Bear can be used without paying: Free tier; PRO subscription adds iCloud sync and more. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.

No. Bear is proprietary software; its source code is not public.

Which platforms does Bear support?

Bear is available on: macOS, iOS, iPadOS.

What is Bear best for?

Markdown writing on Mac, iPhone and iPad. In our ranking of note-taking apps it is number 7 of 9 with a score of 82.5.

What are the best alternatives to Bear?

The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Obsidian, Notion, Microsoft OneNote, Joplin.

Bear Review, Pricing & Alternatives (2026)

82.5score

Ranked 7 of 9 in best note-taking apps

A focused Markdown editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad, with tags and inline sketches. The free tier stays local, and iCloud sync needs PRO, unlike Apple Notes where iCloud is part of the built-in app.

Best for Markdown writing on Mac, iPhone and iPad

About Bear

Bear is a Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad. A note can hold text, photos, tables, to-do lists and sketches, and tags organize notes, with important tags pinned for quick access. Headings can be folded to focus on one section, and the app is designed around writing.

Bear runs only on Apple platforms, so it does not cover Windows or Android. The free tier keeps notes local, while PRO adds iCloud sync, OCR search across PDFs and images, and extra export options. Apple Notes is free and covers many of the same basics, so Bear suits people who want a dedicated Markdown writing app on Apple devices.

Key features

Markdown with tags
Sketches inline in notes
OCR search with PRO
Export to PDF and Markdown
iCloud sync with PRO

Strengths

Clean Markdown editor with tags and images
Native apps for Mac, iPhone and iPad

Limits

Apple platforms only
iCloud sync and OCR search need PRO

Where Bear ranks

List	Rank	Score	Best for
Best Note-taking apps	7 of 9	82.5	Markdown writing on Mac, iPhone and iPad

Alternatives to Bear

All 8 alternatives

Questions about Bear

Is Bear free?: Bear can be used without paying: Free tier; PRO subscription adds iCloud sync and more. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
Is Bear open source?: No. Bear is proprietary software; its source code is not public.
Which platforms does Bear support?: Bear is available on: macOS, iOS, iPadOS.
What is Bear best for?: Markdown writing on Mac, iPhone and iPad. In our ranking of note-taking apps it is number 7 of 9 with a score of 82.5.
What are the best alternatives to Bear?: The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Obsidian, Notion, Microsoft OneNote, Joplin.