Bear vs NotePlus

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

NotePlus

• People who want Markdown notes as plain files in their own cloud folder
• Mac, Windows and iPhone users who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
• Developers who want messages from scripts and CI jobs delivered next to their notes

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.

NotePlus

• No Android, Linux or web version: the site lists macOS 12, iOS 15 and Windows 10 (64-bit) or later.
• A license includes 1 year of updates. The app keeps working after that, but moving to newer versions needs a renewal at $19 per seat.
• There is no sync service of its own: notes reach other devices through the cloud folder they are stored in.
• AI chat needs your own API key from a provider, and the site describes themes for Mac, iPhone and iPad only.

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.

NotePlus

WYSIWYG Markdown editor

Markdown is formatted in place as you type, with no separate preview pane. Headings, checklists, tables, code blocks and images are covered, and the file stays plain Markdown.

Files in your own cloud folder

Notes are kept in iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox or any folder that syncs, and that service does the syncing. No NotePlus account is involved.

Linked notes and secret notes

Typing two brackets and a name links to another note. A note can be locked with a password, which encrypts it in its file, and unlocked with Touch ID or Face ID.

Kanban boards

Boards with columns, cards and colors are saved in the same folder as the notes, and a card is dragged to another column as the work moves along.

AI chat with your own API key

A chat window and a sidebar assistant work with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, Ollama and others. Chats are saved as files, and the assistant can read and update NotePlus items.

Hub

Works like an incoming webhook: a script, CI job or service posts text to a hook URL and it arrives in NotePlus with a notification on Mac and iPhone. Hub needs a license.

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.

NotePlus

• Free download$0

  The app without a license. The vendor calls this a free trial and says it has no limits at present, though some functions will be limited in future releases.

• Basic$29

  per license, one-time purchase

  For individuals: 1 Mac or Windows PC plus 2 iPhones or iPads, all premium features including Hub, and 1 year of updates and support.

• Pro$39

  per license, one-time purchase

  2 Macs or Windows PCs plus 4 iPhones or iPads, with the same premium features and 1 year of updates and support.

• Custom$29

  per seat, one-time purchase, from 3 seats

  For teams and companies. Each seat covers 1 Mac or Windows PC plus 2 iPhones or iPads, with 1 year of updates and support.

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.

NotePlus

• Other savings

  Pro license covers two computers for $39

  The pricing page marks the Pro license "Save 35%": it covers 2 Macs or Windows PCs and 4 iPhones or iPads for $39, where a Basic license for one computer costs $29.

• Education

  50% education discount on request

  The site's Education link goes to the TablePlus team's education plan, which gives students and teachers 50% off on request by email with proof of status. That page was written for TablePlus.