# Bear

> Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags and links

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.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Shiny Frog
- **Website:** https://bear.app
- **Runs on:** macOS, iOS, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 4, 2026

## Pricing

Bear has a free plan. Paid plans start at $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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 | $2.99 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. |

Read from https://bear.app/faq/features-and-price-of-bear-pro/ on Oct 4, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bear before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **About 15% lower price with the yearly subscription** (Annual discount): Bear's site marks the $29.99 yearly subscription as 15% cheaper than paying $2.99 each month. Source: https://bear.app
- **30% off the first year for students and academics** (Education): 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. Source: https://bear.app/faq/educational-discount-program/

## 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.

## 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.7 out of 5 from 6,870 ratings in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1016366447

## Works with

Claude

**Tags:** Notes, Markdown, Linked notes, Web clipper

## Alternatives

- [Obsidian](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obsidian): Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bear-vs-obsidian)
- [Craft](https://toolgpa.com/tools/craft): Notes and documents app with tasks, daily notes and whiteboards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bear-vs-craft)
- [Evernote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/evernote): Note-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bear-vs-evernote)
- [Notion](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notion): Workspace for docs, wikis, databases and projects with built-in AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bear-vs-notion)
- [Reflect](https://toolgpa.com/tools/reflect): Open-source daily notes app with backlinks and local Markdown. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bear-vs-reflect)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 4, 2026:

- https://bear.app
- https://bear.app/faq/
- https://bear.app/faq/features-and-price-of-bear-pro/
- https://bear.app/faq/educational-discount-program/
- https://bear.app/faq/syncing-privacy/
- https://bear.app/faq/browser-extensions/
- https://blog.bear.app/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/bear
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).