# Bear vs Breakly

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bear at 6.9K against Breakly's 2. Bear also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Breakly's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Breakly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Breakly 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 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 75% of Breakly's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, Breakly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Breakly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breakly-screen-time-limit/id6503225166/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 230 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 16.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Good Orbit Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1597212955) |

## 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


### Breakly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breakly-screen-time-limit/id6503225166)

This app enforces mandatory screen time breaks by locking your phone, eliminating the need for willpower. It offers customizable break durations and integrates eye-saving techniques.

**Highlights:** Unbreakable breaks with phone locking, Strict Mode to block all apps, Configurable mini and long breaks, Intelligent timer pauses on lock, 20-20-20 rule reminders for eye health

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| quarterly member | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| annual member | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Breakly free?

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

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

Breakly is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Breakly averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Bear or Breakly have ads?

Neither Bear nor Breakly shows ads.

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

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, and Breakly fortnightly. Most recently, Bear was updated on October 14, 2026 and Breakly on September 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.*