Does Day One have AI?
Yes, on the Gold plan. Day One has been the reference point for digital journaling since 2011: photos, locations, multiple journals and end-to-end encryption. In 2026 it added AI features, and they belong to Gold only. Basic and Silver have none.
Gold adds: Daily Chat (a guided AI conversation that becomes an entry), reflective AI summaries and prompts, Go Deeper prompts, entry summaries, title suggestions, image generation, Apple Intelligence features.
Plans and prices read from Day One's plans page on 25 September 2026. No monthly price is published on the plans page. A free trial of a paid plan is offered inside the app.
Day One's plans
| Plan | Price | What it includes | AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 per year | Unlimited entries and journals, 1 photo per entry, end-to-end encryption, daily prompts, templates, search, On This Day, streaks. One device. | None |
| Silver | $49.99 per year | Everything in Basic, up to 30 photos and videos per entry, audio recording and transcription, unlimited devices, integrations, PDF scanning. | None |
| Gold | $74.99 per year | Everything in Silver. | Daily Chat (a guided AI conversation that becomes an entry), reflective AI summaries and prompts, Go Deeper prompts, entry summaries, title suggestions, image generation, Apple Intelligence features. |
Day One and Dayora side by side
| Feature | Dayora | Day One |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Being answered: every entry gets a written reply | Keeping a rich record of your life |
| AI | In the free core: a reply to each entry (GPT-5.6 Terra insights, daily summaries), follow-up questions, Reflect chat | Gold only ($74.99 per year): Daily Chat, summaries, Go Deeper prompts |
| Free plan | Free core with AI, no credit card | Basic: unlimited entries, one device, no AI |
| Voice | Speak an entry and it is transcribed | Audio recording and transcription (Silver and Gold) |
| Photos and media | Photos and videos on entries | Up to 30 per entry on paid plans, 1 on Basic |
| Where it runs | In any browser, and it can be added to your home screen; an iPhone app is in testing | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and web |
| Encryption | HTTPS connections; not end-to-end, the AI reads an entry to reply | End-to-end, on every plan |
| Cost of the AI | Free (optional $9/mo Plus adds extras) | $74.99 per year |
Where Day One is the better choice
- •End-to-end encryption on every plan. Even Day One cannot read your entries. Dayora's AI needs to read an entry to answer it.
- •A rich record. Many photos and videos per entry, location, weather, multiple journals, printed books.
- •Native apps everywhere, including Android and Mac.
- •Fifteen years of polish. It has been refined since 2011, and it shows.
Where Dayora is different
Every entry is answered, for free
Day One's AI is something you open on Gold. In Dayora, the reply is the point: write or speak an entry and a reply arrives that fits what you wrote, with a follow-up question when one helps. That is in the free core.
It remembers across entries
Reflect chat and the replies draw on what you have written before, so you do not re-explain your life each time, and patterns in mood and in the people who come up are shown back to you over time.
A free core, not a free trial
Writing, AI replies, voice, mood tracking, Reflect chat and data export are free with no credit card. An optional Dayora Plus membership ($9 a month) adds voice calls, a daily synthesis email and Deep Self Reports. Nothing you already use moves behind it.
The honest verdict
Choose Day One if you want a beautiful, end-to-end encrypted record of your life, with lots of photos and native apps on every platform, and you are happy to pay $74.99 per year if you want its AI.
Choose Dayora if what you want from a journal is to be answered: a reply to every entry, questions that help you go further, and a journal that remembers, without paying for it.
Some people use both: Day One for the photo record, Dayora for thinking things through.
Coming from a phone's built-in journal instead? See the Apple Journal alternatives for Android and Windows and the Pixel Journal alternatives for iPhone and PC.
Frequently asked questions
Does Day One have AI features?
Yes. Since 2026, Day One's Gold plan ($74.99 per year) includes Daily Chat, a guided AI conversation that becomes a journal entry, plus reflective AI summaries and prompts, Go Deeper prompts, entry summaries, title suggestions and image generation. The free Basic plan and the Silver plan ($49.99 per year) have no AI features. Checked on Day One's plans page on 25 September 2026.
How much is Day One Gold?
Day One's plans page lists Gold at $74.99 per year and Silver at $49.99 per year, with a free Basic plan. It does not list a monthly price. Checked on 25 September 2026.
Is there a free alternative to Day One with AI?
Dayora's core is free and includes the AI: every entry gets a written reply, and you also get follow-up questions, Reflect chat, voice journaling, mood tracking and data export, with no credit card. An optional Dayora Plus membership adds voice calls, a daily synthesis email and Deep Self Reports, but nothing in the free core moves behind it.
Which is more private, Day One or Dayora?
Day One offers end-to-end encryption on every plan, including the free one, so Day One cannot read your entries. Dayora is not end-to-end encrypted: its AI has to read an entry to reply to it. Your writing is never sold. If end-to-end encryption matters most to you, Day One is the stronger choice.