Bear vs Notion

by Gralio Feb 03, 2025

Bear excels in providing a streamlined, private note-taking experience for Apple users. Notion offers a broader suite of tools for team collaboration and project management, but its complexity can be a barrier for some users.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 4888 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 3 hours, 39 minutes of reading.

Logo of Bear
Bear
Logo of Notion
Notion

About

Bear is a note-taking app developed for Apple devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad). Created by an international team, Bear focuses on providing a simple, elegant writing experience. It allows users to organize notes with hashtags and offers features like cross-device syncing and various export options. Bear prioritizes privacy and a clean user interface.
Notion is an all-in-one workspace platform designed to help teams organize information, manage projects, and collaborate effectively. It centralizes notes, documents, tasks, and databases, making it easy for teams to access and share information. Notion allows users to customize their workspace with templates and integrations and offers AI features for writing assistance and information retrieval. It aims to be a flexible solution that adapts to various work styles and replaces the need for multiple single-purpose tools.

Summary

Main difference
Bear is a focused note-taking app for Apple users prioritizing a clean interface and privacy. Notion is a comprehensive workspace platform for teams needing project management, collaboration, and diverse content creation.

Relative strengths of Bear (compared to Notion)

  • Clean and minimalist interface for distraction-free writing.

  • Seamless synchronization across Apple devices.

  • Flexible tagging system for efficient note organization.

Relative weaknesses of Bear (compared to Notion)

  • Lack of web access and real-time collaboration features.

  • Subscription-based pricing model for cross-device syncing.

  • Limited export options and occasional syncing issues.

Who should use Bear VS. Notion

Bear is a minimalist note-taking app designed for Apple users who value a clean, distraction-free writing experience. Users praise its seamless syncing across devices and robust tagging system. However, some find the subscription model and limited export options undesirable. Ideal for individuals, freelancers, and small teams seeking an elegant writing tool.

Notion is an all-in-one workspace for teams and individuals seeking to organize information, manage projects, and collaborate effectively. Users praise Notion's versatility, generous free plan, and real-time collaboration features. However, some find the platform's learning curve steep and desire better offline access. Notion centralizes notes, docs, and tasks, adapting to various work styles.

  • Best for individuals, freelancers, and small to medium-sized teams.

  • Suitable for various industries, especially those focused on writing and content creation.

  • Best for small to medium-sized businesses and enterprises.

  • Suitable for various industries, including marketing, e-commerce, and software development.

Bear and Notion features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need
  • Seamless Markdown
    Not supported

    Bear supports Markdown for text, photos, and lists, but not tables.

    Partially supported

    Notion supports Markdown for text, photos, tables, and lists, but requires specific commands for certain elements.

  • Flexible Tagging
    Supported

    Bear supports flexible tagging for organizing notes and projects.

    Supported

    Notion supports flexible tagging for organizing notes and projects effectively.

  • Powerful Organization Tools
    Partially supported

    Bear supports wikis via note linking and tasks within notes, but not project planning.

    Supported

    Notion allows organizing notes into projects, planning your week, and building a wiki.

  • Note organization
    Not supported

    Bear does not support organizing notes into notebooks, sections, and pages. It relies on a tag-based system for organization.

    Supported

    Notion supports the ability to organize notes into notebooks, sections, and pages.

  • Sections
    Supported

    Bear does not have traditional "sections" in notebooks, but it offers alternative methods for dividing and organizing notes using tags, subtags, and folding sections within notes.

    Supported

    Notion supports the ability to divide notebooks into sections for further organization.

  • AI Content Improver
    Not supported

    Bear does not offer an AI Content Improver tool.

    Supported

    Notion supports the feature of rewriting and improving existing content using AI through its various Notion AI functions.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    -1
    Strongly negative sentiment
    -0.02
    Neutral sentiment
  • Customer Service
    No data
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.7
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.26
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    No data
    -0.39
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Scalability
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    -0.13
    Neutral sentiment
Bear and Notion Pricing
No data

User sentiment

Strongly negative
-1
We couldn't find a pricing page for Bear.
Notion offers a Free plan, three paid plans (Plus, Business, Enterprise) with per seat monthly billing and a Notion AI add-on. The Enterprise plan requires contacting sales for a custom quote.
Plans

User sentiment

Neutral
-0.02

See full Pricing page

Bear and Notion review insights

4795 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • The clean and minimalist interface provides a distraction-free writing environment.
  • Seamless synchronization across Apple devices ensures note accessibility from anywhere.
  • Powerful tagging system with hashtag support enables flexible and efficient note organization.
  • Strong markdown support caters well to users who prefer this style of writing and formatting.
  • Bear's focus on privacy and data security is appreciated by users.
  • The variety of templates and projects that are ready for use.
  • Seamless collaboration with the team thanks to the real-time working feature.
  • The generous free plan which meets the needs of most casual users.
  • It’s so versatile and easy to use! All-in-one software for productivity, notes, and more.

