Bear

Free plan APIExtensioniPhoneMacWeb

What Bear is

Bear is a Markdown note-taking app for capturing, writing, and organizing notes. Its editor supports text, photos, tables, to-do lists, and Markdown formatting, while tags, pinned tags, headings, and folded sections help structure material. Bear works offline and supports note sharing on iOS, macOS, and the web. The free plan stores notes locally and includes document scanning plus TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, and RTF export. Bear Pro adds iCloud sync, individual note encryption, app locking, OCR search inside PDFs and images, and export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG, and ePub. Pro costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a seven-day trial. The browser extension saves full pages or selected portions, but requires the Bear app on the same device. Bear says synced CloudKit data is encrypted and sent over SSL, while note titles and tag names remain unencrypted.

Who it suits

Bear suits people who want structured Markdown notes with offline access, sharing, and Apple-device support. Pro is aimed at users needing sync, encryption, OCR search, or broader export formats.

What it does well

Offline note access
Markdown editor with photos, tables, and to-do lists
Flexible tags and foldable sections
Free local notes and document scanning
Pro offers OCR and expanded exports

What to know first

Free plan has no iCloud sync
OCR search requires Bear Pro
Browser clipper requires the Bear app
Note titles and tag names remain unencrypted

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	Local notes · document scanning · TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, and RTF export · 3 themes · 1 app icon · no iCloud sync or OCR search	Free
Bear Pro	7-day free trial · iCloud sync · Individual note encryption and app locking · Advanced export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG, and ePub · OCR search inside PDFs and images · 28+ themes · 15 app icons	$2.99 a month
Bear Pro (monthly)	$2.99/month after a 7-day free trial · iCloud sync · note encryption · PDF, HTML, DOCX, and JPG export · 28+ themes · 15 app icons · OCR search	$2.99 a month
Bear Pro (yearly)	$29.99/year after a 7-day free trial · iCloud sync · note encryption · PDF, HTML, DOCX, and JPG export · 28+ themes · 15 app icons · OCR search	$29.99 a year

As bear.app lists them, read 7 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

Bear offers a capable free local-note option and a Pro tier for sync, security, OCR, and extra exports. Its strongest fit is for users working within Apple’s ecosystem.

Facts from Bear's own pages

Advanced Data Protection: Bear says its sync supports Apple Advanced Data Protection, while note titles and tag names remain unencrypted. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Automation and AI: Bear for Mac includes bearcli, a Claude Connector, and an MCP Server for searching and working with notes; these tools are macOS-only and require Bear 2.8 or later. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Editor: Notes can combine text, photos, tables, and to-do lists, and use Markdown formatting. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Encrypted notes: Bear Pro users can encrypt individual notes, and Bear says it cannot retrieve or reset a forgotten note password. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Export: Bear Pro adds export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, and JPG, while the free plan lists TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, and RTF export. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · bear.app, 20 Sept 2026
GDPR: Bear says it does not collect personal data, though it may collect anonymous crash logs, and that notes are stored locally or synced through Apple iCloud with Pro. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Integrations: Bear documents Apple Shortcuts support on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with actions such as creating notes, adding tags, and searching notes. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Maker: Shiny Frog describes itself as an app-making team spanning Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, the UK, and Japan. · shinyfrog.net, 7 Oct 2026
Note sharing: Yes · bear.app, 20 Sept 2026
OCR: Bear Pro can search for text inside PDFs and images. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Offline access: Yes · bear.app, 20 Sept 2026
Organization: Bear supports flexible tags, pinned tags, headings, and folding sections within notes. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Supported platforms: web,macos,ios · bear.app, 20 Sept 2026
Purpose: Bear is a Markdown note-taking app for capturing, writing, and organizing notes. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Paid from: 2.99 · bear.app, 20 Sept 2026
Support: Bear provides support pages and accepts support requests through its contact page or [email protected]. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Sync and privacy: Bear Pro syncs notes through Apple CloudKit, and Bear says CloudKit data is encrypted with Apple’s private keys and transmitted over SSL. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026
Web clipper: Bear’s browser extension saves full web pages or selected portions into notes and requires the Bear app on the same device. · bear.app, 7 Oct 2026

Where Bear stands on Freedom251

Note And Writing Apps#2 of 32
Note-taking apps#44 of 216