# Bear vs Watchsmith

The clearest difference is rating: Bear at 4.7 against Watchsmith's 3.9. Bear also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 38%) and ratings volume (6.9K vs 563). Watchsmith's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Watchsmith sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear has 6.9K ratings behind it against 563, 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 38% of Watchsmith's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, Watchsmith every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Watchsmith |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [3.9 (563 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchsmith/id1483088503/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 563 |
| Positive reviews | **76.8% of reviews** | 38.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 230 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Cross Forward Consulting, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/295660206) |

## 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


### Watchsmith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchsmith/id1483088503)

Personalize your Apple Watch with customizable complications that can dynamically change throughout the day. Access a variety of tools like weather, workouts, and a timezone converter directly from your watch.

**Highlights:** Customizable complications, Dynamic complication scheduling, Weather app, Workout app, Timezone converter, Games, Calendar

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Watchsmith Premium (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Watchsmith Premium (Annual) | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Customizable complications
- 👍 Simplifies date complication
- 🌟 Indispensable app
- 🎨 Fun to customize
- 💡 Innovative features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Complications don't update frequently
- 🔌 Battery life issues
- 🤔 Confusing UI and instructions
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🕰️ Time complications not accurate

**Reported bugs**

- Complications not syncing properly
- App freezes on Apple Watch
- Weather location stuck on LA
- Shared calendar issues

**Requested features**

- Add support for Series 7 and Apple Watch Ultra
- Hourly weather complication
- Year complication
- Celsius temperature option
- Third-party app complications support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Watchsmith free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bear or Watchsmith?

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Watchsmith averages 3.9 from 563 ratings.

### Do Bear or Watchsmith have ads?

Neither Bear nor Watchsmith shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or Watchsmith?

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and Watchsmith every 4 days. Most recently, Bear was updated on September 26, 2026 and Watchsmith on September 27, 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.*