Bear

a beautiful, simple Markdown note-taking app

4.6•33 reviews•

1.1K followers

a beautiful, simple Markdown note-taking app

4.6•33 reviews•

1.1K followers

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Note and writing apps

•

Writing assistants

Bear is a beautiful, powerfully simple Markdown note taking app to capture, write, and organize your life. Take notes, plan your day, journal thoughts, organize tables, create lists and tasks, sketch ideas, link notes together, write a book, and much more. Bear is used by writers, lawyers, chefs, CEOs, teachers, doctors, engineers, students, parents... you get the picture. Getting started couldn't be faster—no signup and no account. Just open a note and write naturally.

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Promoted

Bear Launches

Bear 2Simple, powerful, private Markdown notes

Launched on July 12th, 2023

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Launched on November 4th, 2016

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Launched on October 18th, 2016

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Launched on June 21st, 2016

4.6

Based on 33 reviews

Review Bear?

Reviewers largely see Bear as a polished, fast Apple-first writing app that stays focused: simple note-taking, drafting, quick capture, and organization. People repeatedly praise its clean design, strong Markdown support, exports, tags, and newer additions like tables, backlinks, and better image handling. Many say it gets out of the way and works well for writing-heavy workflows. The main complaints are consistent too: weak fit for cross-platform users because there’s no Android, Windows, or web app, plus some dislike of hashtag-based organization and occasional sync lag.

+30

Summarized with AI

Pros

beautiful design (13)

simple interface (13)

markdown support (8)

apple ecosystem integration (4)

fast performance (4)

backlinks (3)

export options (2)

ios compatibility (2)

reasonable subscription cost (2)

Cons

limited cross-platform support (4)

no web version (3)

wysiwyg editor issues (2)

Pros

Cons

Reviews

All Reviews

Most Informative

•4 reviews

What's great

simple interface (13)markdown support (8)beautiful design (13)

I've been using bear for about 5 years now. I use it for everything. Before I discovered it, I had a hard time organizing the infinite number of notes I make every day. Sure, I could probably use the notes app that comes with MacOS but I always disliked the interface of that one. It felt clunky and keyboard-unfriendly. Then came Bear. I fell in love with markdown almost instantly. Now I can basically throw my mouse away and I couldn't be happier. I mean, I'm probably not the most demanding user but for what I do (writing) it's the best editor I've had in decades. Simple, yet powerful. (Okay, that sounds like something their marketing team would come up with on a bad day, but I mean it.) Oh, and I also highly appreciate the ability to copy my text in different formats (RTF, markdown, HTML...)

What needs improvement

Syncing across devices never worked fast enough for my taste. When I select all + copy, it copies the tag at the bottom of each document too. I dislike that. Other than that, no huge complaints.

vs Alternatives

Apple Notes

Bear has markdown. Apple's Notes app does not.

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

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44 views3mo ago

•1 review

What's great

simple interface (13)markdown support (8)beautiful design (13)

I’ve been a subscriber ever since Bear launched—I’ve lost track of how many years it’s been. The lack of an Android version is the biggest pain point for multi-platform users right now.

What needs improvement

limited cross-platform support (4)

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

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4 views5d ago

•1 review

I installed the Bear app years ago when it was first released, and from the moment I started using it, I thought, "What a beautiful design!" Years later, not only does it still have a stunning interface, but it's also incredibly user-friendly. The integration with Markdown is incredibly practical, allowing me to focus solely on writing without searching for buttons or commands—just pure text. Now, in its new version, the integration with tables and additional control over images are more than welcome. I have faith that we'll see even more improvements in a shorter time.

What's great

simple interface (13)markdown support (8)beautiful design (13)

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26 views2yr ago

•4 reviews

What's great

simple interface (13)markdown support (8)beautiful design (13)

What needs improvement

Syncing across devices never worked fast enough for my taste. When I select all + copy, it copies the tag at the bottom of each document too. I dislike that. Other than that, no huge complaints.

vs Alternatives

Apple Notes

Bear has markdown. Apple's Notes app does not.

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

Report

44 views3mo ago

•1 review

What's great

simple interface (13)markdown support (8)beautiful design (13)

I’ve been a subscriber ever since Bear launched—I’ve lost track of how many years it’s been. The lack of an Android version is the biggest pain point for multi-platform users right now.

What needs improvement

limited cross-platform support (4)

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

Report

4 views5d ago

•1 review

What's great

simple interface (13)markdown support (8)beautiful design (13)

Report

26 views2yr ago