Bear refund policy

Bear states a refund policy with no set window, and you cancel through the app store that billed you.

Refund window: No set windowIn the app storeRead Oct 18, 2026 on bear.app

Bear refunds and cancellation

CGrade

Ordinary · checked Oct 18, 2026

Bear Pro is sold only through Apple's App Store, and Shiny Frog says plainly that once you have been charged it can neither change nor refund the payment: that is Apple's department. You cancel in the App Store, which Bear opens for you from its preferences, and the 7-day trial costs nothing if you get out in time. No refund of its own, a clean way out, so a C, which is where every App-Store-only app lands.

Refund window: No set window
How you cancel: In the app store

Getting your money back: Bear's FAQ says that once a Bear Pro subscription has been charged there is no way to change or refund it from Bear, because all transactions are handled by Apple, and that refund requests for in-app purchases should go to App Store customer support. It adds that you can contact Apple customer service for anything further. No window is stated.
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How to cancel Bear: Bear Pro is bought and cancelled through the App Store or Mac App Store. The FAQ says you can check and cancel active subscriptions at any time with the Manage Subscription button in the Bear Pro preferences pane, which opens the App Store page for it. It also says that cancelling during the trial period means the fee is not charged.
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What you keep afterwards: Bear's pages do not spell out what happens when a Pro subscription lapses, beyond saying that the Valid until date in the preferences pane always shows the last day of the subscription. The features it lists as Pro-only are iCloud sync, note encryption, OCR search, the extra themes and icons and export to PDF, HTML, DOCX and JPG. A separate article says anyone can back up every note into one .bear2bk file.
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Renewals: Bear says all subscriptions renew automatically and that the App Store emails a notice a few weeks before renewal. Apple renews the subscription during the 24 hours before it expires, so the FAQ tells you to watch the Valid until date. It says nothing about getting money back after a renewal you did not want.
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In your favour

Both the monthly and the yearly Bear Pro plans come with a 7-day free trial.
Cancel during the trial and Bear says the fee is never charged.
The App Store emails you a notice a few weeks before the subscription renews.
Bear puts a Manage Subscription button in its own preferences, so you are one tap from the App Store page.

Watch out for

Shiny Frog cannot refund you at all: every payment is Apple's, and so is the decision.
No refund window is stated anywhere on Bear's pages.
One subscription covers your devices, so check which Apple Account was charged before you go looking.
Nothing on Bear's site sets out what you keep or lose once Pro lapses.

Getting help from Bear

CGrade

Ordinary · checked Oct 18, 2026

A small team with a tidy help library, a message widget on every support page, an email address if your adblocker eats it, and a busy community forum. Nothing is promised, though: no hours, no reply time, and no phone or live chat. That is the ordinary deal for a three-dollar-a-month app, and a C.

Ways to get help

Email
The same contact page gives an email address to write to if the message icon does not appear, which it says can happen when a browser adblocker is on.
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Contact form or ticket
The contact page says to click the message icon at the bottom of any support page to write to the team, and to include your device and other details. It does not say who answers or when.
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Help centre
Bear's support library holds dozens of free articles on features, syncing, importing from other apps, backups, Bear Pro and troubleshooting, open to anyone.
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Community or forum
The Bear Community forum is public and used for feature discussion, shortcuts, feedback and help. Threads carried posts dated the day this was read.
Stated on community.bear.app

Not listed on Bear’s pages: live chat, phone.

When people answer: Its pages do not say.
How fast it says it replies: Its pages do not say.
What depends on your plan: Its pages do not say.

In your favour

Free users can write in too: nothing on the contact page limits it to Bear Pro.
The help library is detailed and covers backups, imports and the Pro subscription itself.
The community forum is public and clearly active, so answers are often already there.

Watch out for

No hours and no reply time are stated anywhere on the site.
There is no phone line and no live chat, only the message widget and email.
Anything to do with the charge itself goes to Apple, not to Bear.

What these two grades rest on. Read on 18 October 2026: Bear's FAQ on the features and price of Bear Pro, which covers subscribing, renewal, cancellation and refunds, its article on backing up and restoring notes, its support library index, its contact page and the Bear Community forum. Nobody here cancelled a plan, asked for a refund or contacted its support. They are graded apart from the five that make the GPA. How we grade refunds and support.

Bear refund and cancellation questions

Does Bear give refunds?

Bear's FAQ says that once a Bear Pro subscription has been charged there is no way to change or refund it from Bear, because all transactions are handled by Apple, and that refund requests for in-app purchases should go to App Store customer support. It adds that you can contact Apple customer service for anything further. No window is stated. This is Bear's own policy, as read on Oct 18, 2026.

How do I cancel Bear?

Bear Pro is bought and cancelled through the App Store or Mac App Store. The FAQ says you can check and cancel active subscriptions at any time with the Manage Subscription button in the Bear Pro preferences pane, which opens the App Store page for it. It also says that cancelling during the trial period means the fee is not charged.

What happens to my data if I cancel Bear?

Bear's pages do not spell out what happens when a Pro subscription lapses, beyond saying that the Valid until date in the preferences pane always shows the last day of the subscription. The features it lists as Pro-only are iCloud sync, note encryption, OCR search, the extra themes and icons and export to PDF, HTML, DOCX and JPG. A separate article says anyone can back up every note into one .bear2bk file.

How do I contact Bear support?

Bear's pages list these ways to get help: email, contact form or ticket, help centre and community or forum. No live chat or phone was listed, as read on Oct 18, 2026.

Does Bear renew automatically?

Bear says all subscriptions renew automatically and that the App Store emails a notice a few weeks before renewal. Apple renews the subscription during the 24 hours before it expires, so the FAQ tells you to watch the Valid until date. It says nothing about getting money back after a renewal you did not want.

Can I try Bear before paying?

Yes. 7-day free trial on both the monthly and yearly Bear Pro subscriptions. Trying first is the surest way to avoid needing a refund.

Before paying for a year, check what Bear costs month to month on its pricing page. We read these policies; we haven’t asked Bear for a refund or contacted its support.

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