Bear
Productivityby Shiny Frog Ltd.
Apple Silicon NativeIntel Core SupportmacOS 12.0 or later
4.80
•340 User Reviews•Freemium (Free basic, $2.99/mo for Bear Pro (sync & themes))About Bear
Bear is a focused, flexible writing app for crafting notes, prose, and code. It uses tags instead of folders for organization, has 30+ beautiful themes, and syncs across all Apple devices via iCloud. A Setapp-exclusive gem.
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Spec Comparison Table
| Features | Bear | Obsidian | Notion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Tier | Freemium | Free | Freemium |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Silicon Native | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Community Score | ★ 4.8 | ★ 4.7 | ★ 4.5 |
Core Feature Sets
- ✓Tag-based organization instead of folders
- ✓30+ gorgeous themes (light and dark)
- ✓Full markdown with wiki-style [[linking]]
- ✓Syncs across Mac, iPhone, and iPad via iCloud
- ✓Export to PDF, Word, HTML, and more
Pricing Specs
Licensing TypeFreemium
Cost ParametersFree basic, $2.99/mo for Bear Pro (sync & themes)
Developer IdentityShiny Frog Ltd.
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Direct Alternatives Matchups
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What the developer and community say about Bear.
4.8out of 5
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Submit Your Review
Natalie W.2026-05-10
Everything I write — journal, meeting notes, code snippets — goes into Bear. The themes are stunning and the markdown is fast.
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