Bear
Ulysses
| Feature | Bear | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $2.99/mo | From $5.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | apple-users, writers, students, developers | authors, bloggers, journalists, apple-users |
| Founded | 2016 | 2013 |
| Markdown | ✓ | ✗ |
| Nested Tags | ✓ | ✗ |
| Themes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export Options | ✓ | ✗ |
| Focus Mode | ✓ | ✗ |
| Apple Watch | ✓ | ✗ |
| Markdown Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Library Organization | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goals And Deadlines | ✗ | ✓ |
| Publishing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Icloud Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
| Split View | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Bear Pros
- Beautiful design
- Markdown support
- Nested tags
- Fast search
✗ Bear Cons
- Apple only
- No collaboration
- Limited free features
✓ Ulysses Pros
- Beautiful distraction-free writing
- Excellent library management
- Direct publishing to blogs
- iCloud sync across devices
✗ Ulysses Cons
- Apple ecosystem only
- Subscription model controversial
- No Windows support
The Verdict
Bear is built for apple users and writers, with a focus on markdown and nested-tags. Ulysses targets authors and bloggers and leads with markdown-editor and library-organization.
Pricing is close: Bear starts at $2.99/mo versus $5.99/mo for Ulysses — not a deciding factor on its own.
Bear has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Ulysses requires a paid subscription from day one.
Both tools are a solid fit for apple users — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.