# Bear vs iMarkdown

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bear at 6.9K against iMarkdown's 1. iMarkdown's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 3 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 iMarkdown sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

iMarkdown holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear has 6.9K ratings behind it against 1, 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 90% of iMarkdown's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, iMarkdown every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | iMarkdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imarkdown/id1530323530/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | **90.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 230 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [HIROMOTO TSUJI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1106215904) |

## 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


### iMarkdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imarkdown/id1530323530)

A fast and simple Markdown editor for iPhone and iPad with full GitHub Flavored Markdown support. It offers iCloud sync, dark mode, and exports to various formats. Easily preview and auto-save your documents.

**Highlights:** GitHub Flavored Markdown support, iCloud sync, Dark mode, Export to Markdown, PDF, PNG, Quick preview, Auto-saving

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $0.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Pro | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is iMarkdown free?

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

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

iMarkdown is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while iMarkdown averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bear or iMarkdown have ads?

Neither Bear nor iMarkdown shows ads.

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

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and iMarkdown every 3 days. Most recently, Bear was updated on October 10, 2026 and iMarkdown on September 18, 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.*