# Bear vs Markdown to PDF

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bear at 6.9K against Markdown to PDF's 9. Bear also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and device support (4 vs 2). Markdown to PDF's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Markdown to PDF sells 3 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 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear has 6.9K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 83% of Markdown to PDF'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, Markdown to PDF every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Markdown to PDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-to-pdf-pro-editor/id6760420142/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 230 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Zain Aaban](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883199867) |

## 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


### Markdown to PDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-to-pdf-pro-editor/id6760420142)

Convert markdown files to polished PDFs with live preview and extensive formatting support. Ideal for notes, documents, and sharing code. Offers multiple page sizes, orientations, and font options.

**Highlights:** Live Markdown preview, Export to PDF, Multiple page sizes and orientations, Extensive markdown superset support, Syntax highlighting, Table of contents generation, Siri & Shortcuts support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $6.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Markdown to PDF free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bear or Markdown to PDF?

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Markdown to PDF averages 4.4 from 9 ratings.

### Do Bear or Markdown to PDF have ads?

Neither Bear nor Markdown to PDF shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or Markdown to PDF?

Bear ships an update every 2 weeks, and Markdown to PDF every 4 days. Most recently, Bear was updated on October 14, 2026 and Markdown to PDF on October 6, 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.*