Bear vs iA Writer
We give Bear a 3.4 GPA and iA Writer a 3.2, out of 4.0. Bear grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. iA Writer grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bear
Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags and links
iA Writer
Minimal plain-text Markdown writing app with Focus Mode
How we grade them
| 3.4GPABearVery good | 3.2GPAiA WriterVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ABear Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, half of the $5.99 a month this category typically charges. One subscription covers every device on your Apple ID. Students and academics can ask for 30% off the first year. | AA one-time payment: $19.99 for iPhone and iPad, $29.99 for Windows, $49.99 for Mac. Paid writing tools typically start around $10 a month, so even the Mac app costs less than half a year of that. Each platform is bought separately, and major updates may cost extra. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree covers writing and organising notes, with tags, links, tables, sketches and 3 themes. But there's no sync between devices, and encryption, OCR search and export to PDF, HTML or DOCX are Pro. Pro has a 7-day trial. | CNo free version. Mac and Windows get a 7-day free trial with no credit card. No trial is listed for iPhone and iPad, so there you pay the $19.99 first. |
| Features | AA Markdown editor that mixes text, photos, tables, to-dos and sketches. Nested tags, wiki links with backlinks, and a Web Clipper for Safari, Chrome and Firefox. Pro adds note encryption and search inside photos and PDFs. Export covers nine formats, from plain text to ePub. | BFocus Mode fades all but the current sentence or paragraph. Authorship shows AI text in colour and your own in black and white. Style Check flags clichés and filler. Markdown with a styled Preview, and export to HTML, PDF or Word. It's bare on purpose, and it does that fully, without a lot around it. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 6,900 App Store ratings. There are no folders to plan out, just tags you type as you write. And Bear has migration guides for Evernote, Apple Notes and Obsidian if you're moving in. | B4.56 from about 1,500 App Store ratings, just under our line for an A. There are no toolbars or buttons to learn, only the text. Formatting is Markdown, which you type yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with browser clippers on top. That's all Apple. There's no Windows, Android or web version, and sync runs through your own iCloud. | AMac, Windows, iPhone and iPad, and the iPhone and iPad listing names WordPress and Medium as export targets. There are gaps, though: the Android app was removed from sale in September 2024, and iA says it isn't planning a web version. |
| Best for | writing in Markdown on Mac, iPhone and iPad | distraction-free Markdown writing, paid for once |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bear and iA Writer. How we grade
Where they differ
- Bear starts at $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. iA Writer starts at $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac.
- Bear has a free plan. iA Writer does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Bear lists a browser extension.
- Only iA Writer lists a Windows app.
- iA Writer can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Bear also covers notes, linked notes and web clipper.
- iA Writer also covers grammar & style.
At a glance
| Bear | iA Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year | $19.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad); $29.99 Windows, $49.99 Mac |
| Free plan | The free version covers writing and organizing notes with 3 themes. iCloud sync, note encryption, OCR search and export to PDF, HTML, DOCX and JPG need Bear Pro. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on both the monthly and yearly Bear Pro subscriptions. | 7-day free trial for Mac and Windows, no credit card required. No trial is listed for iPhone and iPad. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Shiny Frog | Information Architects AG |
| Price read from | bear.app | ia.net |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
iA Writer
- Writers who want a bare Markdown editor with no toolbars
- People who want to see which text they typed and which they pasted from AI
- Buyers who prefer a one-time payment to a subscription
Worth knowing
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.
iA Writer
- Each platform is a separate purchase: Mac, Windows, and iPhone and iPad are bought individually.
- The Android app was removed from sale in September 2024, and iA says it is not planning a web-based version.
- A one-time payment covers the current version; minor updates are free, but major updates may cost extra.
- The 7-day free trial is offered for Mac and Windows only.
Key features
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.
iA Writer
- Focus Mode
- Highlights the sentence or paragraph being written and fades the rest of the document, in an interface with no buttons or title bar.
- Authorship
- Tracks what was typed and what was pasted. Your own words stay black and white, AI text appears in color and other authors in subtle tones.
- Style Check
- Flags clichés, fillers and clutter and leaves the decision to cut them with the writer. The check runs on the device.
- Plain text with Markdown
- Documents are plain text formatted with Markdown. A Preview shows the styled result using a template, and links, pictures and tables can be embedded.
- Export
- Copies a document as HTML or exports it to PDF or Microsoft Word. The iPhone and iPad listing also names WordPress and Medium as export targets.
Plans
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.
iA Writer
iPhone & iPad$19.99
one-time payment, App Store only
The iPhone and iPad app, sold only through the App Store. Requires iOS 15 or later.
Windows$29.99
one-time payment
Bought directly from iA and usable on more than one Windows PC. Requires Windows 10 or later.
Mac$49.99
one-time payment
Bought directly from iA or on the Mac App Store. Requires macOS 10.15 or later.
Ways to pay less
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.
iA Writer
- Education
20% educational discount on direct purchases
iA offers a 20% educational discount on the Mac and Windows versions bought directly from it. App Store copies get education pricing on 20 or more licenses through Apple School Manager.
