What is the best alternative to Day One on Mac?

Bear is our top pick. It shares Writing & notes with Day One and has 178 upvotes from the community. Craft and Endel are close behind.

What is the best free alternative to Day One on Mac?

Pages is the best-ranked free alternative to Day One. 6 of the alternatives listed here are completely free.

Is there an open-source alternative to Day One?

Yes. 4 alternatives are open source, including MarkEdit, Logseq and Joplin.

How many alternatives to Day One are there for Mac?

Mac App Index lists 24 apps that share a category with Day One: 6 completely free, 11 free to start and 4 open source.

Best Day One alternatives for Mac

Day One is a free-to-start app in Lifestyle and Writing & notes. We found 24 Mac apps that cover the same ground. Of those, 6 are completely free, 11 are free to start and 4 are open source. Bear leads on overlap and community votes, followed by Craft and Endel.

The app you want to replace

Day One

Private journal with photos and places

Free + in-app · Lifestyle and Writing & notes

View Day One

24 alternatives to Day One

How we picked: every app here shares at least one category with Day One. Apps that also share features rank higher, and community upvotes break ties. Price and licence never buy a better spot. How we rank apps

1
Bear
Markdown notes that feel effortless
178Free + in-appWriting & notes
- Also in Writing & notes
2
Featured
Craft
Docs and notes with beautiful structure
163Free + in-appProductivity
- Also in Writing & notes
3
Endel
Adaptive soundscapes for focus and sleep
118SubscriptionFocus
- Also in Lifestyle
4
Pages
Apple's word processor
103FreeWriting & notes
- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
5
Typora
Markdown editor with live preview
103$14.99Writing & notes
- Also in Writing & notes
- One-time purchase
6
Copilot Money
Budget and track your spending
99SubscriptionLifestyle
- Also in Lifestyle
7
Paprika Recipe Manager 3
Recipe manager and meal planner
89$29.99Lifestyle
- Also in Lifestyle
- One-time purchase
8
Crouton
Recipe keeper for home cooks
79Free + in-appLifestyle
- Also in Lifestyle
9
MarkEdit
Lightweight Markdown editor
78FreeWriting & notes
- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
- Open source
10
Ulysses
Distraction-free writing, synced
66SubscriptionWriting & notes
- Also in Writing & notes
11
Mela
Recipes, cleanly organized
57Free + in-appLifestyle
- Also in Lifestyle
12
Logseq
Outliner for linked notes
54FreeProductivity
- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
- Open source
13
NotePlan
Markdown notes, tasks and calendar together
49SubscriptionProductivity
- Also in Writing & notes
14
Noizio
Ambient sounds for focus and calm
47$9.99Focus
- Also in Lifestyle
- One-time purchase
15
Agenda
Date-focused notes
42Free + in-appProductivity
- Also in Writing & notes
16
Tot
Seven tiny notes, always at hand
41FreeMenu bar
- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
17
Drafts
Capture text first, decide later
38Free + in-appProductivity
- Also in Writing & notes
18
Notion
Docs, wikis and projects in one workspace
35Free + in-appProductivity
- Also in Writing & notes
19
BBEdit
Professional text and code editor
25Free + in-appDeveloper tools
- Also in Writing & notes
20
Obsidian
Markdown notes stored on your own disk
23Free + in-appProductivity
- Also in Writing & notes
21
Flighty
Live flight tracking
19Free + in-appLifestyle
- Also in Lifestyle
22
Night Sky
Identify stars, planets and satellites
19Free + in-appLifestyle
- Also in Lifestyle
23
Joplin
Open-source notes with encrypted sync
16FreeWriting & notes
- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
- Open source
24
CotEditor
Plain-text editor built for macOS
14FreeDeveloper tools
- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
- Open source

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Day One on Mac?: Bear is our top pick. It shares Writing & notes with Day One and has 178 upvotes from the community. Craft and Endel are close behind.
What is the best free alternative to Day One on Mac?: Pages is the best-ranked free alternative to Day One. 6 of the alternatives listed here are completely free.
Is there an open-source alternative to Day One?: Yes. 4 alternatives are open source, including MarkEdit, Logseq and Joplin.
How many alternatives to Day One are there for Mac?: Mac App Index lists 24 apps that share a category with Day One: 6 completely free, 11 free to start and 4 open source.