Diarly
Free (single journal, unlimited entries); Diarly Premium via in-app subscription, 7-day free trial
Price checked at source September 18, 2026.
A minimal, markdown-friendly journaling app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, with password protection, end-to-end encryption, and an optional AI assistant.
Our take
The pick for writers who want a distraction-free, keyboard-first alternative to Day One — strong markdown support and a clean timeline view, with the free version already unlimited on entries and media in a single journal. Premium adds sync, encryption, unlimited journals, and optional AI tools rather than gating basic writing.
- Price
- Free (single journal, unlimited entries); Diarly Premium via in-app subscription, 7-day free trial
- License
- Proprietary
- Requires
- macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS
- Get it via
- Mac App Store
- Developer
- Krzysztof Nowak
Do you use Diarly?
Who made this
Site (opens in new tab) twitter (opens in new tab)
Are you Krzysztof Nowak? Claim this profile to add a photo, a bio, and links — or ask us to remove it.
What it does
Markdown editing
Write with markdown formatting, imported and exported cleanly for portability.
No vendor lock-in
Export entries to markdown files at any time, per the developer.
AI Assistant
Type "/ask" to query an in-app AI assistant (Premium feature).
On This Day and mood tracker
Surfaces past entries from the same date and tracks mood over time.
The deal
- Free: unlimited entries and media in one journal, password protection, offline access, markdown editing
- Premium (subscription): cross-device iCloud sync, encryption, unlimited journals, advanced themes/export, AI Assistant
- AI+ (optional add-on subscription): image-to-text conversion and audio transcription
- 7-day free trial on Premium
Privacy: End-to-end password encryption available; sync is via iCloud rather than a third-party account.
Diarly — questions people ask
Is Diarly free?
Yes — the free version has unlimited entries and media in one journal. Premium (subscription) adds sync, encryption, unlimited journals, and AI features.
Does Diarly support markdown?
Yes — markdown editing with rich preview, imported and exported without vendor lock-in.
Is Diarly free?
Diarly is free to use with optional paid unlocks.
Does Diarly work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Diarly lives in the dock, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Diarly?
Diarly is available via Mac App Store.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified September 18, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
Also in journaling
Day One
Free (Basic); Silver $49.99/yr; Gold $74.99/yrAn award-winning journaling app with end-to-end encryption, "On This Day" memory surfacing, and rich media entries across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and web.
Journey
Free tier available; Membership $4.17/mo billed annually, or a one-time Lifetime purchaseA cross-platform journal and diary app with photo/video entries, mood tracking, location tagging, and an optional AI chat over your own past entries.
Diarium
Free to use; Diarium Pro one-time purchase per platform (macOS Pro listed at $14.99)A private, no-account-required journal app with automatic context integrations — weather, calendar, photos, fitness data — and a one-time Pro purchase instead of a subscription.
Grid Diary
Free tier available; Membership $2.99/mo (3-day trial) or $22.99/yr (14-day trial)A prompt-based journaling app that replaces the blank page with a customizable grid of questions, for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.