Question 1

What is the difference between Pixy and Day One?

Accepted Answer

Day One is a full-featured journaling app with photos, sync, and paid Day One Silver and Gold plans. Pixy is a free mood tracker that turns each day into one colored pixel, so a whole year of moods fits on one screen. Every Pixy feature is free, while Day One sells premium plans from $49.99/year.

Question 2

Is Pixy a good free alternative to Day One?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you want a simple way to track your mood. Pixy covers mood check-ins, emotions, tags, sleep, notes, statistics, reminders, and app lock, all for free. People who switch often mention that Pixy is quicker to fill in and never asks them to upgrade.

Question 3

How much does Day One cost compared to Pixy?

Accepted Answer

Day One is free to download with paid upgrades. Its public App Store catalog lists premium plans from $49.99/year (US, September 2026). Pixy costs nothing: no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads.

Question 4

Can I move my data from Day One to Pixy?

Accepted Answer

Pixy has no direct import from Day One. Most people keep an export of their old Day One history and start fresh in Pixy. Your pixel calendar fills up fast, and you can export a Pixy backup file at any time.

Question 5

Is there an open source alternative to Day One?

Accepted Answer

Pixy is open source under the MIT license. It is a mood journal rather than a full diary: you log mood, emotions, tags, sleep, and notes, all stored on your phone.

Question 6

Is Pixy really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pixy is free to download and every feature is free to use. There is no subscription, no in-app purchase, and no ads.

Question 7

Where does Pixy store my data?

Accepted Answer

Your entries stay on your phone. Pixy needs no account and no sign-up. You can lock the app with a passcode or biometrics and export a backup file at any time.

Question 8

Is Pixy available on iPhone and Android?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pixy is on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android.

Question 9

What is a year in pixels?

Accepted Answer

A year in pixels is a calendar where each day is one small square, colored by your mood. After a few weeks you can see good and bad stretches at a glance. Pixy builds it for you as you log.

Question 10

Is Pixy open source?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The code of the Pixy app is public on GitHub under the MIT license, so anyone can check how it works and how it handles data.

Question 11

Can Pixy help with therapy?

Accepted Answer

Many people use Pixy to show their therapist or psychiatrist how their mood changed between sessions. Pixy is a self-tracking tool, not a medical device, and does not replace professional care.

Category	Pixy	Day One
Price for every featurePublic in-app purchase catalog, US App Store	$0. Free, no subscription	Premium from $49.99/year
App Store ratingUS App Store	4.87 ★	4.83 ★
Google Play ratingUS Google Play	4.68 ★	4.63 ★
Share of 1 and 2 star reviewsSample of 273 Pixy and 7,623 Day One store reviews	4.0%	17%
Year in pixels calendar	Built in	Not in store listing
Open source	Yes, MIT license	Closed source
Download sizeiPhone, App Store	20 MB	207 MB
Works on older iPhones	iOS 12.4 and newer	iOS 18.0 and newer

Pixy vs Day One: a free, open source mood journal

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