Bear provides flexible writing and note-taking with markdown support and cross-note linking, popular among Mac users for its clean interface. Users seek alternatives primarily due to privacy concerns over its reliance on Apple's ecosystem, cost complaints for plain text functionality, and the availability of better options on Mac.
For users wanting stronger privacy protection, Standard Notes encrypts notes end-to-end across all devices while maintaining markdown support and seamless syncing. Those frustrated by Bear's Apple-only limitations can turn to Obsidian, which offers similar markdown editing and internal linking but works across Windows, Mac, and Linux with a powerful graph view to visualize note connections. Users seeking more advanced knowledge management find Roam Research's graph-based approach superior for linking and visualizing complex note relationships. Trillium Notes handles hierarchical note organization with rich text formatting, making it ideal for complex projects that outgrow Bear's simpler structure.
Organizes documents, notes, emails, PDFs, and media using AI-powered search, tagging, and OCR. Supports offline use, syncing across macOS and iOS, encryption, web clipping, automation, and customizable grouping for efficient information management.
Simple but configurable and themeable, distraction-free text editor for writers. Open-source and available across desktop platforms.
Some users think FocusWriter is a great Bear alternative, some don't.
Heynote is a dedicated scratchpad for developers. It functions as a large persistent text buffer where you can write down anything you like. Works great for that Slack message you don't want to accidentally send, a JSON response from an API you're working with, notes...
The key to good writing is not that magical glass of Bordeaux, the right kind of tobacco or that groovy background music. The key is focus. What you need to write well is a spartan setting that allows you to fully concentrate on your text and nothing but your text.
Web-based tool for integrating text, images, audio, and video with syncing across devices, real-time collaboration, handwriting input, AI-powered summaries, checklists, scanning, reminders, search in handwritten notes, and advanced organization.
Allows you to create individual notebooks with notes and other sources inside like voice recordings, images and plain notes!
It is completely free cross-platform app available on all major platforms like Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux etc. It has has the feature you require from a not taking app plus it has very minimalistic design.
As easy to use as a word document or bulleted list, and as powerful for finding, collecting, and connecting related ideas as a graph database. Collaborate with others in real time, or store all your data locally.
Working on a project, researching a topic or writing an article? Walling makes it easy to break down your ideas, refine them and visually organize them.
acreom is an actionable personal knowledge base for developers. It helps developers ship faster by centralizing personal and team context in one place.
Ulysses is a text editor for creative writers. Used by bloggers, poets, students and published novelists all over the world, it offers an integrated environment to brainstorm, draft, revise and even submit text on a professional level.
Combines AI-powered client portals, unlimited external accounts, internal workspaces, collaborative document editing, smart task management, and no-code knowledge bases with smart documents, supporting 2000+ embeds for streamlined project delivery and feedback.
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Bear is a proprietary productivity app for Mac-based products. FocusWriter is an open source word processor for people who find toolbars distracting.