# Bear review, pricing and alternatives

Source: https://listme.name/software/bear
Website: https://bear.app/

Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags

Bear is a Markdown note-taking app for Mac, iPhone and iPad that organizes notes with tags and supports images and sketches. It has a free tier, and a PRO subscription adds iCloud sync and extra features.

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.

- Free plan, paid upgrades | macOS, iOS, iPadOS
- Price: Free tier; PRO subscription adds iCloud sync and more
- Checked: 2026-10-10

## 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

## Rankings

- #7 of 9 in [best Note-taking apps](https://listme.name/best/note-taking-apps), score 82.5: 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.

## Alternatives

- [Obsidian](https://listme.name/software/obsidian), score 93.5
- [Notion](https://listme.name/software/notion), score 90.5
- [Microsoft OneNote](https://listme.name/software/onenote), score 88.5
- [Joplin](https://listme.name/software/joplin), score 87.0
- [Apple Notes](https://listme.name/software/apple-notes), score 85.5
- [Logseq](https://listme.name/software/logseq), score 84.0
- [Evernote](https://listme.name/software/evernote), score 80.5
- [Google Keep](https://listme.name/software/google-keep), score 79.0