# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs Notes for Apple Watch

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal at 77% against Notes for Apple Watch's 40%. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Notes for Apple Watch's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 Notes for Apple Watch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's written reviews are positive against 40% of Notes for Apple Watch's.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, Notes for Apple Watch weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | Notes for Apple Watch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447/reviews)** | [4.3 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-for-apple-watch/id1453148171/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 2.8K |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 40.0% 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 | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Kpaw, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1275307195) |

## 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


### Notes for Apple Watch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-for-apple-watch/id1453148171)

Effortlessly create, view, and manage all your notes directly on your Apple Watch. Syncs seamlessly with your iPhone and iPad, offering intuitive organization with color themes and efficient input methods.

**Highlights:** Compose notes on Apple Watch, Browse, view, and edit notes, Automatic syncing across devices, Color themes for organization, FlickType Keyboard support

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Premium | $5.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Useful for quick notes
- 👍 Convenient for Apple Watch
- 👍 Accurate keyboard
- 👍 Syncs notes between devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription required for syncing
- 💰 Expensive monthly fee
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes on Apple Watch
- 🐛 Keyboard issues (can't scroll, delete, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

- Notes not syncing properly between devices
- App freezing and becoming unresponsive on Apple Watch
- Keyboard issues causing typing difficulties

**Requested features**

- Add ability to edit notes from Apple Watch
- Implement a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
- Improve syncing reliability and speed
- Add more keyboard features (delete word, number pad, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear Markdown Notes & Journal free?

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

### Is Notes for Apple Watch free?

Notes for Apple Watch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or Notes for Apple Watch?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal is rated higher. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Notes for Apple Watch averages 4.3 from 2.8K ratings.

### Do Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or Notes for Apple Watch have ads?

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor Notes for Apple Watch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or Notes for Apple Watch?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and Notes for Apple Watch weekly. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on October 24, 2026 and Notes for Apple Watch on October 24, 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.*