Bear Pricing and Features: Note Taking App Review

Overview

Bear is a Markdown-based note and writing app developed by Shiny Frog^[15]. It is known for a clean editor in which Markdown formatting renders live as the user types, and for organising notes with nested hashtags rather than folders. The app is available for Mac, iPhone and iPad; the website lists no Windows, Android or web app^[15].

The free version keeps notes locally and includes document scanning and export to formats including Markdown, TextBundle, RTF, PDF, HTML, DOCX and ePub, with three themes^[15]. Bear Pro, at US$2.99 a month or US$29.99 a year with a seven-day trial, adds iCloud sync, search inside PDFs and images, and encryption of individual notes unlocked with a password or Face ID. Bear states that notes sit between the user and iCloud and that Apple’s Advanced Data Protection is supported^[15].

Bear sits between Apple Notes and Obsidian: more writing-focused and exportable than the former, simpler and less extensible than the latter. Its limitations are the Apple-only platform, the need to pay for sync between a user’s own devices, and the absence of real-time collaboration or team features.