Bear
Standard Notes
| Feature | Bear | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $2.99/mo | Free / from $7.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | writers, note-takers, students, apple-users | privacy-focused-users, journalists, professionals, researchers |
| Founded | 2016 | 2016 |
| Markdown Editor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Nested Tags | ✓ | ✗ |
| Focus Mode | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export Formats | ✓ | ✗ |
| Themes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross Note Linking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Editors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tags | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Attachments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Two Factor Auth | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Standard Notes Pros
- End-to-end encrypted
- 100-year company promise
- Cross-platform
- Open-source
✗ Standard Notes Cons
- Basic free version
- Fewer features than Notion
- Limited formatting
The Verdict
Bear is built for writers and note takers, with a focus on markdown-editor and nested-tags. Standard Notes targets privacy focused users and journalists and leads with encryption and themes.
Pricing is close: Bear starts at $2.99/mo versus $7.5/mo for Standard Notes — 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.
Bear edges out on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.3). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Bear has a slight overall edge — but if end-to-end encrypted matters most to you, Standard Notes may still be the right call.