# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs FTL Paint

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FTL Paint at none against Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's 2. FTL Paint also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's advantage is ratings volume (6.9K vs 2) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. FTL Paint asks for nothing beyond the download.

FTL Paint holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal has 6.9K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's written reviews are positive against 100% of FTL Paint's.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, FTL Paint every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | FTL Paint |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ftl-paint/id1533362594/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 263 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Nikolai Shkurkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1332590548) |

## What reviewers say

### Bear Markdown Notes & Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447)

Capture, write, and organize your thoughts and ideas with a beautiful and powerful Markdown editor. Create lists, tasks, link notes, and export in various formats. Offers a private and distraction-free writing experience.

**Highlights:** Markdown editor with formatting, Note linking and organization with tags, Task creation and management, Web content clipping, Apple Pencil sketching support, Export to multiple formats, Dictate notes with Apple Watch

**Features:** Safari Extension, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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


### FTL Paint

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ftl-paint/id1533362594)

Create 8-bit pixel art on your mobile device with a suite of common and advanced tools. Import images, manage layers, and export your creations as PNGs or JSON. Ideal for casual users, artists, and game developers on the go.

**Highlights:** Common and advanced drawing tools, Image import and export, Layer management, Color mixers, Sprite sheet and tilemap creation, Animation support, PNG and JSON export

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear Markdown Notes & Journal free?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is FTL Paint free?

FTL Paint is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or FTL Paint?

FTL Paint is rated higher. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while FTL Paint averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or FTL Paint have ads?

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor FTL Paint shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or FTL Paint?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and FTL Paint every 2 months. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on November 6, 2026 and FTL Paint on November 3, 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.*