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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Daylio Journal vs Day One

Daylio Journal 4.8★ · Free + IAP 80
Winner Daylio Journal
Day One 4.8★ · Free + IAP 70

Daylio Journal is better for simple mood and habit tracking with good free features, while Day One offers a more robust, multimedia journaling experience, but has recent issues with AI integration and pricing.

Full reviews: Daylio Journal · Day One

Daylio Journal excels in mood and habit tracking with high customizability and a generous free tier, making it ideal for mental health and self-monitoring. Day One provides a comprehensive journaling platform with strong multimedia support and syncing, but recent updates have introduced AI features and pricing changes that have frustrated long-term users.

Head to head

Features & Customization edge: Daylio JournalR1R5R8R29
Daylio Journal Daylio Journal is praised for its simplicity and extensive customization, allowing users to track moods, habits, activities, and even add photos and voice notes R5R8R29. Users appreciate the ability to tailor emotions and activities to their needs . However, some users wish for more features like sleep or menstruation tracking and some report issues with editing past entries R1.
Day One Day One is valued for its ability to capture daily activities, random thoughts, photos, videos, and audio recordings . Users like the search function for finding past entries and photos . However, recent updates have introduced AI features that many users dislike and cannot hide R61R67R78. Some users also report issues with photo resizing and a cluttered UI on iPad .
Ease of Use & Interface edge: Daylio JournalR8R29R38R42
Daylio Journal Daylio Journal is described as super simple, intuitive, and not overwhelming, especially for users with ADHD R8R38. Users appreciate the customizable interface, widgets, and the ability to be as detailed or simple as needed R29R42.
Day One Day One is generally considered easy to use with a good layout . However, some users find the interface unorganized and complicated, especially when trying to find specific entries or the calendar . The recent addition of AI features has also made the app feel cluttered and less simple for some R61.
Reliability & Performance tieR1R10R13R15
Daylio Journal Daylio Journal users report issues with bugs, crashing, and data loss. Specifically, some users experienced previous goal entries becoming uneditable R1, the app crashing during new entries R15, and critical data like voice recordings being deleted R10R13. There are also complaints about iCloud backup/sync issues R10 and lack of cross-device sync .
Day One Day One has faced significant reliability issues recently, particularly after the introduction of AI features. Users report glitches, slow syncing between devices, the app not opening, and crashing on iPads R66. Some users experienced laggy typing and issues with updates . However, some long-term users previously found it flawless R66.
Price & Value edge: Daylio JournalR7R8R19R20
Daylio Journal Daylio Journal offers a good free version with many features, including mood tracking, activity logging, and photo additions R8R20. However, many users feel that essential features like analytics and viewing past data are paywalled R19R33. There are strong complaints about the app being advertised as having 'in-app purchases' but requiring a paid subscription after five days R7 and issues with restoring lifetime subscriptions across platforms R21R25R35.
Day One Day One's pricing has become a major point of contention. Users complain about constant popups for premium features R61, features previously included in premium now being paywalled R76R84, and significant price increases R81R91. The AI features are considered too expensive R64, and some users feel trapped by the subscription model, unable to access their data if they stop paying . There are also reports of duplicate charges and difficulty getting refunds .
Support tieR22R25R63R66
Daylio Journal Daylio Journal users report poor customer support. Issues include developers ignoring multiple support requests R22 and stopping responses to inquiries about restoring lifetime subscriptions R25.
Day One Day One's customer service has declined. Users report non-existent support, with questions going unanswered for weeks R63R66. While some older reviews mention responsive customer service , recent experiences indicate a significant drop in support quality.
Pick Daylio Journal if

You need a simple, highly customizable mood and habit tracker with a good free tier for mental health and self-monitoring, and you prioritize ease of use over advanced journaling features.

Pick Day One if

You want a comprehensive journaling app with strong multimedia support (photos, videos, audio) and robust syncing across devices, and you are willing to pay for a premium subscription despite recent price increases and AI integration issues.

Evidence note: Day One's recent negative reviews are heavily skewed by dissatisfaction with new AI features and changes to its subscription model, which might not reflect the experience of users who are not affected by these specific changes or who are new to the app.

