Diarly is a well-made journal built only for Apple devices, with Markdown, mood tracking, streaks and an Apple Watch app. Ember is built for the same devices and shares a lot of its care. It differs in one way that matters to some people a great deal: in Ember, everyone you write about gets their own page, and every moment you have written about them gathers there.
Is Ember a good Diarly alternative?
The short version: yes, if the people in your entries matter most to you and you want a journal with no AI anywhere. Stay with Diarly if you want mood tracking and streaks, an Apple Watch app, voice notes with transcription, or an assistant that can help you write.
Diarly may suit you better if
You like to track your mood and keep a writing streak. You want to journal from your wrist on an Apple Watch, record voice notes and have them transcribed, or ask an assistant for help with an entry. You write in Markdown and want several separate journals.
Ember may suit you better if
You want to type @ and a name and have that entry kept on the person's page for good. You want worlds and stories that hold the long threads of your life, a quiet nudge when someone you care about starts to drift, no AI anywhere, and a backup you can read in any text editor.
The two apps, side by side
| Diarly | Ember | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with one diary on one device. Premium, monthly or yearly, priced by country. | Free, with no limits on what you write. Ember Plus adds sync and every theme, from $4.99 a month in the US. |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad and Mac |
| Account | None needed | None needed |
| Sync | With Premium, through your own iCloud, with entry text encrypted end to end | With Ember Plus, through your own iCloud |
| People | Names are part of the text, or tags | Type @ to mention someone. Each person has a page with every entry, story and conversation you have kept about them. |
| Organising | Tags, and unlimited journals with Premium | Worlds, stories and tags |
| Writing | Markdown, and voice notes with transcription in Premium | A rich editor with Markdown shortcuts, photos and voice memos |
| Looking back | On This Day and reminders | Calendar, map, gallery, and memories in the Feed: what you wrote on this day, and the anniversary of the day you met someone |
| Tracking | Mood tracking and streaks | Not a feature. No scores, no streaks. |
| Staying in touch | Not a feature | A quiet nudge when someone you are tending starts to fade |
| AI | An assistant with a monthly allowance, in Premium | None, on any plan |
| Export | Markdown, free; EPUB and PDF with Premium | A full backup as one .zip of plain JSON with your original photos and media, readable without Ember. PDFs of entries and stories, and your whole journal as a printed book. All free. |
| Import from other apps | Day One and Apple Journal | Diarium, Day One, Apple Journal and Contacts |
Diarly details checked on November 9, 2026 against Diarly's own site. Apps change, so check there for the latest.
What the two have in common
Diarly and Ember are closer than most journals. Both are made only for Apple devices and feel at home on them. Neither needs an account, and both sync through your own iCloud rather than a company server. If a native, private Apple journal is what you want, you're choosing between two good homes.
Where Ember is different
Everyone gets a page
Mention someone with @ and the entry joins their page. Years later, you can open the page of a friend, a parent or a partner and read your whole history together, in order, in your own words. Diarly can tag a name, but a tag is a filing label. It doesn't keep a living page for each person.
Worlds and stories
Worlds keep the circles of your life apart: work, family, old friends. Stories hold the threads that run for years: a friendship, a move, a hard season. Together they turn a stack of days into something you can walk around in.
No AI, and nothing measured
Ember has no assistant on any plan, and it doesn't score your days or keep streaks. Instead, for the people you choose to keep close, it notices when someone has gone quiet in your writing, and shows you their name. Nothing more.
Moving from Diarly to Ember
To be straight with you: Ember can't import a Diarly journal yet. If you want to try Ember without losing anything, this is the gentle way to do it.
- Keep a copy of everything. In Diarly, export your journal as Markdown. The export is free, and it is a backup you can read in any text editor, whatever you decide.
- Start fresh in Ember. Begin with today. Write about one person, and mention them with @ so they get their own page.
- Bring over what matters, when it matters. When an old entry comes to mind, copy it into Ember and give it its original date. Over time the moments you care about most find their way across.
If you used Day One or Apple Journal before Diarly, Ember imports those directly. See Import and export for the details.
Comparing other journals too? See Day One vs Ember, Apple Journal vs Ember, Diarium vs Ember and Journey vs Ember. Or see five side by side in the best journaling apps for Mac in 2026.
Questions from Diarly users
Is Diarly free?
Diarly has a free version with one diary on one device, including mood tracking, streaks, reminders, On This Day and Markdown export. Premium, billed monthly or yearly, adds iCloud sync, unlimited journals, voice notes with transcription, EPUB and PDF export, and an AI assistant.
Does Diarly use AI?
Diarly Premium includes an AI assistant with a monthly allowance. Ember has no AI on any plan, and nothing reads your entries.
Can I import my Diarly journal into Ember?
Not yet. Export your Diarly journal as Markdown to keep a copy, start fresh in Ember, and copy across the entries that matter with their original dates. Ember does import Day One, Apple Journal and Diarium directly.
Which is more private, Diarly or Ember?
Both need no account and sync only through your own iCloud, and Diarly encrypts entry text end to end. The difference is AI: Diarly offers an assistant in Premium, while Ember has none anywhere.
Does Ember have an Apple Watch app?
No. Ember is built for Mac, iPhone and iPad. If journaling from your wrist matters to you, Diarly is the better choice.
Give everyone in your journal a page.
Ember is free on Mac, iPhone and iPad. No account, no AI, and your journal stays yours.
Download on the App Store