Bear vs UpNote
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
UpNote
Cross-platform notes app with a lifetime purchase option
Where they differ
- Bear starts at $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. UpNote starts at $1.99 per month, or $39.99 once for lifetime (Premium).
- Only UpNote lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- UpNote can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- UpNote also covers templates.
At a glance
| Bear | UpNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year | $1.99 per month, or $39.99 once for lifetime (Premium) |
| 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. | Free to use and sync across all your devices, limited to 50 notes with basic features. Attachments, tables, locks and export need Premium. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on both the monthly and yearly Bear Pro subscriptions. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Shiny Frog | UpNote Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | bear.app | getupnote.com |
| 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
UpNote
- People who prefer a one-time lifetime purchase to a subscription
- One notes app across Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
- Moving notes over from Evernote, Apple Notes, Bear or Simplenote
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.
UpNote
- The free version is limited to 50 notes; attachments, tables, locks and export need Premium.
- There is no end-to-end encryption: notes sync through Firebase and are encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Premium cannot be bought in the Windows or Linux apps; it is purchased on Mac, iOS or Android and then syncs to your account.
- Attachments are limited to 20 MB, and image resolution is reduced automatically on upload.
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.
UpNote
- Notebooks, hashtags and Quick Access
- Notes are organized with nested notebooks and hashtags, can be pinned to the top of a list or added to Quick Access, and are filtered by matching keywords.
- Rich text and Markdown editor
- The editor offers rich text options, Markdown support, lists, images, links, attachments, quotes, code blocks, text highlighting and collapsible sections.
- Sync and offline use
- Notes sync automatically across devices after you sign in and can be read and written without a connection. Without an account, notes stay on the device.
- Web Clipper
- Browser extensions for Chrome, Safari and Firefox save a web page into UpNote.
- Version history, backup and export
- Version history is saved as you edit, the desktop app keeps automatic local backups, and Premium exports notes to text, PDF, HTML or Markdown.
- Focus mode, locks and sharing
- Focus mode hides the note list and menus, a note can be shared through a secret web link, and Premium adds locks for notes, notebooks and the whole app.
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.
UpNote
Free$0
Up to 50 notes with basic features, synced across all your devices.
Premium$1.99
per month
Unlimited notes, attachments, tables and code, locks for notes and notebooks, themes and notebook covers, and export to text, PDF, HTML and Markdown.
Premium Lifetime$39.99
one-time purchase
The same Premium features for a single payment. One purchase covers all your devices once you sign in to your UpNote account.
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.
UpNote
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Premium for a one-time $39.99
Premium can be bought once for $39.99 instead of $1.99 a month. UpNote says existing lifetime licenses will still be honored if its pricing model changes.
