# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs OutSmart | Field Service

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal at 77% against OutSmart | Field Service's 43%. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal also leads on ratings volume (6.9K vs 1) and iOS requirement (16 vs 18.6). OutSmart | Field Service's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and OutSmart | Field Service sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

OutSmart | Field Service holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. 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. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's written reviews are positive against 43% of OutSmart | Field Service's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, OutSmart | Field Service weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | OutSmart | Field Service |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outsmart-field-service/id1314341924/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 230 MB | 78 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [OutSmart International B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1032325882) |

## 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


### OutSmart | Field Service

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outsmart-field-service/id1314341924)

Streamline field service operations with digital work orders, customer signatures, and photo documentation. This app helps manage agents, track materials, and send PDF receipts, improving efficiency and reducing costs for service businesses.

**Highlights:** Digital work orders, Customer digital signatures, Photo documentation, Agent tracking, Material tracking, PDF receipt generation, Cloud-based integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Essential Version | $8.49 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear Markdown Notes & Journal free?

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

### Is OutSmart | Field Service free?

OutSmart | Field Service is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or OutSmart | Field Service?

OutSmart | Field Service is rated higher. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while OutSmart | Field Service averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or OutSmart | Field Service have ads?

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor OutSmart | Field Service shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or OutSmart | Field Service?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and OutSmart | Field Service weekly. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on October 29, 2026 and OutSmart | Field Service on October 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.*