# Bear vs Notes for Apple Watch

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear at 77% against Notes for Apple Watch's 40%. Bear also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear 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 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 40% of Notes for Apple Watch's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, Notes for Apple Watch weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Notes for Apple Watch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [4.3 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-for-apple-watch/id1453148171/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 2.7K |
| Positive reviews | **76.8% of reviews** | 39.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 230 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **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

[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


### 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 free?

Bear 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 or Notes for Apple Watch?

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Notes for Apple Watch averages 4.3 from 2.7K ratings.

### Do Bear or Notes for Apple Watch have ads?

Neither Bear nor Notes for Apple Watch shows ads.

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

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and Notes for Apple Watch weekly. Most recently, Bear was updated on September 25, 2026 and Notes for Apple Watch 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.*