# NoteBox vs Bear

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Bear at 6.9K against NoteBox's 10. Bear also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). NoteBox's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 77%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NoteBox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for NoteBox against 4.7 for Bear. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bear has 6.9K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of NoteBox's written reviews are positive against 77% of Bear's.

NoteBox ships an update monthly, Bear every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NoteBox | Bear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebox-simple-and-powerful/id899446595/reviews) | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **6.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **89.8% of reviews** | 76.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 25 MB | 230 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Elaborapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/899446598) | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) |

## What reviewers say

### NoteBox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebox-simple-and-powerful/id899446595)

This app offers a streamlined note-taking experience with quick input, powerful text editing, and seamless syncing across devices. Easily organize, search, and share your notes with extensive integration options.

**Highlights:** Quick note input from various sources, Disturbance-free text editing with advanced formatting, Fast iCloud syncing across iOS devices, Extensive sharing options to numerous apps, In-note text search and Google/Wikipedia integration, Support for external keyboards and VoiceOver

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock note capacity limit | $1.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock note capacity limit | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlock note capacity limit | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock note capacity limit | $4.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock note capacity limit | $5.99 | one-time |
| Unlock note capacity limit | $6.99 | one-time |
| Unlock note capacity limit | $7.99 | one-time |


### 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 NoteBox free?

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

### Is Bear free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NoteBox or Bear?

Bear is rated higher. NoteBox averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Bear averages 4.7 from 6.9K ratings.

### Do NoteBox or Bear have ads?

Neither NoteBox nor Bear shows ads.

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

NoteBox ships an update monthly, and Bear every 9 days. Most recently, NoteBox was updated on June 10, 2026 and Bear on September 30, 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.*