Bear
Elegant markdown writing app for Apple devices with tags, themes, and export options.
Overview
Bear is a elegant markdown writing app for Apple devices with tags, themes, and export options. It handles markdown, tags, themes, and focus mode, and it's best suited for writers who want a beautiful markdown editor. It has been around since 2016, giving it a 10-year head start in building out integrations and refining the product.
The free plan is free without sync — enough for most people to evaluate whether it fits. Paid plans start at $2.99/mo, which unlocks the full feature set. It's aimed at individual users, so it's fast to set up but may lack team-management features if you scale.
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
Pricing estimate
Free without sync
Quick info
- Category
- Note Taking
- Starting price
- $2.99/mo
- Free tier
- Yes — Free without sync
- Open source
- No
- Best for
- Individuals
- Founded
- 2016
Last updated 2026-04-12
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Bear comparisons
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