# Aperio vs Bear

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear at 77% against Aperio's 0%. Bear also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 19 months). Aperio's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Bear is free to download; Aperio costs $0.99 up front. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Aperio asks for nothing beyond the download.

Aperio ships an update every 19 months, Bear every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aperio | Bear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | — | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **6.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **76.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 19 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 6 MB | 230 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oratu, s.r.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/362057804) | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) |

## What reviewers say

### Aperio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aperio/id486962478)

This flashcard app allows users to create, import, and study custom card decks. It offers features like automatic narration, progress tracking, and the ability to reverse card sides. Predefined decks for languages are available, with custom creation accessible via a web page.

**Highlights:** Create and import custom flash card decks, Automatically narrated cards, Import decks via web page or CSV, Track study progress, Reverse card sides, Predefined language decks

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aperio free?

Aperio costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bear free?

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

### Do Aperio or Bear have ads?

Neither Aperio nor Bear shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aperio or Bear?

Aperio ships an update every 19 months, and Bear every 2 weeks. Most recently, Aperio was updated on October 13, 2026 and Bear on October 13, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*