The Apple App Store is filled with dozens of diary apps to let you jot down thoughts at the end of the day. Among them, Day One and Momento are two of the best apps and are highly regarded. In this post, we are going to compare Day One and Momento based on various factors, including UI, features, theme, security, cross-platform availability, price, and more. Let’s get started.
Cross-Platform Availability
Day One is available on all the Apple hardware, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even Apple Watch. Meanwhile, Momento is iOS exclusive only. Download Momento for iOS Download Day One for iOS
User Interface
Both apps provide the classic iOS bottom bar menu with major functions. In terms of overall fluidity, I found Day One to be better than Momento. Day One use the classic hamburger menu and Blue/White theme to get started. Apart from the search menu, I like how all the functions are within reach. The app smartly uses haptic feedback throughout the UI. In terms of customization, one can change the app icon, apply dark theme, change font style, and size from the Settings menu. Momento uses the light brown theme to give you a feel of a real diary. The app also supports various themes like Red, Green, Gold, Blue, Black, etc. from the Settings. The Settings, Calendar, and Search menu are at the top, which is quite hard to reach.
Adding a New Entry
This is the most important part of any diary app. On Day One, either tap on the options from home or select the ‘+’ button. You can either use templates (will talk about them later), or create an entry with audio, photo, add a draw, text, or scan a document. The entry attaches the current location, time, weather, altitude, and creation device, by default. I like how it adds the little details before the user starts writing. You can change the font color, add bullet points, numbers, checkbox, integrate comment, and even add code to an entry. The attach option at the bottom lets you add a photo, video, entry info, and more. Hit the Done button whenever you finish writing, and the entry will be displayed on the home. Momento isn’t as smart as Day One. It requires manual input to add location. There is no way to integrate weather information. One can add people, tags, and photos to the note. I like how Momento breaks down the added entries in a chain of events. It doesn’t go with the usual list way. The app groups the entries by the day and showcase them in ascending order.
Entries Organization and Search
Day One makes it easy to find the note you are looking for. You can either use the search function or go to the filter menu to search the note via photo, video, audio, or PDF. It also showcases all the uploaded files in a single menu. Day One has integrated the Maps function in the app. You can tap on it and see the created notes via location on the map. You can just tap on the location pin to view the notes. The calendar add-on helps you view the entries by the day. Momento is straightforward. From the home screen, you can tap on the calendar icon above, and it will let you select the notes by the day. One can also customize the home screen by day, month, or year. Both the apps have done a commendable job with entries organization, and you won’t have a hard time finding a note.
Additional Features
Day One and Momento are filled with a plethora of functions to enhance the overall experience. Day One lets you create multiple journals for health, parenting, travel, self-care, and more. With social media integration, it allows you to import entries from Instagram, Fitbit, Foursquare, with the help from IFTTT. Day One counts every minute spend in the app as mindful minute and helps you export that data to the Apple Health app. It also supports Siri Shortcuts to create entries via Siri. The app offers built-in templates to end the day with a summary, plan, ideas, and more. Momento’s Events function is the must-have for everyone. You can create an event such as ‘Italy Travel,’ add start and end date and jot down your traveling experience in it. The social feed tab is better implemented. However, the IFTTT integration would have been awesome. One can directly import events, Check-ins, Saved Music, Stories, and Reading History from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify, Goodreads, Web Feed, and more. Just head to Feed menu and connect the social account to Momento.
Price
Day One and Momento follow the freemium model here. Day One offers basic features for free, but the IFTTT integration, Templates, cross-platform sync, and several customization options come under the $40 per year subscription. Momento is priced at $20 per year, and unlocks functions like theming engine, Face ID support, unlimited feeds, and more.
Start Pinning Down Your Thoughts
As you can see from the comparison above, Day One and Momento are capable diary apps. With Day One, you get better UI, more features, and better customization options. Momento edges out Day One with superior Notes organization and social integration. Next up: Looking for Journaling apps for Windows 10 platforms? Read the post below to find the five best Diary apps for the Windows PC.
