WordPress.com proprietor Automattic acquires journaling app Day One – TechCrunch

Automattic is increasing its lineup of on-line writing platforms with its acquisition of Day One, a well-liked journaling app for Mac and Apple cell gadgets. The app has been downloaded greater than 15 million occasions since its March 2011 launch on the Mac and iTunes App Store, providing customers a non-public place to share their ideas. Since then, it’s been awarded the App Store Editor’s Choice, App of the Year and the Apple Design Award, together with reward from numerous reviewers.

Deal phrases usually are not being disclosed. Day One had been bootstrapped and self-funded for ten years.

The addition makes for an fascinating growth of Automattic’s now rising assortment of on-line writing instruments, which right this moment embrace running a blog platforms WordPress.com and Tumblr — the latter as of 2019, when Automattic took the growing older social running a blog community off dad or mum firm Verizon’s fingers for a fraction of its earlier $1 billion acquisition worth. (Verizon nonetheless owns TechCrunch, too…for now.)

Unlike WordPress and Tumblr, which are inclined to deal with publishing to a public viewers, Day One’s focus has been on privateness. The app provides end-to-end encryption for all of your journal entries, which may embrace textual content, media and even audio recordings. It has additionally provided superior options like computerized backups, auto-import of Instagram posts, voice transcriptions, templates, wealthy textual content formatting, location historical past and non-compulsory printed books, in addition to integrations with different platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and extra.

With its addition to Automattic, Day One will permit customers to decide on to publish choose journal entries to WordPress.com and Tumblr, and, quickly, import content material from both platform again into Day One, too. The app can also make sense as a manner for present Tumblr customers to sync their non-public entries over to a extra protected and backed-up writing software — as a substitute of by chance publishing them to their predominant weblog.

Automattic, in an announcement, notes Day One CEO Paul Mayne will proceed to guide the event of Day One following the acquisition. The group of 12 can even stay intact.

“We are working hard and making sure that their teams are smoothly integrated, and together we can continue to build a collective and robust culture,” Maybe informed TechCrunch. He stated there might be no transition course of for present clients — every little thing will proceed to work as common.

Meanwhile, in a blog post, Mayne hints at why he bought the app, noting the deal will permit Day One entry to the identical technological, monetary and safety advantages that assist energy WordPress.com and Tumblr.

“This is incredibly exciting news. For the past 10 years since I started Day One, I’ve worked to not only create the best digital journaling experience in the world, but one that will last,” shares Mayne. “By joining Automattic, I’m now more confident than ever that the preservation and longevity of Day One is sure,” he provides.

Mayne additionally famous there have been no present plans to alter the non-public nature of Day One, however the app would combine with different Automattic merchandise going ahead, whereas persevering with to maintain itself by way of a subscription mannequin. Existing clients will see no modifications to pricing, we’re informed.

According to information from Sensor Tower, Day One’s cell app noticed 4.4 million world installs. Last 12 months, it hit round 993,000 installs, down 10% from greater than 1 million in 2019 — however this slight dip may have been attributed to desktop downloads, as customers up to date their journals from dwelling computer systems throughout Covid lockdowns.

Updated, 6/14/21, 9:43 PM ET with further particulars from Mayne.