Frequently asked

Does Daylio Journal have a free version?
Yes, Daylio Journal offers a free version that allows users to enter moods, activities, add photos, and customize elements, with many users finding it sufficient for their needs R8R20. However, some advanced features like analytics and viewing historical data are locked behind a paywall R19R33.
Can I transfer my Daylio Journal subscription between Android and iOS?
No, users report that lifetime subscriptions purchased on Android (e.g., via Google Play) do not transfer to iOS, requiring a new subscription on the Apple platform R21R25R35.
Has Day One's pricing changed recently?
Yes, Day One has significantly increased its prices, with some users reporting annual subscriptions going from £32.99 to £49.99 or even $75 yearly R91, and features previously included in premium now being paywalled R76R84.
Does Day One use AI?
Yes, Day One has recently integrated AI features, including a 'Chat' function and AI-generated content, which are part of a new 'Gold' subscription tier R61R64R67R78. Many users are unhappy with this integration, finding it intrusive and difficult to disable R61R67.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Daylio Journal 2/5 · US Suddenly can’t edit previous goal entries: I’ve been using Daylio for years, but now can’t edit some previous goal entries. This has never happened before. Software snafu?
  2. [R5] Daylio Journal 5/5 · US Best app on my phone: This is the best app and well worth premium. I’ve had it since 2018. It keeps me on track with habits - I track EVERYTHING! From mood to food habits, working out, my cycle, and non habits like not doom scrolling and drinking less - you can track anything. And I love all the added features of journaling, adding pictures, and setting goals. Loveeeee it
  3. [R8] Daylio Journal 5/5 · US Perfect for my needs!: Super simple and customizable. I have adhd, so many apps can be too overwhelming to look at. The free version is perfect for all I need, and you can customize everything to make it your own. I recommend!
  4. [R29] Daylio Journal 5/5 · US As Simple - or as detailed as YOU NEED: Some days I just pick a happy face. Some days I have the energy for notes and details. Either way, the overall visual data it provides is so helpful. The widget you can put right on your iPhone Home Screen is awesome.
  5. [R38] Daylio Journal 5/5 · US So nice, so nice!: I can’t exactly remember how I found this app, but I’m so glad that I did. I honestly love everything about it, from the interface, the customization, to the app being overall fool-proof.
  6. [R42] Daylio Journal 5/5 · US Love this app: I love how much you can customize it, it’s easy to access and gives so many options to personalize.
  7. [R10] Daylio Journal 1/5 · US Pls Daylio Read this: I’ve been using Daylio for over 2 years and it contains some of the most important memories of my life. I trusted this app with very personal moments, including audio recordings, photos, and journal entries. Unfortunately, there are serious issues on iPhone that need improvement. When I receive a phone call while recording an audio entry, the recording gets interrupted or cu
  8. [R13] Daylio Journal 1/5 · US Delete all my voice recordings DO NOW DOWNLOAD: Daylio Randomly decided to delete all my voice recordings for the past 237 days . DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS APP. I have been a loyal user since 2022 and I regret it. Personally memory with my grandma are gone I suffer from memory loss and this was the app I used to remember things and now that’s gone. DO NOT DOWNLOAD
  9. [R15] Daylio Journal 3/5 · US Great for tracking but can be buggy and needs some pattern improvements: It’s a great app for tracking and customizable on multiple levels, which is fun! You can choose categories, colors, emojis, etc. but lately it’s been really buggy- it keeps crashing, especially when you start a new entry and go to select categories and moods. I like the idea of being able to track patterns (especially around
  10. [R7] Daylio Journal 1/5 · US Not "in-app purchases": I really wish app descriptions were required to be honest about their costs - this is NOT an app with "in-app purchases" available, it's an app that requires a PAID SUBSCRIPTION to use after five days.
  11. [R19] Daylio Journal 2/5 · US Locks your data: Just found out after 1 month of daily tracking, that I CANNOT SEE MY DATA. My own records are locked behind a paywall. I was enjoying the app and considering Premium, but really disappointed. I was using this data for MEDICAL TRACKING and foolishly trusted Daylio to hold onto it.
  12. [R20] Daylio Journal 4/5 · US Amazing app: I can record how I feel for the day, set myself goals, set important days and the free version is super good. I can’t add more than 1 goal though. Highly recommend!
  13. [R22] Daylio Journal 1/5 · US scam app: I paid for the premium version, but the restore purchase function does not work on my new device, and the developer has ignored multiple support requests. This makes the app feel very dishonest and untrustworthy.
  14. [R25] Daylio Journal 1/5 · US They stopped responding: I have reached out to customer service (via instagram) and they just stopped responding. I have purchased the lifetime membership a few years ago for $5.99. I recently changed phones and cannot restore my subscription for some reason. I provided them with proof of purchase, screenshots with my receipt and Apple ID matching, and I’ve let them know I’ve followed their instru
