
Day One
Day One Review. The most representative diary app! But what happens in the future to them…
This app is the most representative app among diary apps. Perhaps even now, it’s likely to have the highest recognition among similar apps. Personally, I’ve been wondering if this app doesn’t have something unique to it since there are so many other diary apps out there these days, but it’s still popular. However, the future seems uncertain… I’ll write it down little by little. It’s the ‘Day One‘ diary app.
Table of Contents
- Day One
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- Day One Review. The most representative diary app! But what happens in the future to them…
- Day One is originally an app well suited for people who used to keep diaries. The app is great for writing long posts.
- I got the impression that the design of Day One is much better on the iPad than on Android.
- Day One has a multitude of features essential for a diary app.
- I think that Day One’s price is on the expensive side.
- Apple’s ‘Journal’ app seems to have the most impact on the app.
- Day One Conclusion
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Day One is originally an app well suited for people who used to keep diaries. The app is great for writing long posts.
The app has a pretty excellent editor.
At first glance, Day One looks similar to an ordinary writing app. Of course, the editor is pretty good, so it’s not a sloppy writing app, and it has a lot of good writing formatting features. Nowadays, developers of diary apps often design them to promote concise writing. You can write only the questions you need to, or show how you’re feeling today using icons. However, Day One is an app that encourages writing diaries in a manner similar to composing long texts.
But if you just make it that way, you’re putting pressure on yourself to journal, right? Of course, the developers are aware of that aspect as well. And of course, there are templates to make journaling easier. There are a lot of templates, and they’re good. However, while the app is well translated, I wonder if the developers could have also translated the templates.
Of course, it’s not just about posting text; you can also upload photos and such, so you can use it almost like a personal blog or social media, uploading photos taken with your phone directly. Unlike other diary apps nowadays, which often cater to those who want to write brief entries or to those who haven’t previously kept a diary (thus emphasizing concise writing), Day One has garnered a strong impression of being a diary app for those who used to write diaries frequently.
So, by appropriately enhancing the editor performance, those who used to write diaries will naturally write longer entries, making it a good app for writing longer texts. Of course, it’s also great for simple journaling because of the template feature I mentioned earlier.
I got the impression that the design of Day One is much better on the iPad than on Android.
It’s a unique design anyway, so why not just make it the same for each platform…
I haven’t tried this app on all devices and platforms, I’ve only used it on the Galaxy Fold 4 and iPad Pro. Still, I got the impression that the overall design is much cleaner on the iPad compared to Android phones. Even on the iPad, there are many formatting features, but it’s unusual to place the button in the bottom right corner. I interpreted this as ‘not focusing too much on formatting’. Since the important thing is to just write the diary first, having a lot of formatting options might feel overwhelming, right? Well, of course, it could be my overinterpretation…
Besides the editor interface, the layout of things like the calendar and timeline is much cleaner on the iPad, perhaps because of the wider screen. On my fold, while something filling the screen is nice, it somehow feels less sophisticated and more distant from elegance. Personally, since the Fold can use two screens anyway, I think it would be neater to have a calendar or timeline on one side and an editor on the other side, like on the iPad. Actually, while it’s possible to create something like this, I think the optimization for the Fold is lacking.
However, I feel that touch doesn’t work well on the iPad in ‘Timeline’, ‘Media’, etc. It’s not a big bug, but it’s annoying. But every single one of these little things affects usability…
Day One has a multitude of features essential for a diary app.
As you use it, you’ll also get some sentimentality.
For diary apps, there are several essential features. First, there should be a timeline feature where you can occasionally view past entries you’ve written, as well as a calendar feature. It should evoke a feeling of recalling one’s memories, and as part of that, the diary app should provide very detailed information about the entries, including the location where the user wrote them and even details like the phase of the moon. It seems to be a very effective arrangement for recalling ‘those were the days’.
Also, since it’s important to write consistently, a daily statistics feature showing how many days in a row you’ve been writing can be very helpful. The daily statistics feature isn’t common in many writing apps, but once again, I thought it’s a really great app, to where it’s perfectly fine to use it as a writing app.
One difference that a diary app should have compared to a general writing app is the ’emotional’ aspect. First, of course, the design should please, and if it offers features like allowing the use of multiple journals and providing strong personalization options, we can consider it as addressing the emotional aspect to a certain extent. At first, I thought Day One lacked a bit in the emotional aspect, but uploading photos to the diary entries and having them displayed on the calendar added its own touch of sentimentality. The part responsible for this sentimentality is the ‘widget,’ which comes in various types and sizes. Also, great for decorating your phone…
I think that Day One’s price is on the expensive side.
If you consider that this app’s competitor is ‘offline diaries’ themselves… then?
Day One doesn’t offer a lifetime subscription option among its pricing plans. I find the annual subscription fee of around $40 to $45 is quite expensive. Since Day One is a diary app, it will naturally compete with other diary apps. However, the price of around $45 is among the highest in the diary app market. While there are several writing apps that are more expensive than Day One, there are hardly any among diary apps. If you’re not using multiple platforms, that the basic usage is not significantly hindered even with the free version can be comforting.
However considering that this app arguably gives the closest feel to a physical diary, it can be seen as an app that also competes with actual diaries and notebooks to some extent. Actual diaries nowadays range from around $5 for low-priced ones, to typically between $15 and $20, and if you buy premium ones like Moleskine, it can easily exceed $30. Thinking about it this way, it seems like there is more price competition than one might initially think. However, another variable has emerged… I’ll discuss this later.
Apple’s ‘Journal’ app seems to have the most impact on the app.
In fact, being the flagship diary app, it’s also the one with the least differentiation…
This app has its own popularity, and now that it’s been gained by Automattic, the company behind WordPress, it seems financially stable. However, it’s facing its biggest crisis yet with Apple’s ‘Journal’ app set to debut in iOS 17 soon… It’s highly likely to become a sacrificial lamb of sorts in the face of the new ‘Sherlocking’.
Until now, it has been the representative of diary apps, so even as other apps differentiate themselves by making writing lighter, it has still been the best app overall. However, given that this app also comes with a certain price tag, it’s uncertain how the app will continue to operate in the future. Of course, diaries involve cherishing old entries and occasionally revisiting them, accumulating memories. So, perhaps those who have been using the app may choose to stick with Day One instead of switching to Apple’s journal app.
However, Apple is a formidable competitor, and there have been more than a few apps that failed because of Apple… So, just being a classic in the diary app realm might not be enough, and some sort of reform or innovation might be necessary to ensure continued operation in the future.
Day One Conclusion
Good point
- The editor’s performance is excellent.
- Not only performance but also design and aesthetics are appropriately attended to.
Bad point
- The price is on the higher side compared to competitors.
- As a leading app in the diary category, it’s somewhat less differentiated.
- It seems to face the biggest impact from Apple’s ‘Journal’ app.