Users dislike

  • Lack of web access and collaborative features limits accessibility and teamwork.
  • The subscription-based pricing model for cross-device syncing is a deterrent for some users.
  • Limited export functionality leads to formatting issues when pasting notes to external platforms.
  • Some users find the markdown-focused interface less intuitive compared to traditional note-taking apps.
  • Occasional syncing issues and lack of robust customer support for resolving them have been reported.
  • The platform is not intuitive - it requires several hours of learning to fully understand what this platform is capable of.
  • Limited offline access capabilities.
  • The mobile app is underwhelming with limited functionality.
  • Limited font selection

Bear and Notion Ratings

  • G2
    4.6/5
    (43)
  • G2
    4.7/5
    (2568)
  • Capterra
    4.7/5
    (2184)
  • TrustPilot
    2.9/5
    (93)
  • Glassdoor
    4.7/5
    (172)

Company health

Employee growth

20% decrease in the last year
92% increase in the last year

Web traffic

No data
5% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

No data
No data

How important is a clean, minimalist UI for your note-taking?

A clean, minimalist UI is very important for my note-taking. I prioritize a distraction-free writing environment and efficient organization. Therefore, software like Bear, which emphasizes these aspects, is highly appealing.

Which product better supports team collaboration and information sharing?

Notion better supports team collaboration and information sharing. It offers real-time co-editing, shared workspaces, and cross-platform accessibility. While Bear has a clean interface and excellent organization features, it lacks any collaborative features, making it unsuitable for teams.

What are the advantages of Bear?

Bear's advantages include a clean, minimalist interface ideal for distraction-free writing, seamless synchronization across Apple devices, and a powerful tagging system for organization. It also offers strong markdown support and prioritizes user privacy. This makes it a good choice for Apple users who value simplicity, a streamlined writing experience, and data security.

What are the disadvantages of Bear?

Bear's lack of a web version and real-time collaboration features makes it unsuitable for teams needing to work together on notes or access them from non-Apple devices. The subscription model for syncing across devices is a potential drawback for cost-conscious users. Limited export options and occasional syncing problems further detract from the user experience. Some users also find the markdown-focused interface less intuitive than traditional note-taking apps.

Alternatives to Bear and Notion

Logo of ClickUp
ClickUp
ClickUp is a comprehensive work management platform designed to consolidate various work processes into one centralized location. It offers a wide array of features including task management, project planning, document collaboration, communication tools, goal setting, and automation options. ClickUp aims to enhance team collaboration, improve visibility across projects, and streamline workflows for increased productivity regardless of team size or industry.
Logo of Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is a versatile digital notebook for capturing, organizing, and sharing your thoughts and information. It's a free, cloud-based app that allows you to create notes, store files, and collaborate with others. OneNote integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products, making it a convenient tool for individuals and teams already using the Microsoft suite.
Logo of Confluence
Confluence
Confluence is a collaborative workspace designed to streamline teamwork and knowledge sharing. It allows you to create, organize, and collaborate on documents, projects, and ideas in one central hub. This eliminates scattered information and keeps everyone on the same page. Confluence integrates with other tools and is highly customizable to adapt to various team needs, from product launches to marketing strategies.
Logo of Notability
Notability is a note-taking app designed for Apple devices. It allows you to combine handwritten notes, typed text, drawings, audio recordings, and images in one place. You can annotate PDFs, making it useful for reviewing documents or collaborating. Notability is popular with students and professionals for its versatility and ease of use.
Logo of Coda
Coda
Coda is a collaborative workspace tool that combines aspects of documents, spreadsheets, and applications. It allows teams to create customized documents with integrated features such as tables, buttons, and automations. Coda aims to centralize information, streamline workflows, and replace multiple single-purpose tools. It's suitable for various teams and tasks like project management, OKR tracking, and creating knowledge bases. Coda is free for individual use with tiered paid plans for teams.
Logo of Evernote Teams
Evernote Teams
Evernote Teams helps businesses organize information and work together more efficiently. It provides a central location for storing notes, documents, and files, making it easy for team members to access and share information from any device, even offline. With powerful search and integration capabilities, teams can quickly find what they need and streamline their workflow.

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