# Bear Markdown Notes & Journal vs PDF Scanner & OCR

The clearest difference is device support: Bear Markdown Notes & Journal at 4 against PDF Scanner & OCR's 1. Bear Markdown Notes & Journal also leads on iOS requirement (16 vs 18.0). 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 PDF Scanner & OCR sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, PDF Scanner & OCR every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear Markdown Notes & Journal | PDF Scanner & OCR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Leonid Resenchuk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1616023236) |

## 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


### PDF Scanner & OCR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-scanner-and-ocr-docuclean/id6815216632)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear Markdown Notes & Journal free?

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

### Is PDF Scanner & OCR free?

PDF Scanner & OCR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or PDF Scanner & OCR have ads?

Neither Bear Markdown Notes & Journal nor PDF Scanner & OCR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal or PDF Scanner & OCR?

Bear Markdown Notes & Journal ships an update every 10 days, and PDF Scanner & OCR every 5 days. Most recently, Bear Markdown Notes & Journal was updated on November 7, 2026 and PDF Scanner & OCR on October 31, 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.*