Bear icon
Bear icon

Bear

 93 likes

Bear is a beautiful and flexible writing app for note-taking and prose, both on the go for iOS devices and for the Mac OS desktop.

Bear screenshot 1

License model

  • FreemiumProprietary

Country of Origin

  • IT flagItaly
  • European Union flagEU

Platforms

  • Mac
  • iPhone
  • iPad
4.2 / 5 Avg rating (9)
93likes
10comments

Features

Suggest and vote on features

Properties

  1.  Lightweight

Features

  1.  Support for MarkDown
  2.  Cloud Sync
  3.  Syntax Highlighting
  4.  Distraction-free Writing
  5.  Nested tags
  6.  Search by tags
  7.  Ad-free
  8.  Works Offline
  9.  Dark Mode
  10.  Web Clipper
  11.  No registration required
  12.  WYSIWYG Support
  13. Microsoft Word icon  Export to Word
  14.  Export to PDF
  15.  Tagging
  16.  Sync with iCloud
  17.  Note Manager
  18.  Export to HTML
  19.  Shortcuts Integration
  20.  Safari extension
  21.  Opera extension

Bear News & Activities

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Recent News

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Recent activities

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Comments and Reviews

   
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Comment summary: Bear note-taking app is praised for its functionality, efficient syncing through iCloud, and additional features like Markdown support and cross-note linking, making it superior to Apple's Notes. Users appreciate its aesthetic appeal, dark theme, and affordability, though some express concerns over privacy and its reliance on Apple's ecosystem. A few criticisms include the cost for plain text notes and the availability of better alternatives on Mac. Overall, Bear is seen as an efficient and stylish note-taking tool.
Top Positive Comment
Soslan Aldatov
Aug 8, 2021
0

It's a very beautiful app with Markdown support and export to PDF.

Top Negative Comment
JAdams
Nov 15, 2023
-2

there are better alternatives for Mac users

Annmarie Brown
Nov 21, 2020
0

how it just likes makes you feel welcome

Rando_om
Oct 7, 2020
0

Only one similar app in Andoid - Butterfly I can say that as user, who use Bear a lol.

tonyescobar2049
Sep 11, 2020
0

Bear is an awesome choice for Apple enthusiasts. I love the watch app for a quick and dirty note. The iPhone app and the Mac app all synced and good to go.

NotesCat
Jul 23, 2020
-6

I am amazed that they have the audacity to charge for plain text notes!! May be Mac users are more gullible. Windows users will never pay for plain text notes.

100WattWalrus
Dec 22, 2020

It's abundantly clear you haven't given Bear much of a try. First of all, Bear is free. The (very affordable) paid version has additional features that cost the developer to maintain. Secondly, it has features I've not found in any other app, especially not on Windows or Android (unfortunately, because I use both) — not the least of which are inline tagging, multi-word tagging, and nested tagging, and super-simple linking between notes. Several apps have some of these features (Evernote has nested tags and multi-word tags, but no inline tags). Yes, it doesn't have rich text, and that would be nice to have. But its more simple, elegant and user-friendly than the literally dozens of alternatives I've tried, and it has a feature set that isn't found anywhere else. Giving software a bad review because it doesn't fit your needs — without actually exploring all its features — and insulting its users for no reason to boot, now that's "audacity." No wait, that's just being a jerk.

[Edited by 100WattWalrus, December 22]

[Edited by 100WattWalrus, December 22]

Jessee Taylor
Feb 22, 2020
0

Worth every penny of my subscription. It’s so beautiful, so comfy to use... I love this app, much better than Notes. Tags organization are great, includes encrypted notes option and syncing with a very affordable subscription.

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7 of 10 comments

What is Bear?

Bear is a beautiful and flexible writing app for note-taking and prose, both on the go for iOS devices and for the Mac OS desktop.

KEY FEATURES

  • Stay organized by linking notes to each other.
  • Use hashtags to organize and add context to notes.
  • Notes are stored in plain text, easily portable.
  • Focus mode to keep you on track.
  • Advanced markdown with full in-line image support
  • Powerful search to easily find notes with Search Triggers.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

• Rich previews while writing so you see prose, not code • Advanced Markup Editor that supports and highlights over 20 programming languages • Use Cross-Note Links to build a body of work, quickly reference other notes, and more • Quickly add todos to individual notes to keep yourself on task • Multiple export options including HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and more • Smart Data Recognition of elements like links, emails, addresses, colors, and more to come • One-tap formatting on iPhone and iPad with a custom shortcut bar • Focus Mode hides notes and other options when it matters • All your notes are stored in plain text for the ultimate in portability • Effortless, secure, and private multi-device sync via iCloud • Regular updates to keep you and your writing current

Official Links

Bear information

  • Developed by

    IT flagShiny Frog
  • Licensing

    Proprietary and Freemium product.
  • Pricing

    Subscription that costs up to $1 per month + free version with limited functionality.
  • Rating

    Average rating of 4.2
  • Alternatives

    232 alternatives listed
  • News

    7 news article related to Bear
  • Supported Languages

    • English
    • French
    • German
    • Italian
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Portuguese
    • Russian
    • Chinese
    • Spanish

AlternativeTo Categories

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Apple AppStore

  •   Updated May 19, 2025
  •   4.69 avg rating
View in AppStore

Our users have written 10 comments and reviews about Bear, and it has gotten 93 likes

Bear was added to AlternativeTo by David on Nov 5, 2016 and this page was last updated Jul 5, 2023.