# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs Solume

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal at 16 against Solume's 26.5. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 Solume sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, Solume weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | Solume |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 230 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 26.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [NATALIA TOMSA](https://appshunter.io/developer/6792757593) |

## 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


### Solume

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solume/id6806598533)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Solume Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Solume Welcome Offer | $12.99 | per year |
| Solume Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Solume Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | 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 Solume free?

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

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

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor Solume shows ads.

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

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and Solume weekly. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on October 28, 2026 and Solume on October 24, 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.*