Productivity · head to head
Day One vs WPS Office
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
- -
WPS Office
Productivity
Office suite from Kingsoft with Microsoft file compatibility, including maintained Linux builds
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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.; WPS Office the free tier is funded by advertising, and the adverts and upgrade prompts appear inside the editing window rather than on a website, so the cost of not paying is charged in interruptions while you work.
- They diverge on capability: Day One covers Multiple journals, WPS Office covers One application.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Day One and WPS Office actually diverge.
| Attribute | Day One | WPS Office |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free tier plus subscription | freemium |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, macOS, Web | 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 WPS Office
- One application
- Microsoft format handling
- PDF tools
- Linux builds
- WPS AI
- Cloud storage
- Mobile apps
- Templates
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 WPS Office
- A person keeping a travel journal that auto-attaches location and weather to each entrynot WPS Office
- Someone who wants encrypted entries kept separate from an unencrypted general journalnot WPS Office
- A user who wants automated daily writing prompts and On This Day nostalgia reviewnot WPS Office
WPS Office
- A Linux desktop where the free alternatives keep breaking the layout of colleagues' DOCX and PPTX files.not Day One
- A small business that edits and converts PDFs regularly and does not want an Acrobat subscription for each person.not Day One
- Students and home users who need Microsoft-compatible documents without a Microsoft 365 subscription.not Day One
- Older or low-specification Windows machines where the full Microsoft suite is slow to install and slow to run.not 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.
WPS Office
- The free tier is funded by advertising, and the adverts and upgrade prompts appear inside the editing window rather than on a website, so the cost of not paying is charged in interruptions while you work.
- Kingsoft is a Chinese company and cloud sync stores documents on its infrastructure by default, which is a procurement blocker for government, defence and many regulated buyers no matter how well the software performs.
- Complex Microsoft files still drift, so heavily formatted documents with tracked changes, PowerPoint animations and workbooks using recent functions or VBA macros can open with differences that only become visible when the file goes back to a Microsoft user.
- There is no tenant administration, so an organisation has no central console for licences, policy, retention or offboarding, and every installation has to be managed on the individual machine.
- Cloud storage stops at 1 GB free and 20 GB per user when paid, so it works as sync for documents and stops being viable for anyone handling media, scans or large PDF archives.
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
WPS Office
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the WPS Office review.
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.
Choose WPS Office if
- You need one application.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want microsoft format handling.
Questions people ask
- Is Day One or WPS Office better?
- Neither clearly leads. Day One starts at Free and WPS Office at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Day One or WPS Office?
- Day One starts at Free and WPS Office at Free.
- Does Day One or WPS Office run on more platforms?
- Day One runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Web. WPS Office runs on 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 WPS Office is typically brought in for.
- What can Day One do that WPS Office cannot?
- Day One covers Multiple journals, Rich entries, End-to-end encryption, On This Day. WPS Office covers One application, Microsoft format handling, PDF tools, Linux builds.
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.
WPS Office: Will it open and save Microsoft Office files properly?
It reads and writes DOCX, XLSX and PPTX natively and ordinary documents round-trip cleanly. Files with macros, tracked changes or complex animation can differ, so check anything going back to a Microsoft user.
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.
WPS Office: Is the free version genuinely free?
Yes, and it is not time-limited. It shows adverts, caps cloud storage at 1 GB, and holds back PDF editing and conversion, text recognition and electronic signature for the paid plan.
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.
WPS Office: Does it run on Linux?
Yes, with maintained desktop builds, which is unusual for a commercial office suite. The Linux version can trail Windows on newer features.
WPS Office: Is it suitable for a regulated organisation?
Usually not without a review. The vendor is Chinese, cloud sync is on by default, and there is no administrative or compliance tooling of the kind a regulated buyer will be asked to evidence.
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