Is Coggle or Day One better?

Neither clearly leads. Coggle starts at Free and Day One at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Coggle or Day One?

Coggle starts at Free and Day One at Free.

Does Coggle or Day One run on more platforms?

Coggle runs on Web. Day One runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Web.

Can I use Coggle for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Coggle best used for?

Coggle is most often used for real-time team collaboration on diagrams, mind mapping and visual brainstorming, process documentation and flowcharts, project planning visualization. Of those, real-time team collaboration on diagrams and mind mapping and visual brainstorming are not what Day One is typically brought in for.

What can Coggle do that Day One cannot?

Day One covers Multiple journals, Rich entries, End-to-end encryption, On This Day.

Productivity · head to head

Coggle vs Day One

Coggle

Productivity

Simple, Fast, and Powerful Mind Maps. Just Coggle it!

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Day One

Productivity

Journalling app for iOS, Android and Mac now sold as a subscription after years as a one-time purchase

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Coggle free plan limited to 3 private diagrams; upgrade required for more private diagrams; Day One it moved from a one-time purchase to a subscription after the Automattic acquisition, so long-term cost is materially higher than the original pricing implied.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Coggle and Day One actually diverge.

Attributes where Coggle and Day One differ
Attribute	Coggle	Day One
Pricing model	freemium	Free tier plus subscription
Platforms	Web	iOS, Android, macOS, Web

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Coggle

Nothing recorded that Day One does not also cover.

Only in Day One

Multiple journals
Rich entries
End-to-end encryption
On This Day
Cross-platform sync
PDF and Day One export

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Coggle

Real-time team collaboration on diagramsnot Day One
Mind mapping and visual brainstormingnot Day One
Process documentation and flowchartsnot Day One
Project planning visualizationnot Day One

Day One

Someone wanting a private daily journal with photos that syncs between phone and laptopnot Coggle
A person keeping a travel journal that auto-attaches location and weather to each entrynot Coggle
Someone who wants encrypted entries kept separate from an unencrypted general journalnot Coggle
A user who wants automated daily writing prompts and On This Day nostalgia reviewnot Coggle

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Coggle

Free plan limited to 3 private diagrams; upgrade required for more private diagrams
Organisation plan requires per-member billing with minimum 3-member commitment
Enterprise pricing requires email inquiry with no published rates

Day One

It moved from a one-time purchase to a subscription after the Automattic acquisition, so long-term cost is materially higher than the original pricing implied.
The free tier caps at one journal and 25 photo entries, which is restrictive enough that anyone journalling seriously for more than a few weeks needs to pay.
End-to-end encryption is opt-in per journal rather than on by default, so users have to actively choose it and understand which journals are protected.
Cancelling Premium after using multiple journals or heavy photo storage can leave content viewable but with sync and some features disabled, so people should export before cancelling.
As an Automattic product, its roadmap sits behind a company whose primary focus is WordPress and Tumblr, not journalling specifically.

Pricing, plan by plan

Coggle

Free

Free ForeverFree
- 3 private diagrams
- Unlimited public diagrams
- Real-time collaboration
Awesome$5/month
- Unlimited private diagrams
- Advanced formatting options
- Full chat history
Organisation$8/month
- SAML Single Sign On
- Separate personal workspace
- Consolidated billing

Day One

Free

FreeFree
- One journal
- Up to 25 photo entries
- Basic sync
Day One Premium$3.99/month
- Unlimited journals and photos
- End-to-end encryption
- On This Day and audio transcription
Day One Premium Annual$34.99/year
- Same as monthly Premium at a lower effective rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Coggle if

You want to start without paying.

Coggle review

Choose Day One if

You need multiple journals.
You want to start without paying.
You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Web.
You also want rich entries.

Day One review

Questions people ask

Is Coggle or Day One better?: Neither clearly leads. Coggle starts at Free and Day One at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Coggle or Day One?: Coggle starts at Free and Day One at Free.
Does Coggle or Day One run on more platforms?: Coggle runs on Web. Day One runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Web.
Can I use Coggle for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Coggle best used for?: Coggle is most often used for real-time team collaboration on diagrams, mind mapping and visual brainstorming, process documentation and flowcharts, project planning visualization. Of those, real-time team collaboration on diagrams and mind mapping and visual brainstorming are not what Day One is typically brought in for.
What can Coggle do that Day One cannot?: Day One covers Multiple journals, Rich entries, End-to-end encryption, On This Day.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Coggle: How much does Coggle cost?

Coggle offers a free plan forever for up to 3 private diagrams and unlimited public diagrams. Awesome plan costs $5/month for unlimited private diagrams. Organisation plan costs $8 per member per month with team administration features and SAML SSO.

Source

Day One: Is Day One still a one-time purchase?

No. Since the 2021 Automattic acquisition it is sold as Day One Premium, a subscription. Older lifetime purchasers were grandfathered but new users pay a subscription.

Coggle: Is there a free version of Coggle?

Yes, Coggle Free Forever is available at no cost and includes 3 private diagrams, unlimited public diagrams, real-time collaboration, and PDF/image export capabilities.

Source

Day One: Is encryption on by default?

No, end-to-end encryption is an option users turn on per journal, not a default for all entries.

Coggle: What does Coggle charge for enterprise plans?

Enterprise pricing is custom and requires contacting [email protected]. No published rates are available on the pricing page.

Source

Day One: Can I export my entries if I cancel?

Yes, PDF and native Day One export formats are available regardless of subscription status, though some sync and premium features stop working.

Coggle: Can multiple team members use one Coggle account?

All plans include real-time collaboration. The Organisation plan ($8/member/month) adds SAML SSO, separate workspaces, and consolidated billing for team administration.

Source

Coggle vs Day One

Coggle

Day One

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Coggle

Only in Day One

What people use each for

Coggle

Day One

Where each one falls short

Coggle

Day One

Pricing, plan by plan

Coggle

Day One

Which should you pick?

Choose Coggle if

Choose Day One if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Coggle

More on Day One

Keep looking

Other head to heads