# Bear vs Meeting Notes & Work Planner

The clearest difference is rating: Bear at 4.7 against Meeting Notes & Work Planner's 4.1. Bear also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and review sentiment (77% vs 66%). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 Meeting Notes & Work Planner sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 1.9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 66% of Meeting Notes & Work Planner's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, Meeting Notes & Work Planner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Meeting Notes & Work Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [4.1 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meeting-notes-and-work-planner/id1476107990/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1.9K |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 65.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Size | 230 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Giant Brains](https://appshunter.io/developer/1475947964) |

## 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


### Meeting Notes & Work Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meeting-notes-and-work-planner/id1476107990)

Capture your thoughts and ideas with a versatile note-taking app. Easily create handwritten notes, add images, and convert speech to text. Organize your content with folders and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note creation, Image integration, Speech-to-text conversion, Drawing and doodling tools, Folder organization, Cloud synchronization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| New Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Simple and straightforward
- 💡 Helpful for organizing notes
- 👍 Good for handwritten notes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔒 Concerns about security and privacy
- 👎 Confusing interface and navigation
- 🤖 Annoying pop-ups asking for reviews

**Reported bugs**

- Notes getting deleted unexpectedly
- Inability to edit or move images
- Syncing issues across devices
- Freezing and performance problems

**Requested features**

- Add more customization options
- Improve stability and reliability
- Provide better support and documentation
- Allow more flexibility in note-taking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Meeting Notes & Work Planner free?

Meeting Notes & Work Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bear or Meeting Notes & Work Planner?

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Meeting Notes & Work Planner averages 4.1 from 1.9K ratings.

### Do Bear or Meeting Notes & Work Planner have ads?

Neither Bear nor Meeting Notes & Work Planner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or Meeting Notes & Work Planner?

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and Meeting Notes & Work Planner every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bear was updated on September 24, 2026 and Meeting Notes & Work Planner on September 22, 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.*