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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Acuity Scheduling vs Bear Notes

Acuity Scheduling logo

Acuity Scheduling

Scheduling & Booking

Scheduling made simple

From
$16/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: Acuity Scheduling starter tier limited to 1 calendar only; Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app
  • They diverge on capability: Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Acuity Scheduling and Bear Notes actually diverge.

Attributes where Acuity Scheduling and Bear Notes differ
AttributeAcuity SchedulingBear Notes
Starting price$16/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebMacOS, IOS, IPadOS
CategoryScheduling & BookingProductivity
Founded20032015

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 Acuity Scheduling

  • Online booking
  • Appointment types
  • Calendar sync
  • Payment processing
  • Email reminders
  • Client self-scheduling
  • Packages & memberships
  • Timezone detection

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.

Acuity Scheduling

  • Client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversionnot Bear Notes
  • HIPAA-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitionersnot Bear Notes
  • Multi-location scheduling with multiple staff membersnot Bear Notes
  • Membership, package sales, and gift certificate managementnot Bear Notes

Bear Notes

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

Where each one falls short

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

Acuity Scheduling

  • Starter tier limited to 1 calendar only
  • SMS/text reminders, memberships, and gift certificates require Standard or Premium tier
  • HIPAA compliance (BAA signature) exclusive to Premium tier at $49/month
  • Custom API and CSS access, and Acuity branding removal require Premium tier

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

Acuity Scheduling

$16/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Acuity Scheduling review.

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 Acuity Scheduling if

  • You need online booking.
  • You also want appointment types.
Acuity Scheduling 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 Acuity Scheduling or Bear Notes better?
Neither clearly leads. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month and Bear Notes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Acuity Scheduling or Bear Notes?
Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $16/month for Acuity Scheduling and Free for Bear Notes.
Does Acuity Scheduling or Bear Notes run on more platforms?
Acuity Scheduling runs on Web. 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. Acuity Scheduling starts at $16/month.
What is Acuity Scheduling best used for?
Acuity Scheduling is most often used for client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversion, hipaa-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitioners, multi-location scheduling with multiple staff members, membership, package sales, and gift certificate management. Of those, client self-scheduling with automated time zone conversion and hipaa-compliant scheduling for healthcare practitioners are not what Bear Notes is typically brought in for.
What can Acuity Scheduling do that Bear Notes cannot?
Acuity Scheduling covers Online booking, Appointment types, Calendar sync, Payment processing. Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support.
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