# Bear vs Digext

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bear at 6.9K against Digext's 11. Bear also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16 vs 26.0). Digext's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). 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 Digext sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.69 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Digext 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 11, 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 100% of Digext's.

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, Digext every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Digext |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digext/id6760244966/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 230 MB | 123 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Digext LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883438917) |

## 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


### Digext

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digext/id6760244966)

Organize web links, videos, notes, and conversations in a private, local-first digital library. Utilize built-in tools for reading, playback, and querying your saved content. Optional cloud sync and AI assistance are available.

**Highlights:** Save web links, videos, notes, and conversations, Organize with tags and collections, Built-in reading and playback tools, Private diary functionality, On-device AI for content queries, Optional iCloud sync

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digext Pro | $3.69 | per month |
| Nap App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Flip App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Big Wave App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Spotlight App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Bubbles App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Twin App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Beam App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Bunny App Icon | $1.00 | one-time |
| Digext PRO | $10.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Digext free?

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

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

Digext is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Digext averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do Bear or Digext have ads?

Neither Bear nor Digext shows ads.

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

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, and Digext every 6 days. Most recently, Bear was updated on October 21, 2026 and Digext on October 18, 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.*