# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs Lumo

The clearest difference is update cadence: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal at every 10 days against Lumo's every 2 months. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal also leads on iOS requirement (16 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 and Lumo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, Lumo every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | Lumo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Amol Srivastava](https://appshunter.io/developer/1892119479) |

## What reviewers say

### Bear Markdown Notes & Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes-and-journal/id1016366447)

Capture, write, and organize your thoughts and ideas with a beautiful and powerful Markdown editor. Create lists, tasks, link notes, and export in various formats. Offers a private and distraction-free writing experience.

**Highlights:** Markdown editor with formatting, Note linking and organization with tags, Task creation and management, Web content clipping, Apple Pencil sketching support, Export to multiple formats, Dictate notes with Apple Watch

**Features:** Safari Extension, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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


### Lumo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumo-focus-together/id6781754103)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lumo Pro | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear Markdown Notes & Journal free?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Lumo free?

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

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

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor Lumo shows ads.

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

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and Lumo every 2 months. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on November 4, 2026 and Lumo 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.*