vs
D1

Lound vs Day One

Built for people who think by talking.

Day One is the established gold standard for digital journaling with rich media support. Lound is a newer app focused on voice-first journaling with AI analysis. Different tools for different needs.

D1

Day One

Award-winning life journal with 150K+ five-star reviews. Apple Design Award winner. Rich media support (photos, videos, audio, drawings), "On This Day" memories, book printing, and cross-platform sync. Part of Automattic. The #1 journaling app.

Rich media + text journaling
Free basic / $4.17/mo Premium
iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web, Apple Watch

Lound

Built for people who think by talking. An ultra-smart friend that remembers your world, knows psychology, and actually listens. Focused on processing, not documenting.

Voice-first with AI analysis
$99.99/yr or $39.99/quarter
iOS only

Different Purposes

Day One is a comprehensive life archive. Lound is focused on voice-based emotional processing.

D1

Day One

Rich media support

Unlimited photos, videos, audio recordings, drawings

"On This Day" memories

Resurface entries from the same date in previous years

Print books

Turn your journal into high-quality printed books

Location & metadata

Map view, weather, step count, auto-tagging

Also includes:

  • End-to-end encryption
  • Multiple journals within the app
  • Templates for structured entries
  • Voice-to-text transcription
  • IFTTT integrations (Spotify, Strava, etc.)
  • Email entries to your journal
  • Browser extensions (Safari, Chrome)
  • Apple Watch app
  • Markdown formatting
  • Streaks and reminders

Lound

Think out loud

No blank page. Just speak and see your words appear.

Remembers your world

People, events, situations you mention stay in memory.

Follows up when it matters

Asks how your interview went. Checks in after hard conversations.

Patterns emerge

See your emotional patterns over time without manual tracking.

Also includes:

  • Ultra-smart friend who knows psychology and asks the right questions
  • Chat that remembers everything you've shared
  • Search by meaning, not just keywords
  • Home feed that surfaces what matters right now
  • Weekly summaries

Feature Comparison

Feature
D1
Day One
Lound
Primary purposeLife archive/diaryVoice-first processing
Photo support
Video support
Voice recording
Live transcription
AI analysis of entries
Follows up when it matters
"On This Day" memories
Print books from entries
Map view
Templates
Psychology-informed responsesBuilt into every conversation
IFTTT integrations
Chat with journal
Emotional calendar
End-to-end encryption
PlatformsiOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web, WatchiOS
App Store rating4.8 (166K ratings)New
Free tierTrial only
PricingFree basic / $49.99/yr Premium$99.99/yr or $39.99/quarter

Which Might Work Better For You?

D1

Day One might be better if...

  • You want a life archive with photos, videos, and memories
  • You enjoy looking back at "On This Day" from previous years
  • You want to print your journal as a physical book
  • You need cross-platform support (Mac, Windows, Web, etc.)
  • You prefer a proven, established app with a large community
  • You want to auto-import from Spotify, Strava, etc.

Lound might be better if...

  • You process thoughts better by talking than typing
  • You want AI to analyze your entries and find patterns
  • You want your journal to remember context and follow up
  • You want to see emotional patterns visualized
  • You have ADHD or racing thoughts
  • You care more about processing than archiving

The Bottom Line

Day One is the industry leader for traditional journaling. A beautiful life archive with photos, videos, and locations. AI features exist but are supplementary.

Lound is for processing, not documenting. Like talking to an ultra-smart friend who knows psychology, remembers your world, and helps you understand yourself. No photos. Just talking and understanding.

Complementary tools. Day One for documenting your life. Lound for processing what's happening in it.

Try Lound

See if voice-first journaling with AI works for you.