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Bear

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Last updated on

Company health

Employee growth
20% decrease in the last year

Ratings

G2
4.6/5
(43)

Bear description

Bear is a note-taking app developed for Apple devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad). Created by an international team, Bear focuses on providing a simple, elegant writing experience. It allows users to organize notes with hashtags and offers features like cross-device syncing and various export options. Bear prioritizes privacy and a clean user interface.


Who is Bear best for

Bear is a minimalist note-taking app designed for Apple users who value a clean, distraction-free writing experience. Praised for its elegant interface and seamless syncing across Apple devices, Bear enables efficient note organization with hashtags and markdown support. Users appreciate its focus on privacy, but some dislike the subscription model for syncing and limited export options.

  • Best for freelancers and small to medium-sized businesses.

  • A good fit across various sectors needing streamlined note-taking.


Bear features

Supported

Bear supports syncing notes to Mac computers using iCloud.

Supported

Bear supports syncing notes to iOS devices via iCloud.

Supported

Bear supports exporting notes to PDF with the Bear Pro subscription.

Supported

Bear allows adding tags to notes for searching and filtering.


Bear reviews

We've summarised 43 Bear reviews (Bear G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.

Pros of Bear
  • The clean and minimalist interface provides a distraction-free writing environment.
  • Seamless synchronization across Apple devices ensures note accessibility from anywhere.
  • Powerful tagging system with hashtag support enables flexible and efficient note organization.
  • Strong markdown support caters well to users who prefer this style of writing and formatting.
  • Bear's focus on privacy and data security is appreciated by users.
Cons of Bear
  • Lack of web access and collaborative features limits accessibility and teamwork.
  • The subscription-based pricing model for cross-device syncing is a deterrent for some users.
  • Limited export functionality leads to formatting issues when pasting notes to external platforms.
  • Some users find the markdown-focused interface less intuitive compared to traditional note-taking apps.
  • Occasional syncing issues and lack of robust customer support for resolving them have been reported.

Bear pricing

The commentary is based on 5 reviews from Bear G2 reviews.

Bear offers a free plan with limited features and a Pro plan with additional features like more themes and app icons.

See the Bear pricing page.

  • Bear has a free plan.

  • Bear has a free trial.

Free
Free

Local access to your notes, document scanning, export to various formats (TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, RTF, PDF, JPG, HTML, DOCX, ePub), 3 free themes, 1 app icon, search inside PDFs and images, and iCloud sync.

Pro
$29.99 per user/year

All Free plan features plus 28+ themes, 15 app icons.


Bear alternatives

  • Logo of Evernote
    bear vs Evernote
    Organize notes, ideas, and everything else. Find it all, anywhere.
    Read more
  • Logo of Notion
    bear vs Notion
    Your connected workspace for notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.
    Read more
  • Logo of Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft OneNote
    Your digital notebook: capture, organize, and share anything.
    Read more
  • Logo of Notability
    Notability
    Note-taking and PDF annotation made easy for Apple users.
    Read more
  • Logo of GoodNotes
    GoodNotes
    Digital note-taking, smooth handwriting, searchable, organized notebooks.
    Read more
  • Logo of Simplenote
    Simplenote
    Clear, clean note-taking. Syncs everywhere. Free.
    Read more

Bear FAQ

  • What is Bear and what does Bear do?

    Bear is a minimalist note-taking app for Apple devices, offering a clean writing experience with distraction-free features. It uses hashtags for organization and syncs across devices. While praised for its elegant interface and privacy focus, some users find the subscription model and limited export options undesirable.

  • How does Bear integrate with other tools?

    Bear integrates with other apps through its sharing and export features. You can share notes directly to other apps or export them in various formats, including PDF, HTML, and Markdown. However, direct integrations with other specific apps are limited.

  • What the main competitors of Bear?

    Bear's main competitors include note-taking apps like Notion, OneNote, Notability, Evernote, and Spaces. These alternatives offer various features, from cross-platform syncing and collaboration to a distraction-free writing experience.

  • Is Bear legit?

    Bear is a safe and legitimate note-taking app, confirmed by positive ratings and reviews. Users appreciate its clean interface, seamless syncing across Apple devices, and robust tagging system. However, some have noted the subscription model and limited export options as downsides.

  • How much does Bear cost?

    Bear offers a free version called Bear 1. Bear 2, the latest version of the note-taking and writing app, has a Pro subscription. The Pro subscription offers syncing across devices and other advanced features for $1.49 monthly or $14.99 yearly.

  • Is Bear customer service good?

    Based on user reviews, Bear's customer service isn't mentioned as a strong point. While users appreciate the app's simplicity and features like tagging and themes, the requirement of a premium account for device syncing is a common complaint.


Reviewed by

MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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