# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs Bricks App

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bricks App at none against Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's 2. Bricks App also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (13 vs 16). Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's advantage is ratings volume (6.9K vs 2). On price, update cadence, 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. Bricks App asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bricks App 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.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | Bricks App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/bricks-app/id6475738673/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 263 MB | 137 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **13** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [The Bricks Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1725042917) |

## What reviewers say

### Bear Markdown Notes & Journal

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


### Bricks App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bricks-app/id6475738673)

This app combines an AI-powered spreadsheet with a visual board builder. Easily input data, use AI for formulas and data enrichment, and then create beautiful visual pages with text, images, and charts.

**Highlights:** AI-driven spreadsheet, Data input and AI formula creation, Internet data enrichment, Visual board for webpages and reports, Text, image, and chart integration, Automatic grid connection

**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 Bricks App free?

Bricks App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or Bricks App?

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

### Do Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or Bricks App have ads?

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor Bricks App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or Bricks App?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and Bricks App every 10 days. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Bricks App on October 30, 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.*