What is the difference between Bear and Joplin?

Bear is best for Writers who want a beautiful markdown editor, while Joplin is best for Privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking. Bear starts at $2.99/mo and Joplin starts at Free.

Is Bear or Joplin cheaper?

Bear starts at $2.99/mo with a free tier. Joplin starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Joplin?

Both Bear and Joplin offer free tiers.

Bear vs Joplin

Bear is elegant markdown writing app for Apple devices with tags, themes, and export options, while Joplin is open-source note-taking with end-to-end encryption, Markdown support, and sync via any cloud. The biggest difference up front: Joplin is free, while Bear starts at $2.99/mo. Bear is built for writers who want a beautiful markdown editor, whereas Joplin targets privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking.

At a glance

	Bear	Joplin
Best for	Writers who want a beautiful markdown editor	Privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking
Starting price	$2.99/mo	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
E2E Encryption	—	✓
Focus Mode	✓	—
Markdown	✓	✓
Open Source	—	✓
Tags	✓	—
Themes	✓	—
Webclipper	—	✓

Bear

Strengths

Full Markdown support with live preview for clean, structured notes
Includes Tags as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows
Free without sync — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes themes alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Moving notes out to another platform can be difficult — export options vary
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Bear → Full review

Joplin

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Moving notes out to another platform can be difficult — export options vary

Try Joplin → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Joplin is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Bear starts at $2.99/mo, but Free without sync. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Bear offers Focus Mode, Tags and Themes that Joplin lacks. Joplin brings E2E Encryption, Open Source and Webclipper that Bear does not have. Both share Markdown.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Joplin is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Bear is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Bear's biggest strengths are: full markdown support with live preview for clean, structured notes. includes tags as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows. Joplin's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development.

Watch out for: With Bear, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Joplin, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Bear if...

You need a tool built for writers who want a beautiful markdown editor
You specifically need Focus Mode and Tags
You care about includes tags as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows
The free tier works for you: free without sync

Choose Joplin if...

You need a tool built for privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking
Budget is a hard constraint — Joplin is free, Bear is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need E2E Encryption and Open Source
You care about open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development