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Design Tools · head to head

Adobe Illustrator vs Bear Notes

Adobe Illustrator logo

Adobe Illustrator

Design Tools

Professional vector graphics software

From
$22.99/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: Adobe Illustrator listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey; Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app
  • They diverge on capability: Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Adobe Illustrator and Bear Notes actually diverge.

Attributes where Adobe Illustrator and Bear Notes differ
AttributeAdobe IllustratorBear Notes
Starting price$22.99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Macos, IosMacOS, IOS, IPadOS
CategoryDesign ToolsProductivity
Founded19822015

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 Adobe Illustrator

  • Vector drawing
  • Bezier tools
  • Shape tools
  • Typography
  • Gradients & effects
  • Symbols & instances
  • Artboards
  • 3D capabilities

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.

Adobe Illustrator

  • Logo designnot Bear Notes
  • Vector illustrationnot Bear Notes
  • Icon designnot Bear Notes
  • Print designnot Bear Notes

Bear Notes

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

Where each one falls short

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

Adobe Illustrator

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey

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

Adobe Illustrator

$22.99/month
  • Single App$22.99/month
    • Illustrator desktop app
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Fonts
  • All Apps$59.99/month
    • All Creative Cloud apps
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Stock trial

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 Adobe Illustrator if

  • You need vector drawing.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
  • You also want bezier tools.
Adobe Illustrator 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 Adobe Illustrator or Bear Notes better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month and Bear Notes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Illustrator or Bear Notes?
Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $22.99/month for Adobe Illustrator and Free for Bear Notes.
Does Adobe Illustrator or Bear Notes run on more platforms?
Adobe Illustrator runs on Windows, Macos, Ios. 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. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month.
What is Adobe Illustrator best used for?
Adobe Illustrator is most often used for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, print design. Of those, logo design and vector illustration are not what Bear Notes is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Illustrator do that Bear Notes cannot?
Adobe Illustrator covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Shape tools, Typography. Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support.
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