# Bear vs Handwriting & Calligraphy Font

The clearest difference is price: Bear at Free against Handwriting & Calligraphy Font's $4.99. Bear also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (6.9K vs 157). Handwriting & Calligraphy Font's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Bear is free to download; Handwriting & Calligraphy Font costs $4.99 up front. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Handwriting & Calligraphy Font asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Bear against 4.7 for Handwriting & Calligraphy Font. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear has 6.9K ratings behind it against 157, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 75% of Handwriting & Calligraphy Font's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, Handwriting & Calligraphy Font every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Handwriting & Calligraphy Font |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews) | [4.7 (157 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handwriting-and-calligraphy-font/id1516190198/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 157 |
| Positive reviews | **76.8% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Size | 230 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [michael dardol](https://appshunter.io/developer/478875188) |

## 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


### Handwriting & Calligraphy Font

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handwriting-and-calligraphy-font/id1516190198)

Create stylish invitations and event cards with a selection of 26 cursive fonts. Easily install and use these fonts across various applications like Office, Keynote, and Cricut. Test and share your creations directly within the app.

**Highlights:** 26 stylish cursive fonts, Create invitation cards, Use in Office, Keynote, Cricut, Easy font installation, Test and share text, Privacy-focused, no tracking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Handwriting & Calligraphy Font free?

Handwriting & Calligraphy Font costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bear or Handwriting & Calligraphy Font?

Bear and Handwriting & Calligraphy Font are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6.9K and 157 ratings respectively.

### Do Bear or Handwriting & Calligraphy Font have ads?

Neither Bear nor Handwriting & Calligraphy Font shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or Handwriting & Calligraphy Font?

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and Handwriting & Calligraphy Font every 4 months. Most recently, Bear was updated on September 25, 2026 and Handwriting & Calligraphy Font on September 20, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*