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Productivity · head to head

Day One vs MeetGeek

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
MeetGeek logo

MeetGeek

Productivity

AI meeting recording, transcription and summaries with published per-seat pricing

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.; MeetGeek the free tier is capped at three hours of transcription a month and one month of audio retention, which is a demonstration rather than a working allowance, and the retention limit deletes evidence just as it becomes useful.
  • They diverge on capability: Day One covers Multiple journals, MeetGeek covers Automatic meeting join.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Day One and MeetGeek differ
AttributeDay OneMeetGeek
Pricing modelFree tier plus subscriptionPer user per month
PlatformsiOS, Android, macOS, WebWeb, iOS, Android

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 MeetGeek

  • Automatic meeting join
  • Transcription
  • AI summaries and action items
  • Highlight clips
  • Team workspace
  • Published retention tiers
  • CRM and task sync
  • Enterprise controls

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 MeetGeek
  • A person keeping a travel journal that auto-attaches location and weather to each entrynot MeetGeek
  • Someone who wants encrypted entries kept separate from an unencrypted general journalnot MeetGeek
  • A user who wants automated daily writing prompts and On This Day nostalgia reviewnot MeetGeek

MeetGeek

  • A sales team that needs every discovery call summarised into the CRM record automatically so a handover does not depend on whoever took notes.not Day One
  • An agency that must be able to show a client exactly what was agreed on a call six months ago, where transcript retention length is the deciding feature.not Day One
  • A recruitment team running many first-stage interviews who want structured summaries and highlight clips to share with a hiring manager instead of a full recording.not Day One
  • A distributed team where people miss calls across time zones and need a searchable record rather than a recording nobody watches.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.

MeetGeek

  • The free tier is capped at three hours of transcription a month and one month of audio retention, which is a demonstration rather than a working allowance, and the retention limit deletes evidence just as it becomes useful.
  • Pro is capped at 20 hours a month, so anyone in back-to-back meetings hits the ceiling in the first fortnight and is pushed to the Business tier regardless of team size.
  • A visible assistant joins the call, which changes how candidly people speak, and in jurisdictions with two-party consent rules it creates a legal obligation the buyer, not the vendor, has to manage.
  • Summaries are machine-generated and will misattribute statements in overlapping speech, so they should never be treated as an authoritative record of a contentious discussion.
  • It is a smaller company than the dominant players in this category, so the integration catalogue is narrower and there is less enterprise procurement, security review and audit history to lean 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

MeetGeek

Free
  • BasicFree
    • 3 hours of transcription per month
    • 3 months transcript storage
    • 1 month audio storage
  • Pro$9.99/month
    • 20 hours of transcription per month
    • 1 year transcript storage
    • 6 months audio storage
  • Business$17/month
    • Unlimited transcription
    • Unlimited transcript storage
    • 12 months video storage
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited transcription and storage
    • Custom video retention
    • Single sign-on and SCIM

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 MeetGeek if

  • You need automatic meeting join.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want transcription.
MeetGeek review

Questions people ask

Is Day One or MeetGeek better?
Neither clearly leads. Day One starts at Free and MeetGeek at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Day One or MeetGeek?
Day One starts at Free and MeetGeek at Free.
Does Day One or MeetGeek run on more platforms?
Day One runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Web. MeetGeek runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 MeetGeek is typically brought in for.
What can Day One do that MeetGeek cannot?
Day One covers Multiple journals, Rich entries, End-to-end encryption, On This Day. MeetGeek covers Automatic meeting join, Transcription, AI summaries and action items, Highlight clips.

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.

MeetGeek: How long are recordings kept?

It depends on the plan: 1 month of audio on free, 6 months on Pro, 12 months of video on Business, and custom on Enterprise. Transcripts last longer than media on every tier.

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.

MeetGeek: Is there a real free plan?

Yes, but only 3 hours of transcription a month with 1 month of audio retention, which is a trial in practice.

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.

MeetGeek: Which meeting platforms does it join?

Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, from a connected calendar.

MeetGeek: Do participants know it is recording?

Yes, the assistant appears as a participant. Consent handling under local recording law remains the customer's responsibility.

MeetGeek: What is the transcription cap on Pro?

20 hours per month. Unlimited transcription starts on the Business plan at 17 US dollars per user per month.

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