Diarium is a respected one-developer journal that has been around since 2016 and is often named the best Day One alternative for people who want to avoid a subscription. Dayleaf also sells a one-time Pro, so the two are close on price philosophy. They differ in where they run and in how a journal is laid out.
At a glance
| Dayleaf | Diarium | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier with unlimited entries; Pro $19.99 once for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, or $9.99 a year after a 7-day trial | Free tier; Pro is a one-time purchase per platform: $14.99 on iPhone/iPad, $14.99 on Mac, $14.99 on Android, $19.99 on Windows |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows (no Apple Watch, no web) |
| Layout | Calendar first: entries, photos, stickers and goals live on month, week and day pages | Timeline of entries with a calendar; days can be coloured by rating or tag |
| Day One import | Free: entries, photos, videos and audio | Yes, plus Apple Journal, Journey, Daylio, Diarly, Daybook, Evernote and more |
Where Diarium is genuinely better
- Windows. Diarium has a polished Windows app (it won the Microsoft Store Awards 2024); Dayleaf has none.
- Connected feeds. It can add the day's calendar events, weather, Apple Health and Strava activity to an entry automatically.
- A map of your entries with photo clusters, and star ratings or tracker tags per day.
- More importers. Diarium imports from many journal apps; Dayleaf imports Day One only today.
Where Dayleaf is genuinely better
- One purchase for every Apple device. Dayleaf Pro is $19.99 once for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch; Diarium sells a license per platform.
- The calendar is the journal. Month and week pages fill up with your entries, photos, stickers and goals, like a paper planner.
- Apple Watch app. Start an entry or a voice note from your wrist.
- Photos inside the text, plus twenty themes, stickers and daily, weekly and monthly goals on the same pages.
Choose Diarium if…
you use Windows, want automatic feeds (calendar, health, weather) on every entry, or are coming from an app other than Day One.
Choose Dayleaf if…
you live on Apple devices or Android, think in days, weeks and months, and want one purchase that covers iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch.
FAQ
Is Dayleaf or Diarium cheaper?
Both avoid subscriptions. Dayleaf Pro is $19.99 once for every Apple device. Diarium Pro is $14.99 per platform ($14.99 iPhone/iPad, $14.99 Mac, $14.99 Android, $19.99 Windows), so iPhone plus Mac is $29.98.
Does Dayleaf run on Windows like Diarium?
No. Dayleaf runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Android. If you need Windows, Diarium is the better choice.
Can I move from Diarium to Dayleaf?
Not directly yet; Dayleaf imports Day One exports today and more importers are planned.
Prices and features change; we last checked the details above on October 26, 2026. Comparing more apps? See the best Day One alternatives in 2026, Dayleaf vs Day One, Dayleaf vs Apple Journal · Dayleaf vs Journey · Dayleaf vs Diarly · Dayleaf vs Daylio.
