journal · notebook · markdown
your journal is just a markdown file.
Daycell is a journal that looks like a coding notebook. Every entry is a cell, every day adds to your streak, and the whole thing lives in one plain .md file you own.
no account · no cloud · works offline · nothing to install
finally pushed the release. three weeks of edge cases, gone.
write the changelog
if today had a commit message, what would it be?
fix: remembered to look up
the file
open it in anything. it’s yours.
Your journal is a readable Markdown file, not a database. Open it in Notepad, Obsidian or VS Code. Back it up however you like. If Daycell disappeared tomorrow, every word would still be there.
# Morning Pages ## 2026-10-11 · 21:40 — long walk, no phone mood:: great tags:: #family > if today had a commit message, what would it be? `fix: remembered to look up` ---
- One file per journal. Entries are
##headings, oldest first. - Obsidian-friendly. Mood and tags use Dataview’s
key:: valuefields. - Hand edits are fine. Change the file anywhere and Daycell reads it back.
- Trash travels with it in a
# Trashsection until you empty it. - An open format. The spec is public, so other tools can use it.
features
small habits, nicely tooled.
a daily status cell
Your streak, this week’s words, an “on this day” entry from a year ago, and today’s prompt, waiting at the bottom of the notebook.
streaks and an activity grid
A GitHub-style grid fills up as you write. Milestones at 3, 7, 30 and 100 days. Mood trend and top tags in insights.
prompts with a dev voice
“If today had a commit message, what would it be?” Thirty prompts, a new one each day, one tap to start writing.
keyboard first
A command palette, b for a new entry, shift+enter to commit, j/k to move. Markdown everywhere.
works offline
Add it to your home screen or dock and it opens like an app, with or without a connection.
desktop, iPad, phone
Touch-friendly on tablets and phones, keyboard-friendly on a laptop. Light and dark themes.
pricing
free forever. pro once.
Everything you need to keep a daily journal is free, with no time limit. Pro is a single payment for extras. No subscription, ever.
launch week: pro is £9 instead of £12, applied automatically at checkout.
free
£0 forever
- one journal, unlimited entries
- daily prompts, streaks and milestones
- status cell and 22-week activity grid
- search, command palette, trash, themes
- download and eject your .md any time
- works offline, installs to your home screen
- daily reminder for your calendar
- a shareable streak image (squares only, no entry text)
- import from Day One
pro one-time
£12 once
- more journals with a switcher (work, dreams, morning pages)
- live files: save straight into a .md on your disk (Chrome, Edge)
- a year of insights and a shareable “year in cells” image
- templates: daily review, weekly retro, standup, decision log
- accent colours
- up to 5 devices, works offline after activation
privacy
we never see your journal.
- No accounts. There’s nothing to sign up for.
- No servers holding entries. Your writing stays in your file or your browser.
- No AI reading your diary. Nothing is sent anywhere to be analysed.
- No tracking cookies. At most, anonymous counts of page visits.
faq
questions
Where are my entries saved?
In Chrome and Edge with Pro, straight into the .md file you pick on your computer. Everywhere else, in your browser’s storage on that device, until you download or eject the file. Nothing is stored on our side.
Can I lose my journal?
Browsers can clear site data, and Safari does so after 7 days without a visit unless Daycell is on your home screen. That’s why Daycell reminds you to download a copy every few days, and why the file is plain Markdown you can keep anywhere.
Does it sync between devices?
Not through a cloud. Move your .md between devices however you like (download and open it, or keep it in a synced folder with a live file). If you run the free desktop launcher, an iPad on the same Wi-Fi can write into the same file.
What happens if I stop paying?
There’s nothing to stop: Pro is one payment. If a licence is ever refunded, Pro features switch off and your journals stay exactly as they are.
I use Day One. Can I bring my entries?
Yes, for free. In Day One, export your journal as JSON, then open Daycell and choose “import from Day One” with the .zip. Text, dates, times and tags come across; photos stay in Day One, with a note where each one was.
Can I use it with Obsidian?
Yes. Put the file in your vault. Mood and tags use the same key:: value fields as the Dataview plugin.
Is the code open?
The source is public on GitHub under the Functional Source License: free to read, run and change for anything except a competing product, and every version becomes MIT-licensed two years after release.
Refunds?
If Pro isn’t right for you, ask within 14 days for a full refund. See the terms.