Bear vs Joplin: Features, Pricing and User Reviews 2026
Bear
Beautiful Markdown Note-Taking App for Mac, iPhone & iPad
Joplin
Free Open-Source Note-Taking App with Encryption
Bear
Beautiful Markdown Note-Taking App for Mac, iPhone & iPad
Joplin
Free Open-Source Note-Taking App with Encryption
What are Bear and Joplin?
Bear is a writing and note-taking tool that runs on Apple devices. You type notes in plain text and add formatting using simple Markdown commands. This means you can make text bold, create headers, add links, or insert images without reaching for your mouse.
The app organizes notes using tags. Instead of putting notes in folders, you add hashtags anywhere in your text. These tags appear in the sidebar, and you can nest them for deeper organization. For example, you might use tags like work, personal, or ideas.
Bear keeps everything private and stored locally on your device. The free version offers solid features, while Bear Pro adds extras like cloud sync between devices, more export options, and the ability to search text inside images and PDF files.
Joplin is a powerful tool for capturing and organizing your thoughts, to-do lists, and information. It supports rich text and Markdown formatting, allowing you to create notes with images, attachments, tables, and even code snippets. You can clip web pages directly from your browser and save them as notes for later reference.
What makes Joplin special is its focus on privacy and data ownership. Your notes are stored locally on your devices, not on someone else's server. When you sync across devices, everything is protected with end-to-end encryption, meaning only you can read your content.
The app offers multiple sync options including Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, or Joplin's own cloud service. You can also customize Joplin with plugins and themes to match your workflow perfectly.
Features of Bear and Joplin
Markdown text formatting with simple commands
Tag-based organization with nested tags
Cross-device sync with iCloud (Pro)
Apple Pencil sketching support on iPad
Export to PDF, Word, HTML, and more formats
Search text inside images and PDFs (Pro)
28+ beautiful themes to customize appearance
Password and Face ID note encryption
Apple Watch dictation support
No account required to start
Free and open-source with no tracking or ads
End-to-end encryption for complete privacy
Sync across unlimited devices
Markdown and rich text editing
Web clipper for Chrome and Firefox
Import notes from Evernote
Create to-do lists with reminders
Search inside PDFs and images
Offline-first design
Community plugins and themes available
Use Cases of Bear and Joplin
Pricing of Bear and Joplin
Bear offers both free and paid options to fit different needs. The free version gives you access to all core features including unlimited notes, document scanning, basic export options, and three themes. You can use Bear free forever without paying anything.
Bear Pro costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year, saving you about 15 percent with the annual plan. The 7-day free trial lets you test all Pro features before deciding. Pro adds powerful extras like sync between all your Apple devices using iCloud, more export formats including PDF and Word, over 28 beautiful themes, search inside images and PDFs, and 15 custom app icons.
The yearly price may vary based on your country and local taxes. Whether you choose free or Pro, there are no ads or data collection in Bear.
Joplin offers flexible pricing to suit different needs. The core desktop and mobile apps are completely free to download and use without limits. You only pay if you want cloud syncing through Joplin's hosted service.
The Basic plan costs €2.99 per month (€2.40 monthly when paid yearly) and includes 2 GB storage with 10 MB per note limit. You can sync unlimited devices and collaborate with others.
The Pro plan costs €5.99 per month (€4.79 monthly when paid yearly) with 30 GB storage and 200 MB per note. It includes all Basic features plus priority support.
The Teams plan costs €7.99 per month (€6.69 monthly when paid yearly) per user with a minimum of 2 users. You get 50 GB storage, team management tools, and consolidated billing.
For businesses wanting full control, Joplin Server Business lets you host everything on your own infrastructure with custom pricing available.
FAQs: Bear vs Joplin
Reviews: Bear vs Joplin
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