# Bear vs Drafts

The clearest difference is update cadence: Drafts at every 4 days against Bear's every 9 days. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Drafts sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Bear against 4.8 for Drafts. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 11K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 70% of Drafts's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, Drafts every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Drafts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews) | **[4.8 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drafts/id1236254471/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6.9K | **11K** |
| Positive reviews | **76.8% of reviews** | 69.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 230 MB | 82 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Agile Tortoise](https://appshunter.io/developer/331942785) |

## 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


### Drafts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drafts/id1236254471)

Quickly capture text and send it to other apps with this versatile writing tool. It functions as a notebook, editor, and automation tool, allowing for seamless integration with various services and AI LLMs. Organize, customize, and process your text efficiently across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Quick text capture, Send text to other apps, Writing automation tool, Cross-device sync, Text manipulation actions, Customizable interface, AI LLM integration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drafts Pro - Monthly  i | $1.99 | per month |
| Drafts Pro - Annual  i | $19.99 | per year |
| Drafts Pro - Patron  i | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Extremely useful app
- 👍 Powerful and flexible
- 💡 Great for productivity and note-taking
- 👍 Seamless sync across devices
- 🚀 Streamlines workflows

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model is too expensive
- 🤔 Subscription required for advanced features
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤔 Confusing UI changes in newer version
- 💰 Dislike the move to a subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Paste function not working properly
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved integration with other apps
- Ability to edit custom actions without subscription
- One-time purchase option instead of subscription


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Drafts free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bear or Drafts?

Drafts is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Drafts averages 4.8 from 11K ratings.

### Do Bear or Drafts have ads?

Neither Bear nor Drafts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or Drafts?

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and Drafts every 4 days. Most recently, Bear was updated on September 25, 2026 and Drafts on September 25, 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.*