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Productivity · head to head

Day One vs Samsung Food

Day One logo

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 reviewWebsite
Samsung Food logo

Samsung Food

Productivity

Recipe and grocery list app, formerly Whisk, rebranded after Samsung acquisition and integrated with Samsung appliances

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Samsung Food the appliance integration, its most distinctive feature, is only useful to someone who owns compatible Samsung kitchen hardware.
  • They diverge on capability: Day One covers Multiple journals, Samsung Food covers Recipe import.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Day One and Samsung Food actually diverge.

Attributes where Day One and Samsung Food differ
AttributeDay OneSamsung Food
Pricing modelFree tier plus subscriptionFree, no subscription
PlatformsiOS, Android, macOS, WebiOS, Android, 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 Day One

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

Only in Samsung Food

  • Recipe import
  • Automatic grocery list generation
  • AI meal suggestions
  • Samsung appliance integration
  • Nutrition information
  • Shared lists

What people use each for

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

Day One

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

Samsung Food

  • Someone who owns Samsung kitchen appliances and wants recipes to send settings directly to the ovennot Day One
  • A household wanting a shared grocery list that builds itself from saved recipesnot Day One
  • A home cook who saves recipes from social media and wants ingredients turned into a shopping list automaticallynot Day One
  • Someone who previously used Whisk and needs to know it is the same product under a new namenot Day One

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Samsung Food

  • The appliance integration, its most distinctive feature, is only useful to someone who owns compatible Samsung kitchen hardware.
  • The rebrand from Whisk to Samsung Food in 2023 means older references, saved links or bookmarks under the Whisk name can confuse returning users.
  • As a Samsung ecosystem product, its long-term roadmap is tied to Samsung hardware strategy rather than to the grocery list feature on its own.
  • Recipe import from arbitrary websites and social media can be inconsistent depending on how a source page is structured.
  • It lacks some of the granular list customisation, such as manual sorting by store aisle, that dedicated list apps like AnyList and Bring focus on.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Samsung Food

Free
  • Samsung FoodFree
    • Recipe import and saving
    • Automatic grocery lists
    • Samsung appliance integration

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Samsung Food if

  • You need recipe import.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want automatic grocery list generation.
Samsung Food review

Questions people ask

Is Day One or Samsung Food better?
Neither clearly leads. Day One starts at Free and Samsung Food at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Day One or Samsung Food?
Day One starts at Free and Samsung Food at Free.
Does Day One or Samsung Food run on more platforms?
Day One runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Web. Samsung Food runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Day One for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Day One best used for?
Day One is most often used for someone wanting a private daily journal with photos that syncs between phone and laptop, a person keeping a travel journal that auto-attaches location and weather to each entry, someone who wants encrypted entries kept separate from an unencrypted general journal, a user who wants automated daily writing prompts and on this day nostalgia review. Of those, someone wanting a private daily journal with photos that syncs between phone and laptop and a person keeping a travel journal that auto-attaches location and weather to each entry are not what Samsung Food is typically brought in for.
What can Day One do that Samsung Food cannot?
Day One covers Multiple journals, Rich entries, End-to-end encryption, On This Day. Samsung Food covers Recipe import, Automatic grocery list generation, AI meal suggestions, Samsung appliance integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Samsung Food: Is Samsung Food the same as Whisk?

Yes, Samsung acquired Whisk in 2019 and rebranded it entirely to Samsung Food in August 2023; Whisk no longer exists as a separate app.

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.

Samsung Food: Is Samsung Food free?

Yes, it has no subscription or paid tier.

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.

Samsung Food: Do I need Samsung appliances to use it?

No, the core recipe and grocery list features work without them, but appliance integration only works with compatible Samsung hardware.

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