# Bear vs GitWriter

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear at 77% against GitWriter's 0%. Bear also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). 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 GitWriter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.0. 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 0% of GitWriter's.

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, GitWriter every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | GitWriter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gitwriter-markdown-anywhere/id6757675586/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **76.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 230 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Anthony Brooks](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511811463) |

## 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


### GitWriter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gitwriter-markdown-anywhere/id6757675586)

This app provides a mobile Markdown editor integrated with Git repositories. It allows users to write, edit, and sync Markdown files directly from their iPhone or iPad, offering features like version control, offline editing, and export options.

**Highlights:** Edit Markdown files with distraction-free interface, Git repository integration with OAuth login, Offline editing and background sync, Version history and revert functionality, Export Markdown to Word documents, Create new branches and files on mobile

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Backer | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Backer | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is GitWriter free?

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

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

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while GitWriter averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bear or GitWriter have ads?

Neither Bear nor GitWriter shows ads.

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

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, and GitWriter every 4 months. Most recently, Bear was updated on October 13, 2026 and GitWriter on October 11, 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.*