Bear
Shiny Frog
★ #41 in ProductivityBeautiful Markdown notes with a light AI touch: tags, rewrite, no wiki — Craft's more note-native cousin for people who want pretty files, not a workspace.
Product preview
Overview
Bear is Craft without the magazine layout: pretty notes, tags, a light rewrite. iA Writer is the sentence; this is the note. Obsidian is the vault; this is the pretty file.
It will not become the company wiki. It will become the note you actually reopen. If Apple notes should look good, this is the AI. If you need a graph, Obsidian is the door.
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Pretty notes with a light rewrite
- Tags instead of a wiki tree
- Apple-native
- Not Obsidian-heavy
Cons
- Apple-only
- Not a graph
- Not a company wiki
Who it's for
Pretty daily notes with a rewrite
Tag-based notes without Obsidian
Apple-native Markdown
Notes that should look designed
Bottom line
Pretty Markdown with a light AI — Bear if notes should look good, Obsidian if you need the graph.
Key Features
Tags
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Frequently asked questions
What is Bear?
Bear is a Productivity tool developed by Shiny Frog. The company was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Parma, Italy. Beautiful Markdown notes with a light AI touch: tags, rewrite, no wiki — Craft's more note-native cousin for people who want pretty files, not a workspace.
Is Bear free?
Bear uses a freemium model: a free tier is available, and paid plans unlock more usage and advanced features.
Is Bear open source?
No — Bear is proprietary software.
What are the best alternatives to Bear?
Notable Productivity alternatives include Notion AI, Grammarly, Canva AI. Browse all 4 tools in our Productivity category for a full overview.
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Basic Info
- Pricing
- Freemium
- Rating
- ★ 4.6 (6,100 reviews) Ratings explained
- Platforms
- macOSiOS
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Parma, Italy
- Last verified
- 2026-09-11
