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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Bluedot

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bluedot logo

Bluedot

Productivity

Bot-free meeting recorder and AI note taker that runs as a browser extension

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app; Bluedot cancelling ends access immediately and recordings are permanently deleted after thirty days, so the product is unsuitable as a meeting archive and any record you need to keep must be exported before the subscription lapses.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Bluedot covers Bot-free capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bear Notes and Bluedot actually diverge.

Attributes where Bear Notes and Bluedot differ
AttributeBear NotesBluedot
Pricing modelfreemiumPer recording user per month
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, Chrome, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

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 Bear Notes

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

Only in Bluedot

  • Bot-free capture
  • Transcript-based video editing
  • Custom note templates
  • Record-only seat pricing
  • CRM and ATS push
  • Imports
  • Webhooks
  • SSO and SCIM

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Bluedot

  • A sales team where prospects decline to admit recording bots but the manager still needs call notes in the CRMnot Bear Notes
  • A recruiter conducting interviews who wants a structured summary per candidate without a visible third party in the callnot Bear Notes
  • A customer success team of thirty where only four people run calls, so per-recorder pricing costs a fraction of a per-seat competitornot Bear Notes
  • Cutting a short clip from a long call to share internally, done by deleting text from the transcript rather than opening a video editornot Bear Notes

Where each one falls short

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

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

Bluedot

  • Cancelling ends access immediately and recordings are permanently deleted after thirty days, so the product is unsuitable as a meeting archive and any record you need to keep must be exported before the subscription lapses.
  • The Basic tier at $14 records audio only and caps recordings at one hour, which excludes most workshops, training sessions and long client calls and pushes anyone with real meetings to Pro.
  • The free tier gives five meetings in total rather than five a month, so it functions as an extended trial and cannot be used as a genuine free option for occasional users.
  • Recording without a visible bot removes the prompt that alerts participants, but not the consent obligation in jurisdictions requiring all parties to agree, and the product design makes that omission easy to overlook.
  • It is a small independent vendor in a category where Zoom, Microsoft and Google now bundle equivalent summarisation into subscriptions customers already hold, which is sustained pressure on both pricing and survival.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Bluedot

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5 meetings in total, not per month
    • Chrome extension and desktop and mobile apps
    • Basic integrations
  • Basic$14/month
    • Unlimited audio meetings
    • One hour maximum per recording
    • Webhook access
  • Pro$20/month
    • Video meetings as well as audio
    • No recording duration limit
    • Custom templates
  • Business$32/month
    • CRM and applicant tracking integrations
    • SSO and SCIM
    • Admin controls

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Bluedot if

  • You need bot-free capture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want transcript-based video editing.
Bluedot review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Bluedot better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Bluedot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Bluedot?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Bluedot at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Bluedot run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Bluedot runs on Web, Chrome, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
Can I use Bear Notes for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bear Notes best used for?
Bear Notes is most often used for markdown note taking on apple devices, organising notes with nested hashtags rather than folders, exporting notes to pdf, docx, html or epub. Of those, markdown note taking on apple devices and organising notes with nested hashtags rather than folders are not what Bluedot is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Bluedot cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Bluedot covers Bot-free capture, Transcript-based video editing, Custom note templates, Record-only seat pricing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bear Notes: How much does Bear Pro cost per month or year?

Bear Pro costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Annual subscribers receive a 15% discount compared to monthly pricing.

Source
Bluedot: Does Bluedot join the meeting as a bot?

No. It captures through the browser extension or desktop app, so no additional participant is visible to anyone in the call.

Bear Notes: Does Bear offer a free trial before committing to a subscription?

Yes, Bear Pro includes a 7-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
Bluedot: How is it priced?

Per workspace, with charges only for users who record. Free covers five meetings in total, Basic is $14, Pro is $20 and Business is $32 a month on annual billing.

Bear Notes: What export formats are available with Bear Pro?

Bear Pro subscribers can export notes in multiple formats including TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, RTF, PDF, JPG, HTML, DOCX, and ePub.

Source
Bluedot: What happens to my recordings if I cancel?

Access ends at cancellation and recordings are permanently deleted after thirty days. Export anything you need to keep before you cancel.

Bear Notes: Can I sync my notes across devices with the free Bear plan?

No, iCloud sync is only available with Bear Pro. The free plan allows local note access but does not support cloud synchronization across devices.

Source
Bluedot: Can I record video, not just audio?

Only from the Pro tier. Basic is audio only and limits each recording to one hour.

Bear Notes: What features are included in the free Bear plan?

The free plan includes local note access, document scanning, limited export formats, 3 themes, and 1 app icon. PDF and image search requires Bear Pro.

Source
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