Bear
Craft
| Feature | Bear | Craft |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $2.99/mo | Free / from $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | writers, note-takers, students, apple-users | apple-users, writers, consultants, students, creative-professionals |
| Founded | 2016 | 2019 |
| Markdown Editor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Nested Tags | ✓ | ✗ |
| Focus Mode | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export Formats | ✓ | ✗ |
| Themes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cross Note Linking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Nested Docs | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Assistant | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Export | ✗ | ✓ |
| Deep Links | ✗ | ✓ |
| Offline Access | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Craft Pros
- Stunning native macOS/iOS design
- Offline-first with seamless sync
- Nested documents for organized hierarchies
- Export to Markdown, PDF, Word, and more
✗ Craft Cons
- Best experience limited to Apple ecosystem
- Web app less capable than native apps
- Fewer integrations than Notion
The Verdict
Bear is built for writers and note takers, with a focus on markdown-editor and nested-tags. Craft targets apple users and writers and leads with nested-docs and collaboration.
Pricing is close: Bear starts at $2.99/mo versus $5/mo for Craft — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Craft offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Bear takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
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.