Bebop vs Gravity
We give Bebop a 3.0 GPA and Gravity a 2.6, out of 4.0. Bebop grades higher on the free plan. Gravity grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bebop
Capture-first plain-text notes app for iPhone
Free plan · from $4.99 one-time
Gravity
Single-stream notes app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android
From $9.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABebopVery good | 2.6GPAGravityGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe Pro upgrade is $4.99 once on the US App Store, less than a single month of the $5.99 this category typically starts at. It adds colour themes, custom templating and power-user settings. You may never need it. | A$9.99 once and you own the whole app, with no subscription. That's less than two months of a typical notes app here. Each platform is a separate purchase, though: iPhone and iPad share one, and Mac and Android are $9.99 each on top. |
| Free plan and trial | AUnlimited notes, sync to iCloud Drive or Dropbox, the share extension and widgets, all free with no ads, logins or tracking. Most people could stay here. The developer's 2024 write-up says free caps Flashback at three notes. | FNothing is free. There's no free version and no trial on any platform, so the only way to find out if one stream suits you is to pay the $9.99. |
| Features | BIt does one job, capture, and does it properly: a blank note on opening, files named and formatted your way, Flashback to add to recent notes, and Quick Append to tack text onto an existing file. But there's no note browser at all. | BIt does one small thing and does it fully: a single stream, Markdown, checklists you tick from the list, colour tags made by typing todo: or idea:, offline search and export to JSON or Markdown. No folders and no tag manager, by design, and the developer turns those requests down. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. Open, type, save, with the save button under your thumb. The one bit of setup is choosing the folder, and Dropbox needs its own app installed. | BNo account and nothing to organise. On a Mac, Option-Space opens a capture panel from any app, and on a phone there's a widget and the share sheet. No App Store rating is on record to go by, so a B is as high as we go. |
| Platforms and integrations | DiPhone only. The App Store lists no iPad, Mac or Android version. It gets round that by writing plain files to iCloud Drive or Dropbox, which desktop apps like Obsidian or NVAlt can open. | BiPhone, iPad, Mac and Android, plus a command-line tool on the Mac for scripts and AI agents. But iCloud sync covers the Apple devices only, so the Android app stands alone with a backup folder. No Windows, Linux or web version is listed. |
| Best for | catching a thought on your iPhone as a text file | quick notes in one stream you never have to file |
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: Bebop and Gravity. How we grade
Where they differ
- Bebop starts at $4.99 one-time Pro upgrade. Gravity starts at $9.99 one-time per platform.
- Bebop has a free plan. Gravity does not.
- Only Gravity lists macOS and Android apps.
- Gravity also covers menu bar app.
In commoniOSLocal-firstOne-time purchaseNotesMarkdown
At a glance
| Bebop | Gravity | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time Pro upgrade | $9.99 one-time per platform |
| Free plan | Unlimited notes with iCloud Drive or Dropbox sync, Flashback, the share extension and widgets, with no ads, logins or tracking. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Jack Cheng LLC | Tristan Manchester |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | gravitynotes.app |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Bebop
- Obsidian or NVAlt users who want a fast capture app on iPhone
- People who keep notes as plain-text files in iCloud Drive or Dropbox
- Jotting down ideas to sort out later on a Mac
Gravity
- People who jot quick notes and do not want to file them
- Buyers who would rather pay once than subscribe to a notes app
- Mac users who want a menu bar scratchpad with a global shortcut
Worth knowing
Bebop
- The App Store lists it for iPhone only; there is no iPad, Mac or Android version.
- It is a capture tool with no note browser: older notes are reached through Flashback or another app that opens the same folder.
- Dropbox sync requires the Dropbox iOS app to be installed.
- Color themes, custom templating and power-user settings need the $4.99 Pro upgrade; the developer's 2024 write-up also says the free version caps Flashback at three notes.
Gravity
- There is no free version or trial, and the iPhone, Mac and Android apps are separate $9.99 purchases.
- iCloud sync covers iPhone, iPad and Mac only; the Play listing says it is not available on Android.
- There are no folders or tag manager by design, and the developer says he turns those requests down.
- The site lists no Windows, Linux or web version, and the Mac app needs macOS 15 or later.
Key features
Bebop
- Capture-first editor
- The app opens on a blank note with the save button within thumb reach, so a thought can be typed and saved without passing through a note list.
- Plain-text files in your own folder
- Notes are saved as .txt or .md files in a chosen iCloud Drive or Dropbox folder, with custom headers, footers, filename formats and file extensions.
- Flashback
- One tap cycles back through recent notes so more can be added to them, and a long press on the button pins a note.
- Quick Append
- Starting a note with @ picks an existing file, and the text is appended to that file instead of being saved as a new note.
- Share extension, widgets and shortcut
- Links and text can be saved from other iOS apps through the share sheet, and widgets and a shortcut open Bebop ready for a new note.
- Markdown helpers
- A helper bar inserts Markdown symbols, lists continue automatically on the next line, and the editor applies light Markdown styling.
Gravity
- One stream, newest first
- All notes sit in a single list with no folders. New notes go on top and older ones sink; swiping right, or pressing R on the Mac, moves a note back to the top.
- Markdown and checklists
- Headings, bold, italics, lists, links and quotes show formatted, and a line starting with "- [ ]" becomes a checklist that can be ticked from the stream. Notes are saved as plain Markdown text.
- Colon tags and offline search
- Starting a note with a word and a colon, such as todo: or idea:, gives it a color of its own. Search covers every note, archived ones included, and works offline.
- Quick capture
- On the Mac, Option-Space opens a capture panel from any app. On phones, a home screen widget and the share sheet create a note at the top of the stream.
- On-device storage with optional iCloud sync
- Notes are stored on the device with no account and no analytics. iCloud sync between iPhone, iPad and Mac can be turned on; Android backs up to a chosen folder instead.
- Export and command-line tool
- Notes export as JSON or Markdown. A gravity command-line tool for the Mac lets scripts and AI agents list, search, add, edit and archive notes.
Plans
Bebop
Free$0
Unlimited notes saved as text files to an iCloud Drive or Dropbox folder, with no ads, logins or tracking.
Pro Upgrade$4.99
one-time in-app purchase (US App Store)
Adds color themes, custom templating and power-user settings, and supports further development of the app.
Gravity
Gravity for iPhone and iPad$9.99
one-time purchase (US App Store)
One purchase covers iPhone and iPad, with optional iCloud sync, a Home Screen widget and capture from the share sheet.
Gravity for Mac$9.99
one-time purchase (US Mac App Store)
Menu bar app with a system-wide capture shortcut, sold separately from the iPhone app. Requires macOS 15 or later.
Gravity for Android$9.99
one-time purchase (US Google Play)
The Android app, sold separately. It has no iCloud sync; notes can be backed up automatically to a folder you choose.
