# Bear vs ProtoSketch Lite

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear at 77% against ProtoSketch Lite's 25%. Bear also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.5) and ratings volume (6.9K vs 14). ProtoSketch Lite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ProtoSketch Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear has 6.9K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 25% of ProtoSketch Lite's.

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, ProtoSketch Lite every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | ProtoSketch Lite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [2.5 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/protosketch-lite/id1138319639/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 230 MB | 139 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Codemotion](https://appshunter.io/developer/888877728) |

## What reviewers say

### Bear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447)

A beautiful and simple Markdown app for capturing, writing, and organizing your thoughts and ideas. It offers a distraction-free writing environment, flexible formatting, and powerful organizational tools like tags and tasks. Ideal for anyone looking to streamline their note-taking and creative processes.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free writing environment, Flexible Markdown formatting, Tag-based organization, Task management, Note linking (WikiLinks), Web clipping extension, Apple Pencil sketching

**Features:** Safari Extension, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro subscription | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Elegant and minimalist design
- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
- 💡 Flexible tagging system for organization
- 🔒 Secure and private notes
- 🎨 Customizable themes and fonts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription required for syncing and advanced features
- 🔍 Limited search functionality within notes on iOS
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and resizing
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes reported
- 💻 Lack of web/Windows app for cross-platform access

**Reported bugs**

- Sync issues causing note conflicts and data loss
- Cursor jumping and input issues on iPad
- Inconsistent behavior when importing/exporting content

**Requested features**

- Add password protection for individual notes
- Improve search capabilities to find text within notes
- Implement table support for more robust note-taking
- Develop a web-based version for broader accessibility
- Allow manual sorting and organization of notes


### ProtoSketch Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/protosketch-lite/id1138319639)

This app offers desktop-class vector graphic design tools for iPad, enabling users to create logos, app icons, website layouts, and more. It features a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop elements, a rich library of assets, and Apple Pencil support for detailed sketching.

**Highlights:** Vector brush with variable width, Pen and pencil tools for path drawing, Shape creation tools, Layer management, Extensive asset library, Apple Pencil support, Export to desktop vector format

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

Bear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ProtoSketch Lite free?

ProtoSketch Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bear or ProtoSketch Lite?

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while ProtoSketch Lite averages 2.5 from 14 ratings.

### Do Bear or ProtoSketch Lite have ads?

Neither Bear nor ProtoSketch Lite shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or ProtoSketch Lite?

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, and ProtoSketch Lite every 2 months. Most recently, Bear was updated on October 15, 2026 and ProtoSketch Lite on September 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*