Day One Journal is an iPhone writing app designed for short, simple work. Its beautiful, clutter-free interface gives it an immediacy that other writing software lacks, despite some setbacks that come with such simplicity.

It can downloaded for free from the iPhone App Store. A premium account with full functionality costs $34.99, however those who downloaded the app prior to June 28th 2017 should have full free access.

A premium account allows for unlimited photo storage, unlimited storage, full access to the Apple Mac desktop app and the ability to cloud sync. It’s well worth paying for these features.

The app is primarily an electronic journal that is organised into entries which can be added, deleted, shared and transferred.

Each new entry is created via the large plus button on main menu, which upon clicking immediately creates a blank new entry to write upon. Minimal formatting options leave the writing experience light and unburdened.

Features include the ability to change the date, provide one's location, insert social-media tags, upload/take photos, and finally delete entry. Each entry also offers an edit and a view mode that minimise accidental deletions when reviewing old work.

This is essentially the extent of the options on the iPhone version, setting the tone for the app’s stripped-back, accessible functionality. The app’s full screen mode removes further distractions, showing only a clear white vertical sheet.

This makes writing quick notes and spontaneous ideas far less stressful than using Word, whose multifarious systems of management and formatting often confuse and distract one's clarity of thought. Day One is as close as you can get to the purity of opening a notepad and putting pen to paper in a moment of inspiration.

The app saves each new entry automatically, adjoining it the other entries, which are listed chronologically. Whilst they can be moved, this organisation en-masse makes it occasionally difficult to find old entries. These entries can be quickly scrolled through without having to open or close any new documents.

Each entry can also be converted to a PDF and shared via email, text or social media. The reminder and calendar functions can also be used to plan one’s journaling.

The files themselves are saved on the cloud, and if synchronised with a computer can be kept track of from one’s desk, one’s bedroom or in the streets.

The fast and easy search function makes it easy to locate even the most deeply buried of notes.

Compared to similar apps like Evernote, Day One’s simplicity is a boon. However, the app admittedly falters as an organisational tool, since its formatting options are too limited. For example, there’s no ‘redo’ option, text-boxes and graphs aren’t available, and there’s only one font.

This is inevitable, given that Day One is chiefly designed to facilitate the flow of original thought rather than structure complex data.

Still, the app works well enough for this, and the sheer speed of the thing almost makes up for what it lacks in organisational function. Notes can’t be set out into relevant folders, but each new entry is limitless in size so can feasibly include vast quantities of information - I once used one entry for an entire ten-week module.

App: Day One Journal | Price: Free | Developer: Bloom Built Inc | Size: 151 MB

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Author bio: Ben is a writer from London and with a keen passion for languages, technology, comedy and pop-culture. Quite a well-rounded guy, when you think about it.