About
Bear pairs a handsome Markdown editor with a tagging system that replaces folders: type a hashtag anywhere in a note and it files itself, with nested tags for deeper structure. Notes hold sketches, tables, photos and to-dos, export runs from plain text through PDF and DOCX to ePub, and Pro's OCR searches the text inside images and PDFs across your whole library.
Made by Italian studio Shiny Frog, Bear won an Apple Design Award in 2017 and remains one of the most carefully finished apps on the platform, reaching version 2.8 in 2026. The free version is fully usable on a single device; Pro adds private iCloud sync across Mac, iPhone and iPad, more than 28 themes and full export options for $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.
Alternatives
- Obsidian
Pick Obsidian if you want your notes as plain Markdown files on your own disk: the app is free with no sign-up, and paid Sync is $4 a month billed annually.
- Notes
Stay with Notes if you want a free app already on your Mac, with maths solved inline and audio recordings that are transcribed in the note.
At a Glance
- Requires
- macOS 12.4 Monterey or later
- Price
- Free; Bear Pro is $29.99 a year, or $2.99 a month if billed monthly, with a 7-day free trial
- Also On
- iPhone and iPad
- Get It From
- Mac App Store
Curator's Note
“Proof that a notes app can be genuinely beautiful without a single wasted pixel.”
Theo, Mac Dept.
