Version: 3.0.3
Operating System: macOS
Developer: Shiny Frog
Interface language: English
Bear - Markdown notes for the Mac
A plain-text notebook that organizes with tags and links between notes, then gets out of the way while you write.
Tags and links in one editor
A new note opens in a window of three columns: tags, the note list, and the page you are writing. Markdown formats as you type, so headings, lists, todos, tables, and inline photos live in the same note. The formatting bar at the top right inserts those marks when you would rather click than type them. Hide Markdown in Settings, under General, when you want the characters gone and the styling left behind. Fold a long section by moving the pointer to the left of a heading and clicking the chevron.
Filing is text, not a folder you drag a note into. Type a hashtag anywhere in the note. Nested tags use a slash, so a draft can sit under a project, and the sidebar gathers every note that carries that tag. One note can wear several tags at once. Type two opening brackets to start note autocomplete, choose a title, and the editor inserts a wiki link. Add a slash to aim that link at a heading. The info panel shows the table of contents and the backlinks that point at the current note. Search from the sidebar, narrow the list with queries such as @todo or @images, or jump to a note from Spotlight.
Keeping a long draft in one place
When the columns get in the way, View and then Show Editor Only leaves the page. A horizontal trackpad swipe can bring the sidebar and the list back if page-swipe gestures are on in System Settings. For a long session, Typewriter Mode holds the line you are typing in the vertical middle of the editor and lets the note scroll instead. Version 3.0.3 is the Mac release that adds that mode. Turn it on from the Edit menu or with Control-Command-T. If you are reviewing rather than writing, the note menu can mark the note read-only so keystrokes do not change it.
What you can do before you subscribe
Writing does not require an account. On the free tier the library stays on that Mac, and export covers plain text, Markdown, TextBundle, the Bear note package, and RTF. Select several notes with Command-click, then use File and Export Notes to write them out together. Bear Pro, priced on the Mac App Store at $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, unlocks iCloud sync to iPhone and iPad, a password on individual notes, an app lock, extra themes and icons, search inside images and PDFs, and export to HTML, Word, PDF, JPG, and ePub. The store listing advertises a 14-day trial, while the vendor FAQ still says seven days, so the sheet at checkout is the length that applies. Shiny Frog says notes stay between you and iCloud. The store build requires macOS 12.4 or later.
It fits journals, research, and drafts when you want one polished library and you accept tags plus Apple's cloud for copies on other devices. A folder of Markdown files you sync yourself, live co-editing, or sync that is free by default points elsewhere: Apple Notes covers everyday capture with less structure, and a vault-style editor fits people who want files on disk.
Show full description Pros & Cons Show details
PROS[*]Tags live in the note text, so one note can appear in several sidebar groups without being copied into folders.
[*]Wiki links can target a heading, and the info panel lists backlinks, so a set of notes can be walked in both directions.
[*]Typewriter Mode and Show Editor Only hold a long draft on one line and hide the tag and note columns.
[*]Free export to Markdown, TextBundle, and plain text keeps the library portable if you stop using the app.
[*]Queries such as @todo and @images, plus Spotlight, find tasks and notes without scrolling the whole sidebar.
[*]One Bear Pro subscription is tied to an Apple ID and is meant to unlock the same Pro features on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
CONS[*]iCloud sync, per-note encryption, image and PDF search, extra themes, and HTML, Word, PDF, JPG, and ePub export require a Bear Pro subscription.
[*]The Mac App Store listing advertises a 14-day trial while the vendor FAQ still says seven days, so the trial length is easy to misread before checkout.
[*]Without Pro, notes stay on the Mac where you wrote them, and Bear does not offer a folder of Markdown files as its sync method.
[*]This Mac build requires macOS 12.4 or later, so older systems cannot install 3.0.3 from the App Store.
[*]Wiki links stay inside the app, and there is no live co-editing or shared team workspace.
[*]Nested tags can sprawl, and the app will not force a strict outline or database if that is the structure you wanted.
What's New in 3.0.3 Show details [*][Typewriter Mode] - Keeps the line you are writing locked in the vertical middle of the screen; turn it on from Edit › Typewriter Mode or press Control-Command-T.
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Bear 3.0.3 for Mac (56 MB)
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