Bear
Bear
| Feature | Bear | Bear |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $2.99/mo | Free / from $2.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | writers, note-takers, students, apple-users | apple-users, writers, students, developers |
| Founded | 2016 | 2016 |
| Markdown Editor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Nested Tags | ✓ | ✓ |
| Focus Mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export Formats | ✓ | ✗ |
| Themes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross Note Linking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Markdown | ✗ | ✓ |
| Export Options | ✗ | ✓ |
| Apple Watch | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Bear Pros
- Gorgeous design
- Flexible tag system
- Supports Markdown
- Very affordable Pro plan
✗ Bear Cons
- Apple only (no Windows/Android)
- Limited collaboration
- No web version
✓ Bear Pros
- Beautiful design
- Markdown support
- Nested tags
- Fast search
✗ Bear Cons
- Apple only
- No collaboration
- Limited free features
The Verdict
Bear is built for writers and note takers, with a focus on markdown-editor and nested-tags. Bear targets apple users and writers and leads with markdown and nested-tags.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($2.99/mo for Bear, $2.99/mo for Bear), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Both tools are a solid fit for writers, students, 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.