Dear Moment vs Day One

By Zara Turner-Major, co-founder of Dear Moment. Prices and policies checked on 28 September 2026.

We make Dear Moment, so we're not neutral. Every fact about Day One links to Day One's own pages, and we say where Day One is better. If something is out of date, email hello@dearmoment.app and we'll fix it.

Side by side

Day One's prices are from the US, UK and Irish App Stores. The App Store also lists a monthly Silver plan ($8.99, £8.99, €9.99), but Day One's pricing guide says monthly plans aren't offered. Sources are listed at the end.

Where Dear Moment is better

You choose who sees each moment

Day One shares whole journals, not single entries. Everyone in a Shared Journal sees every entry in it, so each audience needs its own journal. Say your parents should see everything about the children, your close friends should see your trips, and both should see a birthday. You need a journal for each group, and you copy the birthday entry into both. Each new mix of people means another journal, and more copies of the same post to keep track of.

In Dear Moment, everything goes on one timeline. When you save a moment, you choose who sees it: your parents, your friends, both, or nobody else. Each person sees only the moments you shared with them. You post once, and there is nothing to copy.

Family don't need an account

Day One invitees need a free Day One account, and Shared Journals can't be shared to the web. With Dear Moment, each person gets a private link that opens in a browser, with no app to install and no password to remember. They can also get an email digest of new moments on the schedule you choose.

Built for family, and simpler

Day One is a full journaling app, with templates, tags, prompts, many journals and AI features. That's great if you journal every day. Dear Moment does less, on purpose: save a photo, video, note or voice note in seconds, choose who sees it, and you're done.

Voice notes on every plan

Dear Moment includes voice notes on every plan and transcribes them automatically. In Day One, recording audio needs Silver or Gold, and transcription works for recordings up to 10 minutes, on iPhone and iPad only.

Lower price, and data in the EU

Dear Moment's yearly plan costs $10 less than Day One Silver ($49.99), £10 less in the UK and €20 less in Ireland. Your memories are stored in the EU and never used to train AI.

Where Day One is better

• On This Day. Day One shows your entries from the same date in past years, on every plan. Dear Moment doesn't bring back past memories yet.
• More photos per entry. Silver and Gold allow 30 photos, videos or audio clips in one entry. Dear Moment allows 10.
• End-to-end encryption. Day One encrypts journals end to end. Dear Moment encrypts your data in transit and at rest, but isn't end-to-end encrypted.
• A free plan. Day One Basic is free, with one photo per entry. Dear Moment has a 14-day trial and no free plan after it.
• Printed books today. Day One prints books from $19.99, ordered on iPhone or iPad. Dear Moment's photo books are coming soon.
• More devices and self-serve export. Day One runs on Mac, Windows and the web as well as phones, and you can export to PDF or JSON yourself. Dear Moment exports everything when you ask.
• A long track record. Day One has been around for years and is run by Automattic. Dear Moment is new. See our team.

Which should you choose?

• Choose Dear Moment if you want one private family timeline, want to choose who sees each moment, and want grandparents and friends to follow along from a link or an email, with no account.
• Choose Day One if you mainly journal for yourself, want On This Day, end-to-end encryption or printed books today, or need more than 10 photos in an entry.

Leaving Facebook? See a private alternative to Facebook for family updates. Comparing family apps? See our comparison of Dear Moment, Tinybeans, FamilyAlbum and TinyNest.

Questions

Can I share a single Day One entry with just one person?

Not inside Day One. Day One shares whole journals: only entries in a Shared Journal are shared, and everyone in that journal sees them. You can copy an entry into a Shared Journal, or export it as a PDF or image. In Dear Moment you choose who sees each moment, and each person sees only what you share with them.

Does family need a Day One account to see a shared journal?

Yes. Day One says invitees need a free Day One account, and Shared Journals can't be shared to the web. With Dear Moment, each person gets a private link that opens in a browser, with no app or account.

Is Dear Moment cheaper than Day One?

Than Day One's paid plans, yes. Dear Moment costs $39.99, £39.99 or €39.99 a year. Day One Silver costs $49.99, £49.99 or €59.99 a year, and Gold $74.99, £69.99 or €79.99. Day One also has a free plan with one photo per entry; Dear Moment has a 14-day free trial and no free plan.

Does Dear Moment have On This Day like Day One?

Not yet. Day One's On This Day shows entries from the same date in past years, on every plan. Dear Moment does not bring back past memories yet.

Where does Day One store my journal?

Day One's privacy pages don't name a region. In a 2025 forum reply, Day One staff said it only has servers in the US. Day One is run by Automattic, a US company. Dear Moment stores data in the EU, in Frankfurt.

Sources

• Day One: pricing, pricing and features guide, Shared Journals, Shared Journal permissions, adding media, audio recording, On This Day, book printing, book printing guide, AI features, exporting entries, forum reply on server location, App Store (UK, Ireland)
• Dear Moment: pricing and FAQ, privacy policy, our team