Bear
Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags and links
What is Bear?
Bear is a Markdown note-taking app for Mac, iPhone and iPad. Notes combine text, photos, tables, sketches and to-do lists, and are organized with tags and wiki-style links instead of folders. The app is free to use without sync; a Bear Pro subscription adds iCloud sync between devices, note encryption, more export formats and search inside images and PDFs.
Bear has a free plan. Paid plans start at $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Bear pricing
- Starts at
- $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year
- 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 trial
- 7-day free trial on both the monthly and yearly Bear Pro subscriptions.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Markdown notes with tags, links, tables and sketches, and 3 themes. No sync between devices. |
| Bear Pro | $2.99per 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. |
Read from bear.app on Oct 4, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bear before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAbout 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.
Stated on bear.app - Education30% 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.
Stated on bear.app
How people rate the Bear app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars86%
- 4 stars6%
- 3 stars3%
- 2 stars2%
- 1 star4%
6,870 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Bear alternatives
- Bear vs Obsidian
Free plan · from $4/mo
- Bear vs Craft
Free plan · from $96/yr
- Bear vs Evernote
Free plan · from $99/yr
- Bear vs Notion
Free plan · from $10/mo
- Bear vs Reflect
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Featured in
- The best Evernote alternatives in 2026Alternatives
- The best Obsidian alternatives in 2026Alternatives
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Common questions
Is Bear free?
Bear has a 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. Paid plans start at $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year.
How much does Bear cost?
Bear lists 2 plans. Free: $0. Bear Pro: $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. Prices were read from bear.app on Oct 4, 2026.
What platforms does Bear work on?
Bear is available on macOS and iOS. It also has a browser extension.
Does Bear offer any discounts?
Bear publicly lists the following: About 15% lower price with the yearly subscription; 30% off the first year for students and academics.
How is Bear rated?
Bear's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6,870 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Bear have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 4, 2026. Bear is listed for macOS and iOS.
Does Bear have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 4, 2026. Bear is listed for macOS and iOS.
Is Bear open source?
Bear is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 4, 2026.
What does Bear integrate with?
Bear's listing names Claude. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Bear have a student discount?
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.
Does Bear have a free trial?
Yes. 7-day free trial on both the monthly and yearly Bear Pro subscriptions.
Who makes Bear?
Bear is made by Shiny Frog.
What are the alternatives to Bear?
The closest alternatives to Bear in our directory are Obsidian, Craft, Evernote, Notion and Reflect. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Bear.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 4, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.