  15. [R63] Day One 3/5 · US Customer Service is Now Non-Existent: I asked a question about searching a particular entry over about 3.5 weeks ago and still no reply. As far as I can tell you can do a global search of every single journal and entry and it finds every instance, HOWEVER once that list populates, there’s no way of knowing which entry is the one you want and no way to search a particular date without reading the e
  16. [R66] Day One 3/5 · US Glitches since adding AI: I’ve subscribed to this app for several years. It has worked flawlessly up until recently when they added AI. Now my ipad app glitches out and won’t even show the entries I just added. Syncing between my ipad and iphone is very slow and has gotten progressively worse. Support used to respond right away, but I’ve been waiting for them to fix this issue for days without res
  17. [R33] Daylio Journal 1/5 · US Expensive Subscription Model: I like how if a review mentions the overpriced subscription model, the developer just responds with ‘um actually, you don’t have to pay’, completely ignoring the fact the majority of their app is, in fact, paywalled. You can make entries for free, and that’s it. Any kind of analytics or tracking is blocked, so if you’re trying to use this app to track and find patter
  18. [R21] Daylio Journal 3/5 · GB I’m not paying another subscription.: I’ve had Daylio for years, through google play I paid for a lifetime subscription for everything to be released. Now switching over to iPhone I’ve lost out. It’s my same account, I thought it would be on the account not to my google play account 👎 so it’s not as good anymore. I can’t follow all my moods and triggers now.
  19. [R35] Daylio Journal 1/5 · GB Total sham: I paid for a lifetime subscription when using android and used for years - recently changed to Apple and this is the only app that doesn’t carry over the subscription. I have several subscriptions that transferred without any issue. Really disappointed in this app and the developers for such a short sighted approach and not considerations for customers changing platforms.
  20. [R76] Day One 1/5 · US Why charge a lot more for what was included in premium?: I really liked Day One. I’ve had it for over five years. They recently included some Ai features that were included in my premium service. You could generate AI IMAGES from your entries, get prompts, and some great summaries for your entries., I had really been enjoying this new addition to DayOne. UNTIL TONIGHT, when those features were su
  21. [R81] Day One 3/5 · US Nice while it lasted: I really enjoyed this app. Then they more than doubled the price. I just renewed in January and now they suddenly added AI features and increased the price starting in April. Just canceled my subscription. I know you can get a lower tier without AI, but it is still a 50% increase. Finding something else. And for the record, I’m not anti AI. I tried the AI features and was not
  22. [R84] Day One 3/5 · US Paywalling Features That used to be Included: I’ve been using DayOne for 12 years. If you want to change your pricing structure, add new features, new subscription tiers, fine. Go ahead. But this latest change removes features, in an attempt to get me to pay them more money. Before the update, I could create entries with up to 10 photos, now, after selecting three photos, it insists I pay. Overal
  23. [R91] Day One 1/5 · US used to love this app but its wayyyy to expensive now? and not even any options to do pay monthly: i paid $10 or so for the old version of this app. each year the price is more and more expensive. $10/lifetime, then $4/per month, then $8, then $12, now the only option is $75 yearly?! sad to have to find an alternative
  24. [R61] Day One 1/5 · US Used to be good, now AI slop + in your face premium features: If you don't mind constant popups begging you to pay them money to have the basic human right to change your color scheme, and don't mind how for some reason they too, are shoving AI features in your face you can just barely turn off, Then this app is great. But for anyone else, it's grown to be unusable. And with the way the modern int
  25. [R64] Day One 2/5 · US AI Too expensive: Your AI feature is nice, but it’s way too expensive! Other journals offer similar features for much less, or there are other options that can generate the same results without the high price. After many years of unwavering loyalty as a premium customer, I’m now feeling trapped and slided by your pricing strategy. While it is incredibly challenging to export my entries to anoth
  26. [R67] Day One 1/5 · US AI Slop: I pay for a Silver subscription. I don’t care about AI and I don’t want to be constantly pestered to ‘upgrade’ to the Gold plan. This app is now garbage. You’ve ruined it. I have unsubscribed. Good riddance. In response to the developer: it’s too late. You’ve lost a paying customer for life. Stupid decisions have consequences.
  27. [R78] Day One 3/5 · US Liked this app for a long time… do not like AI addition.: I’ve been using Day One for years. It’s a great app. Useful features, elegantly designed, pleasant to use. 5 stars! No complaints until now. New optional Gold tier now includes “Chat” feature which uses AI. I’m sure the Day One devs have considered this decision to add AI carefully, but I disagree with their decision. There is importa

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store