# Bear vs Markdown Editor & Reader

The clearest difference is device support: Bear at 4 against Markdown Editor & Reader's 2. On price, update cadence, 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 Editor & Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, Markdown Editor & Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Markdown Editor & Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 230 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Dang Nam Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1779685594) |

## 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 Editor & Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/markdown-editor-and-reader/id6768164089)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MD Preview Pro (Lifetime) | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

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

### Is Markdown Editor & Reader free?

Markdown Editor & Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Bear or Markdown Editor & Reader have ads?

Neither Bear nor Markdown Editor & Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or Markdown Editor & Reader?

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and Markdown Editor & Reader weekly. Most recently, Bear was updated on September 25, 2026 and Markdown Editor & Reader on September 5, 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.*