Bear
Bear is a Markdown note-taking app for Mac, iPhone and iPad that pairs a minimal editor with nested tags, wiki links and export to many formats. It is used for writing, collecting research and keeping large personal note libraries in sync through iCloud.
#16 in Productivity ToolsNote-Taking AppsFree plan
Who it's for
Best for
Markdown writers with thousands of notes who want fast search and clean export.
Designers who want a beautiful, fast notes app built on nested tags.
Not for
Teams that need several writers editing one note at once.
Power users who keep work and personal notes in separate vaults.
Free plan$0
Bear Pro$2.99/mo
Features
Markdown notes with text and images
Notes mix text, photos, tables and todo lists in one place, and simple Markdown formatting adapts to whatever is being written.
Nested tags and tag icons
Flexible nested tags organise notes and projects, with over 250 icons for tags, pinned tags for quick access and folding headings for focus.
iCloud sync and note encryption
Notes stay up to date across Mac, iPhone and iPad through iCloud, and individual notes can be encrypted for extra protection.
Export to PDF, HTML, DOCX and more
Notes export into PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG, Markdown, TextBundle, RTF and ePub, and OCR search finds text inside photos and PDFs.
Inline sketching with Apple Pencil
Sketches are drawn with an Apple Pencil or a finger anywhere in a note and stay editable, inline with text, photos and attachments.
What users say
Pros
- Markdown is the native format, so notes transfer cleanly to other apps and tools without reformatting.
- Libraries of over 12,000 notes and 10GB imports stay fast, and long notes open without lag or crashes.
- A custom keyboard row on iPhone makes formatting fast, and the share sheet appends links straight into an existing note.
- The web clipper saves whole pages as readable Markdown with images intact.
- Themes plus control over line height and font size keep long documents comfortable to read.
Cons
- Only one main window opens at a time, so reorganising tags across a large library means repeated clicking.
- Collaborative editing is absent, so shared or team documents need a different app.
- Touching a formatted word makes asterisks and other Markdown symbols appear in the middle of the text.
- One library holds every note, so work and personal knowledge cannot be kept in separate spaces.
- Syncing between devices never keeps pace, which shows up as waiting for a note to update.
A selection of the review sources we used:
Summarized from public user reviews and community discussions. View details
Global Traffic Rank
Not enough traffic data yet, so its traffic level is Low.
Alternatives
Rank#16 in category#1 in category#9 in category#19 in category
Free planYesYesYesYes
ProMarkdown notes, nested tags, large libraries, fast iPhone captureFree, instant syncing, simple, private, quick capture, smart tagsLocal markdown files, linked notes, daily notes, fast syncLinked databases, custom AI agents, device sync, team sharing