Day One vs MoodHaven Journal

Day One is a journaling app for creating and organizing entries across iPhone, Android, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Windows, browsers, and browser extensions. Entries can contain text, photos, video, audio, drawings, and documents. Daily prompts, templates, reminders, and streaks support regular writing, while search and filters help organize entries. Shared Journals let families, friends, or small groups keep journals together. Security options include passcodes, biometric protection, end-to-end encryption, and automatic backups; offline access is also available. Basic is free, works on one device, and allows one photo per entry. Silver costs $49.99 a year and permits up to 30 media attachments per entry, with unlimited devices and integrations including Strava, Zapier, and IFTTT. Gold costs $74.99 a year and includes advanced reflection and AI features. A one-month trial is available in the app subject to App Store eligibility; cancel before a paid trial ends to avoid a charge. Billing changes must be made on the platform where the subscription began. Data can be exported anytime; PDF and CSV/JSON exports are available on paid plans.

MoodHaven Journal is a free, open-source journaling app with guided prompts and end-to-end encryption. It runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web; its browser PWA needs no installation or account. Native desktop apps are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and Wear OS supports voice captures and memos. Entries use AES-256-GCM encryption with PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 and 600,000 iterations. Keys are derived in memory and cleared when the app is locked, and passwords are not stored or transmitted. The app requires no account or email, and data is not uploaded or shared unless the user exports it. Devices can sync over a local network using encrypted transport without a cloud relay. Entries can be exported as encrypted .moodhaven backups or plaintext files. Wear OS voice memos are transcribed locally with Whisper.cpp. AI analyzes metadata such as mood scores and patterns; journal text stays on the device. The app includes 15 predefined activities and supports up to 50 custom activities.