Free Bear alternatives
Top Note-taking & Knowledge Bases like Bear
The most popular alternative to Bear is Apple Notes, which has a free version. Other great alternatives to Bear are Obsidian, Craft, UpNote, and Simplenote.
Most alternatives to Bear are in the Note-taking & Knowledge Bases category, compared here by price, platform and features.
All Bear alternatives
Apple Notes is the free notes app included with iPhone, iPad and Mac, synced through iCloud and also reachable on the web at iCloud.com. It handles checklists, tables, Apple Pencil sketches, document scanning and searchable text in images, plus shared notes and folders, tags, smart folders and locked notes.
9 Apple Notes alternativesPros
- Free and built into every iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Document scanning, Pencil sketches and text search inside images
- Shared notes and folders with real-time collaboration
Cons
- No native apps for Windows or Android, only iCloud.com
- Fewer organization options than dedicated knowledge tools
Cost / LicenseFreeProprietaryCategoriesObsidian stores notes as plain Markdown files on your device, links them into a knowledge graph and extends with a large plugin ecosystem.
17 Obsidian alternativesPros
- Notes are plain Markdown files stored on your device
- Large ecosystem of community plugins and themes
- Graph view and backlinks for connected notes
Cons
- Official sync and publishing are paid add-ons
- Plugin-heavy setups take time to configure and maintain
- No real-time collaboration on notes
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesCraft is a document and note-taking app with a native, polished design on Mac, iPhone and iPad, also available on Windows and the web. Notes are built from blocks and nested pages with backlinks, can be shared as public web pages or edited together in real time, and include AI writing help, tasks and daily notes.
12 Craft alternativesPros
- Polished native design on Mac, iPhone and iPad
- Block-based pages can be shared as public web pages
- Real-time collaboration plus built-in AI writing help
Cons
- The experience is best on Apple devices, other platforms feel secondary
- Advanced features and AI usage are reserved for paid plans
- Less suited to large databases than Notion-style tools
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryUpNote is a note-taking app with a clean editor, notebooks, tags and links between notes, available on the web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. Notes are stored locally for offline use and synced across devices, with a web clipper and Markdown shortcuts. The free version is capped at a small number of notes, and Premium can be bought once or as a subscription.
11 UpNote alternativesPros
- Clean editor with notebooks, tags and links between notes
- Apps on every platform, including Linux and the web
- Premium is available as a one-time purchase
Cons
- The free version is capped at a small number of notes
- No shared notebooks or real-time collaboration
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesSimplenote is a free note app from Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, that sticks to plain text with optional Markdown, tags and quick search. Notes sync instantly across web, desktop and mobile apps, every change is kept in version history, and notes can be shared with collaborators or published as a web page. The apps are open source.
8 Simplenote alternativesPros
- Free, ad-free and fast plain-text notes
- Instant sync across web, desktop and mobile
- Version history keeps every change to a note
Cons
- No images, attachments or rich formatting
- Organization is limited to tags and search
Cost / LicenseFreeOpen sourceCategoriesNotion combines notes, documents, databases and project management in a flexible block-based workspace, with an integrated AI assistant.
17 Notion alternativesPros
- Docs, wikis and databases combined in one flexible workspace
- Large template gallery for roadmaps, trackers and wikis
- Real-time collaboration with comments, mentions and an API
Cons
- Databases and relations take time to master
- Offline access is limited compared with local-first apps
- Large workspaces can feel slow to load
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesStandard Notes is an open source note-taking app focused on privacy, with end-to-end encryption for every note and file and apps on all major platforms. Notes work offline and sync across devices, and paid plans add rich editors, file storage and longer revision history. The company became part of Proton in 2024, and the sync server can be self-hosted.
9 Standard Notes alternativesPros
- End-to-end encryption for every note and file
- Open source apps on all major platforms
- The sync server can be self-hosted
Cons
- Rich editors, file storage and longer history need a paid plan
- Collaboration features are minimal compared with mainstream apps
Cost / LicenseFreemiumOpen sourceCategoriesEvernote is a long-standing note-taking app, owned by Bending Spoons since 2023, that stores notes, web clips, PDFs, scans and audio in notebooks with tags and full-text search, including text inside images. Recent versions add tasks, calendar integration and AI features, while the free plan has become very limited compared with the paid tiers.
12 Evernote alternativesPros
- Mature web clipper and full-text search, even inside images
- Stores notes, PDFs, scans and audio in one place
- Tasks and calendar integration alongside notes
Cons
- The free plan is very limited compared with paid tiers
- Paid plans are expensive compared with many note apps
- Apps can feel heavier and slower than lighter note tools
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesNotesnook is an open source note-taking app that encrypts every note end to end on your device before syncing it. It offers notebooks, tags, rich text with Markdown shortcuts, an app lock, a private vault and a web clipper, on the web, desktop and mobile. A free plan is available, and the sync server can also be self-hosted.
9 Notesnook alternativesPros
- Every note is end-to-end encrypted on your device before syncing
- Open source apps on web, desktop and mobile
- The sync server can be self-hosted
Cons
- Fewer integrations and plugins than mainstream note apps
- Some features are limited on the free plan
Cost / LicenseFreemiumOpen sourceCategories
Bear vs its alternatives at a glance
Pricing, platforms and the key features of Bear, compared with its most popular alternatives.
| App | Pricing | Platforms | Bidirectional links | Cross-device sync | Dark mode | Markdown support | OCR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bear | Freemium | Mac, iPhone | |||||
 Apple Notes | Free | Web, Mac, iPhone | |||||
 Obsidian | Freemium | Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android | |||||
 Craft | Freemium | Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone | |||||
 UpNote | Freemium | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android | |||||
 Simplenote | FreeOpen source | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android |
Bear alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Bear?
The most popular alternative to Bear is Apple Notes: Built-in notes app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Other great alternatives are Obsidian, Craft, UpNote, and Simplenote.
Is there a free alternative to Bear?
Yes, 9 alternatives are free or have a free plan, including Apple Notes, Obsidian, Craft, and UpNote.
Is there an open source alternative to Bear?
Yes, 3 open source alternatives are listed, including Simplenote, Standard Notes, and Notesnook.
Is Bear free?
Bear has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features.
Compare Bear with its alternatives
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