Otay vs Day One Shared Journals
Last checked: October 21, 2026, against each app’s own website and App Store listing.
Day One is one of the most established journal apps, and Shared Journals turn it into a journal you keep with other people. It is better for writing and for privacy. Otay is narrower: a photo journal for exactly two, filled by one small quest a day.
In their words: Day One is a journaling app; its Shared Journals let you invite others to view, comment on or add entries to a journal. Otay: Otay is a private photo journal app for two people, on iPhone. Every day both of you get the same small photo quest and answer it with a back-camera photo and a selfie, a caption and a place, and your two answers sit side by side in a shared journal only the two of you can see, with a photo calendar, a map, throwbacks, a kind streak map, a wardrobe for your two little characters and Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets.
We make Otay. We have tried to be fair, and every fact about Day One Shared Journals below comes from the sources listed at the end. If something is out of date, tell us at hi@otay.app and we will fix it.
At a glance
| Feature | Otay | Day One Shared Journals |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | A daily photo quest for two, kept as a shared journal | A full journal app; a Shared Journal is one journal you keep with others |
| Who it is for | Exactly two people | Up to 30 members per Shared Journal, including the owner |
| Prompts | One shared photo quest a day for both of you | Daily Prompt and a Prompt Library |
| Entries | A back-camera photo and a selfie each, a caption and a place | Long writing, photos, video, audio and drawings (free members: one photo per entry) |
| Looking back | Journal, photo calendar, map and throwbacks | On This Day, Memories, search and filters |
| Platforms | iPhone, iOS 17 or later (the App Store also lists iPad). Not on Android yet. | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Apple Watch and web; Shared Journals on iOS, Android, Windows and web, limited on Mac |
| Free plan | Free, no time limit and no ads. You see your last 30 days of memories (at least your newest 15); older ones lock, never deleted. | Basic is free; its guide says any user can create a Shared Journal, and invitees join with a free account |
| One subscription for both? | Yes. When either partner subscribes to Otay Premium, both get it. | Not described as shared; each member has their own Day One account |
| Encryption | Encrypted in transit and at rest by its storage providers. Not end-to-end encrypted. | Shared Journals are end-to-end encrypted |
| Ads | None, on any plan. | None, ever, in journals |
| App Store rating (US) | Not enough ratings for the App Store to show an average yet. | 4.8 from about 119,000 ratings |
| Paid plans | Otay Premium, monthly or yearly. See /pricing. | Silver $49.99 a year, Gold $74.99 a year (Day One plans page) |
Day One Shared Journals is the better pick if
- You want end-to-end encryption.
- You like to write, not just snap a photo.
- You want to share with more than one person, like family or a group of friends.
- You need Android, Mac or a browser, or you also keep a personal journal.
Otay is the better pick if
- It is only the two of you, and you want something made for exactly that.
- You want a nudge each day, so the journal fills itself without a blank page.
- You want both of your photos of the same moment side by side, with a map and a calendar.
The short version
Day One Shared Journals is the stronger journal, with end-to-end encryption and every platform. Otay is lighter: a photo a day each, for two, with nothing to write unless you want to.
Sources
All checked on October 21, 2026.
- dayoneapp.com, Shared Journals: https://dayoneapp.com/shared-journals/
- dayoneapp.com, Shared Journals guide: https://dayoneapp.com/guides/shared-journals/shared-journals/
- dayoneapp.com, plans: https://dayoneapp.com/plans/
- Day One on the App Store (US): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/day-one-daily-journal-diary/id1044867788
- Otay on the App Store (US): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/couples-photo-journal-otay/id6769610508
- otay.app, Otay's privacy page: https://otay.app/privacy
- otay.app, Otay's pricing page: https://otay.app/pricing
Otay turns small moments into a shared journal, just for the two of you.
One small photo quest a day. You both answer, and your two halves hang side by side, in a journal with no feed, no algorithm and no ads. Free to download on the App Store.
Download Otay on the App Store
