# Simpletext vs Bear Notes

The clearest difference is price: Bear Notes at Free against Simpletext's $14.99. Bear Notes also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months). Simpletext's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Bear Notes is free to download; Simpletext costs $14.99 up front. Bear Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simpletext asks for nothing beyond the download.

Simpletext ships an update every 3 months, Bear Notes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simpletext | Bear Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.1 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpletext/id1319340670/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **23** | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yeow Jin Gan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1241352692) | [Charly Nelson](https://appshunter.io/developer/6804728089) |

## What reviewers say

### Simpletext

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpletext/id1319340670)

This app offers a minimalist writing experience, focusing solely on plain text. It provides a distraction-free environment with beautiful typography and native performance across Apple devices. Ideal for those who want to concentrate on their words without unnecessary features.

**Highlights:** Zero clutter interface, Beautiful typography with professional fonts, Plain text only support, Fully native Apple app, Supports custom fonts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Bear Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-notes/id6804727937)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock all the doors | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simpletext free?

Simpletext costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bear Notes free?

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

### Do Simpletext or Bear Notes have ads?

Neither Simpletext nor Bear Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Simpletext or Bear Notes?

Simpletext ships an update every 3 months, and Bear Notes every 2 days. Most recently, Simpletext was updated on September 26, 2026 and Bear Notes on October 1, 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.*