides users through daily preparation and reflection to improve mental well-being. It offers journaling prompts, habit tracking, mood monitoring, and various mental health tools like meditation and breathing exercises. Users can also journal via voice notes or pictures.

Morning preparation & evening reflectionGuided journaling with promptsMood and habit tracking
💪 Health & Fitness
(35K)
freemium
6
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal
Affirmations and Vision Board
Free

This self-care app helps improve mental health with a private gratitude journal, positive affirmations, and vision boards. It offers daily motivation, prompts, and the ability to record voice entries and add photos to your journal.

Gratitude journal with photo and voice entryHundreds of positive affirmationsCreate multiple vision boards
💪 Health & Fitness
(45K)
free with in-app purchases
7
DailyBean - simplest journal
DailyBean - simplest journal
DailyBean - simplest journal
The simplest way to log a day
Free

This app provides a simple and enjoyable way to log daily experiences and moods. Customize your journal with themes and icons, and gain insights into your patterns with analysis reports. Easily integrate health data and special moments.

Record in secondsFully customizable icons and blocksDecorate with themes
🌟 Lifestyle
(70K)
free with in-app purchases
8
Planner & Journal - Zinnia
Planner & Journal - Zinnia
Planner & Journal - Zinnia
Notebook & Creative Diary
Free

This app offers a creative digital journaling and planning experience with a vast library of stickers, templates, and tools. It supports natural handwriting, doodling, and integrates with digital calendars for enhanced productivity and self-care tracking. New content and features are added monthly.

Customizable digital studioMonthly content additionsCalendar and habit trackers
🌟 Lifestyle
(54K)
free with in-app purchases
9
Diarly: Diary, Private Journal
Diarly: Diary, Private Journal
Diarly: Diary, Private Journal
Journal & Notes with Password
Free

This app helps you start and maintain a journaling habit with daily prompts, mood tracking, and the ability to add photos and other media. It also allows for creating topic-based notes and seamlessly integrates with other apps and services for a comprehensive personal record.

Daily prompts with enriched data (weather, location, health)Mood tracking and pattern analysisTopic-based note creation
💪 Health & Fitness
(1.4K)
freemium
10
1 Second Everyday: Video Diary
1 Second Everyday: Video Diary
1 Second Everyday: Video Diary
Create Your Life Movie
Free

Easily create a video diary by recording one second of your day. Relive your life's moments with custom-length compilations and smart fill features. Keep your memories private and accessible.

Smart Fill for easy day compilationRotate and fill video framesUnlimited video mashing
📷 Photo & Video
(47K)
free with in-app purchases
11
Simple Diary - Daily Journal
Simple Diary - Daily Journal
Simple Diary - Daily Journal
Journaling with lock, notebook
Free

This app provides a simple and convenient way to journal your thoughts and experiences. It allows you to add images, secure your entries with a passcode, and customize the app's appearance. Data backup and search functions ensure your memories are safe and easily accessible.

Insert images into entriesSecure passcode lock (Face ID/Touch ID)Customizable theme colors and app icon
🌟 Lifestyle
(906)
free with in-app purchases
12
Journal
Journal
Journal
Reflect on life’s moments
Free

Capture and reflect on life's moments with rich media like photos, videos, and audio. Intelligent suggestions and prompts help you start writing, while multiple journals and goal tracking support a consistent practice. Sync across devices for seamless access.

Journaling suggestions and promptsRich media attachments (photos, video, audio)Handwriting and sketching support
💪 Health & Fitness
(231K)
free
13
My Wonderful Days Journal
My Wonderful Days Journal
My Wonderful Days Journal
Private Daily Journal / Diary
Free

This app allows you to easily record your daily experiences and feelings. It supports adding photos, videos, and stickers to your entries, with features like passcode protection and text formatting for a personalized journaling experience.

Private daily journalingAdd photos and videosPasscode protection
🌟 Lifestyle
(7.3K)
free with in-app purchases
14
Reflectly - Journal & AI Diary
Reflectly - Journal & AI Diary
Reflectly - Journal & AI Diary
Mood Tracker & Daily Quotes
Free

This AI-powered journaling app helps you track your mood, process thoughts, and improve mental well-being. It offers personalized prompts and insights based on your entries to encourage self-care and mindfulness.

AI-powered journalingMood tracking and analysisPersonalized prompts and insights
💪 Health & Fitness
(82K)
free with in-app purchases
15
Olad - One Line A Day Journal
Olad - One Line A Day Journal
Olad - One Line A Day Journal
Daily journal, mood, health
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
16
Memos - Digital Journal Diary
Memos - Digital Journal Diary
Memos - Digital Journal Diary
Private Journal - Photo,Video
Free

Document your life, track goals, and monitor your mood with this versatile journaling app. Enhance well-being, creativity, and productivity through daily reflection. Secure your entries with password protection and sync across devices.

Add photos, videos, and audio recordingsTrack mood, goals, and activitiesCreate to-do lists and business plans
💪 Health & Fitness
(6.5K)
free with in-app purchases
17
5 Minute Journal・Daily Diary
5 Minute Journal・Daily Diary
5 Minute Journal・Daily Diary
Gratitude・Journal・Mood Tracker
Free

This app guides users through a daily gratitude journaling practice using principles of positive psychology. It helps cultivate a more positive outlook by focusing on what's good, with features like guided prompts, reminders, and secure entry protection. The app aims to improve overall well-being and mental health through consistent practice.

Guided journaling promptsDaily gratitude entriesMood tracking
💪 Health & Fitness
(17K)
free with in-app purchases
18
Notebook - Diary & Journal App
Notebook - Diary & Journal App
Notebook - Diary & Journal App
A diary that flips like a book
Free

This app offers a natural journaling experience by organizing daily notes on a single page, allowing you to flip through your entries like a physical book. It prioritizes simplicity, security with passcode locks, and seamless iCloud synchronization for easy access across devices.

Realistic page-turning effectOne page per day organizationiCloud sync and backup
📊 Productivity
(14K)
free with in-app purchases
19
Penzu
Penzu
Penzu
Secure Diary & Private Journal
Free

This app provides a secure and private space for journaling, note-taking, and storing personal thoughts. It offers robust security features like password and PIN locks, encryption, and cloud syncing across devices. Users can also add photos and tags to their entries, making it a comprehensive digital diary.

Unlimited journalingCloud sync for freePassword and PIN locks
📊 Productivity
(2.5K)
free with in-app purchases
20
My Nikki
My Nikki
My Nikki
Simple Diary / Journal App
Free

This app allows users to privately record daily events, thoughts, and photos in a simple, cute digital journal. It offers password protection for privacy and organizes entries into a visually appealing album format.

Daily event recordingPhoto insertion (up to 10 per day)Calendar and list display
🌟 Lifestyle
(30)
free with in-app purchases

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