# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs Discreet Notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Discreet Notes at none against Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's 2. Discreet Notes 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 1) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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. Discreet Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Discreet Notes 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 1, 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 Discreet Notes's.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, Discreet Notes every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | Discreet Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discreet-notes/id6478173166/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 263 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Ivan Milicevic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732082181) |

## 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


### Discreet Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discreet-notes/id6478173166)

This app offers a unique way to manage your notes with a strong emphasis on privacy. You can create truly hidden notes accessible only by their specific passphrase, or opt for visible notes for everyday use. It supports Markdown formatting and iCloud sync across Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Truly private hidden notes, Visible notes option, Raw Markdown editor, Markdown preview toggle, iCloud sync, Dark mode

**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 Discreet Notes free?

Discreet Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Discreet Notes is rated higher. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Discreet Notes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or Discreet Notes have ads?

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor Discreet Notes shows ads.

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

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and Discreet Notes every 9 days. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Discreet Notes on October 24, 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.*