Bear vs FSNotes

Bear

• Writers who want a focused Markdown editor on Mac, iPhone and iPad
• People who prefer organizing notes with tags rather than folders
• Apple users who want notes synced through their own iCloud account

FSNotes

• Mac and iPhone users who want notes kept as plain Markdown files
• Keyboard-driven note-takers used to Notational Velocity-style apps
• People who want an open-source app with no account or subscription

Bear

• Bear is offered only for Apple devices: Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
• Syncing notes between devices requires a Bear Pro subscription.
• Note encryption, OCR search and export to PDF, HTML, DOCX and JPG are Pro features.
• Subscriptions are billed through Apple's App Store, and prices vary by country.

FSNotes

• It runs on Apple platforms only, and the Mac and iPhone apps are separate purchases on the App Store.
• The iOS app syncs through iCloud Drive only; Dropbox, WebDAV and Google Drive sync are not available.
• The iPad build lacks dedicated iPad features such as full keyboard shortcuts and multiple windows; development focuses on macOS and iPhone.
• The free Mac build comes from GitHub releases or Homebrew; the site names the App Store apps as the official stable releases with automatic updates.

Bear

Markdown editor

Notes mix text, photos, tables and to-do lists in one place, with sketches inserted inline next to text and attachments.

Tags and nested tags

Notes are organized with tags, including nested tags, and more than 250 icons help individual tags stand out.

Wiki links and backlinks

Notes link to each other with wiki links, and an info panel shows each note's backlinks and table of contents.

Web Clipper

Extensions for Safari, Chrome and Firefox save a full page or a highlighted selection as a note, with the clipping done on your device.

Sync, encryption and OCR search (Pro)

Bear Pro syncs notes through iCloud, encrypts individual notes, locks the app and searches for text inside photos and PDFs.

Export and import

Exports to TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, RTF, PDF, JPG, HTML, DOCX and ePub, with migration guides for Evernote, Apple Notes and Obsidian.

FSNotes

Plain Markdown files

Notes are GitHub Flavored Markdown or plain text files in folders you choose, readable in any other editor. Images and attachments can sit in TextBundle containers.

Keyboard-centric and fast

Notational Velocity-inspired controls and shortcuts, instant search and a two-pane view, built to stay smooth with more than 10,000 files.

iCloud Drive sync

The same folders and notes, including pinned notes, stay available on a Mac and an iPhone through iCloud Drive.

Git versioning and backups

Optional Git integration makes scheduled commits, shows note history and can push to or pull from a remote repository.

Encrypted notes and folders

Individual notes or whole folders can be protected with AES-256 encryption and unlocked with Touch ID.

Links, tags and rich Markdown

Cross-note links in double brackets, tags, syntax highlighting for more than 30 programming languages, and Mermaid and MathJax rendering.

Bear

• Free$0

  Markdown notes with tags, links, tables and sketches, and 3 themes. No sync between devices.

• Bear Pro$2.99

  per month, or $29.99 per year

  Adds iCloud sync across devices, note encryption and app lock, OCR search in PDFs and images, 28+ themes and export to PDF, HTML, DOCX and JPG.

FSNotes

• GitHub release$0

  A zip of the Mac app posted with each release on GitHub, also installable through Homebrew. The site points to the App Store for automatic updates.

• FSNotes for iOS$4.99

  one-time purchase (US App Store)

  The iPhone and iPad app, with iCloud Drive sync, encrypted notes and folders, tags and Git integration. Requires iOS 18.0 or later.

• FSNotes for Mac$8.99

  one-time purchase (US Mac App Store)

  The Mac app, updated automatically through the Mac App Store. Requires macOS 12.4 or later.

Bear

• Annual discount

  About 15% lower price with the yearly subscription

  Bear's site marks the $29.99 yearly subscription as 15% cheaper than paying $2.99 each month.

• Education

  30% off the first year for students and academics

  Students and people working in academia can ask support for a code giving 30% off the first year of the Bear Pro yearly subscription. It renews at the regular price.

FSNotes

No public discounts listed.