# Bear vs 9Cut

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear at 77% against 9Cut's 0%. Bear also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). 9Cut's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 and 9Cut sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear has 6.9K ratings behind it against 12, 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 0% of 9Cut's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, 9Cut every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | 9Cut |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [4.3 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/9cut/id1275439530/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | **76.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 230 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [鹏 刘](https://appshunter.io/developer/971635267) |

## 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


### 9Cut

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/9cut/id1275439530)

Easily divide your photos into nine grid sections for a unique social media presentation. Apply special effects to enhance your images before sharing them and receiving praise.

**Highlights:** Divide photos into 9 sections, Apply special effects, Save images to album, Social media sharing, User-friendly interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Christmas theme | $0.99 | one-time |
| New Year's Day theme | $0.99 | one-time |
| Valentine's Day theme | $0.99 | one-time |
| All themes | $1.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade Pro | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is 9Cut free?

9Cut is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bear or 9Cut?

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while 9Cut averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.

### Do Bear or 9Cut have ads?

9Cut shows ads; Bear does not.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or 9Cut?

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and 9Cut every 6 weeks. Most recently, Bear was updated on October 3, 2026 and 9Cut on September 23, 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.*