# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs Today

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Today at none against Bear Markdown Notes & Journal's 2. Today also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 10 days) 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 2). On price, 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. Today asks for nothing beyond the download.

Today 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.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, Today daily. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | Today |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/today-daily-focus/id6762412784/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 230 MB | 345 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Jared Moskowitz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508821386) |

## 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

**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


### Today

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/today-daily-focus/id6762412784)

This app offers a minimalist approach to productivity, combining a simple daily task list with a focus timer. It helps you manage your tasks and dedicate focused work sessions without unnecessary complexity.

**Highlights:** Minimalist task management, Focus timer with preset durations, Smart timer suggesting focus times, Calendar integration for meeting visibility, Cross-device sync with optional account, Live Activities for lock screen timer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**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 Today free?

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

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

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

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

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor Today shows ads.

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

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and Today daily. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on October 31, 2026 and Today on October 28, 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.*