# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs paintboard

The clearest difference is rating: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal at 4.7 against paintboard's 1.0. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). paintboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. paintboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal has 6.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, paintboard every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | paintboard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintboard-simple-board/id1196581980/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 230 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [philgoo heo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1153253551) |

## What reviewers say

### Bear Markdown Notes & Journal

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


### paintboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintboard-simple-board/id1196581980)

This app provides a simple digital canvas for drawing and design. It offers various tools like brushes, pencils, and text input, along with photo import and image rotation capabilities. Users can choose from 18 colors and share their creations.

**Highlights:** 18 color palette, Brush, Pencil, Highlighter tools, Text input mode, Photo import, Image rotation, Background color change

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear Markdown Notes & Journal free?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is paintboard free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or paintboard?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal is rated higher. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while paintboard averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or paintboard have ads?

paintboard shows ads; Bear Markdown Notes & Journal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or paintboard?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and paintboard every 2 months. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on October 23, 2026 and paintboard on October 15, 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.*