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HR & Recruiting · head to head

15Five vs Bear Notes

15Five logo

15Five

HR & Recruiting

Performance management that drives results

From
$4/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bear Notes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 15Five split across three tiers, so performance reviews, OKRs and 360 feedback need Perform at $11 per user per month rather than the $4 Engage tier; Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app
  • They diverge on capability: 15Five covers Weekly check-ins, Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 15Five and Bear Notes actually diverge.

Attributes where 15Five and Bear Notes differ
Attribute15FiveBear Notes
Starting price$4/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiMacOS, IOS, IPadOS
CategoryHR & RecruitingProductivity
Founded20112015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 15Five

  • Weekly check-ins
  • 1-on-1 meetings
  • OKRs & goal tracking
  • Performance reviews
  • High fives recognition
  • Engagement surveys
  • Pulse surveys
  • Manager effectiveness

Only in Bear Notes

  • Markdown-based notes
  • Powerful tag system
  • Rich text formatting
  • Image support
  • iCloud sync
  • Dark and light themes
  • Encryption support
  • Backup and restore

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

15Five

  • Running engagement surveys with heat maps and benchmarkingnot Bear Notes
  • Performance reviews and continuous feedback cyclesnot Bear Notes
  • Setting and tracking OKRsnot Bear Notes
  • 360 degree feedback and talent matrix reviewsnot Bear Notes
  • Compensation review cycles as a paid add-onnot Bear Notes

Bear Notes

  • Markdown note taking on Apple devicesnot 15Five
  • Organising notes with nested hashtags rather than foldersnot 15Five
  • Exporting notes to PDF, DOCX, HTML or ePubnot 15Five

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

15Five

  • Split across three tiers, so performance reviews, OKRs and 360 feedback need Perform at $11 per user per month rather than the $4 Engage tier
  • Manager training microlearnings are only in Total Platform at $16 per user per month
  • Compensation is a paid add-on at $9 per user per month, rising to $11 with benchmarking
  • The Kona meeting assistant is a further $2 per employee per month and Kona Coach $19 per manager per month
  • Advertised prices are the annual rates

Bear Notes

  • Apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app
  • Sync across devices requires Bear Pro and works through iCloud only
  • The free version is limited to 3 export formats, 3 themes and 1 app icon
  • OCR search inside images and PDFs is Pro only
  • Note encryption is Pro only
  • The Pro trial lasts 7 days

Pricing, plan by plan

15Five

$4/month
  • Engage$4/month
    • Engagement surveys
    • Pulse surveys
    • Action planning
  • Perform$10/month
    • Weekly check-ins
    • 1-on-1s
    • Performance reviews
  • Total Platform$16/month
    • Everything in Engage & Perform
    • Career paths
    • Competencies

Bear Notes

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Note creation and organization
    • Tags
    • Local sync
  • Premium$1.99/month
    • iCloud sync
    • Themes
    • Markdown export

Which should you pick?

Choose 15Five if

  • You need weekly check-ins.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want 1-on-1 meetings.
15Five review

Choose Bear Notes if

  • You need markdown-based notes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
  • You also want powerful tag system.
Bear Notes review

Questions people ask

Is 15Five or Bear Notes better?
Neither clearly leads. 15Five starts at $4/month and Bear Notes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 15Five or Bear Notes?
Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4/month for 15Five and Free for Bear Notes.
Does 15Five or Bear Notes run on more platforms?
15Five runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
Can I use Bear Notes for free?
Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 15Five starts at $4/month.
What is 15Five best used for?
15Five is most often used for running engagement surveys with heat maps and benchmarking, performance reviews and continuous feedback cycles, setting and tracking okrs, 360 degree feedback and talent matrix reviews. Of those, running engagement surveys with heat maps and benchmarking and performance reviews and continuous feedback cycles are not what Bear Notes is typically brought in for.
What can 15Five do that Bear Notes cannot?
15Five covers Weekly check-ins, 1-on-1 meetings, OKRs & goal tracking, Performance reviews. Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support.
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