Notes & knowledge

Should you build your own Diarly?

Encrypted journal for Apple devices with prompts, templates, and sync

Buildable · the essentials fit in one project
Price $2.99/moEstimated savings $35.88/yrEstimated time one sittingCategory Notes & knowledgeCatalog votes 0

Diarly's solo core is compact: build a local-first private journal app with fast capture, full-text search, backlinks, tags, and Markdown export. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on polish, sync, importers.

ENOriginal research content in English. Original prompt preserved in English.

The complete prompt
Build a usable personal replacement for the core loop of Diarly.
Use exactly this stack: Tauri 2 + React + TypeScript + SQLite.
Primary job: Build a local-first private journal app with fast capture, full-text search, backlinks, tags, and Markdown export.
Start from an empty folder and create the complete working project.
Make the default mode single-user and private.
Store user data locally unless the core job requires the declared self-hosted database.
Do not add analytics, telemetry, ads, or third-party accounts.
Put every secret and external credential in .env and provide .env.example.
Use realistic sample data that is clearly labelled and easy to delete.
Implement the smallest polished interface that completes the core loop end to end.
Include clear empty, loading, validation, success, and failure states.
Add import and export so the user is not trapped in the app.
Use accessible keyboard navigation, labels, focus states, and sensible contrast.
Validate untrusted input and never log secrets or private file contents.
Deliberately exclude these paid-product advantages: conflict-safe multi-device sync; mature importers and exporters; collaborative editing and sharing.
Do not fake integrations, network effects, proprietary data, model quality, compliance, or security claims.
Where an external API is optional, keep the app useful without it and explain the degraded mode.
Write focused unit tests for the data model and the most important workflow.
Add one end-to-end smoke test that proves the core loop works.
Create a README with setup, permissions, architecture, data location, backup, and limitations.
Add scripts for install, development, test, build, and a production-style local run.
Run the tests and build before finishing, then fix errors rather than merely describing them.

The prompt opens pre-filled in your agent. Review it before running. · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR

Original prompt preserved in English.

What would building your own look like?

Build a local-first private journal app with fast capture, full-text search, backlinks, tags, and Markdown export.

What you will need

Why paying can still make sense

Diarly: People pay for a writing surface they trust for years, plus migration tools, sync, and tiny interaction details that disappear into habit.

What you lose

xconflict-safe multi-device sync

xmature importers and exporters

xcollaborative editing and sharing

xnative mobile clients

Share on X ↗"I just replaced Diarly ($2.99/mo) with one prompt"
Free alternatives

Prefer something ready-made?

Apple JournalPrompts, media, app locking and iCloud sync, with no subscription beyond Apple ownership.$0Free↗

License, setup, and limitations for each alternative.

Plans and pricing

How much does Diarly cost?

In your currency · US DollarChecked on 10/20/2026
Monthly billing
$2.99/mo
Per year
$35.88/yr
Buy on the official site

You complete the purchase on Diarly’s site. Vibe Radar does not handle payments.

PlanMonthlyAnnual (per month)What is included
free$0/user$0/userUnlimited entries and media; 1 journal; Apple apps; no cross-device sync or encryption
premium$2.99/user-Unlimited journals; iCloud sync across Apple devices; password/encryption, advanced export/themes/search and core AI
ai+$1.99/user-Optional Premium add-on for image-to-text OCR and audio transcription

Free tierUnlimited entries and media in 1 journal

Billing termsmonthly + annual Premium options; exact standard prices hidden; 7-day trial; advertised first-run annual offer is under $24/year in the US

Additional costsThe 'less than $2/month' claim is a new-user first-run discount, not a verified standard renewal price. AI+ is a separately billed add-on with no public amount. Apple Family Sharing can cover up to 5 family members where enabled.

verified 2026-10-20 · source ↗

Build or buy

Is it cheaper to build or buy Diarly?

Adjust the numbers: hours to build, your hourly rate, running costs and the subscription price.

Subscribe
Build it yourself
Horizon
Subscribe$72
Build it yourself$1,520

Over 24 months, subscribing is cheaper.

Starting hours estimated from the analysis (one sitting). Does not price what you give up (support, integrations, security).

Frequently asked questions
Can I rebuild Diarly?

Yes. A competent AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can build a usable personal Diarly replacement in one session with the prompt on this page. It runs on your own machine or server with no subscription.

How much does Diarly cost?

Diarly costs about $2.99/mo (Premium, checked 10/20/2026), which is $35.88 per year. That’s what you save by replacing it with one prompt.

What do I lose by replacing Diarly?

Honestly: conflict-safe multi-device sync; mature importers and exporters; collaborative editing and sharing; native mobile clients. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Diarly?

Yes: Apple Journal (Prompts, media, app locking and iCloud sync, with no subscription beyond Apple ownership.) The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.

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