Softwr

Software · head to head

Bear Notes vs Breathe HR

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Software

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Breathe HR logo

Breathe HR

Software

Simple HR software for SMEs

From
£13/month
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: Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app; Breathe HR pricing is banded by headcount, starting at £24 per month for 1 to 10 people, £44 per month for 11 to 20 and £99 per month for 21 to 50
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Breathe HR covers Employee Database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bear Notes and Breathe HR actually diverge.

Attributes where Bear Notes and Breathe HR differ
AttributeBear NotesBreathe HR
Starting priceFree£13/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20152012

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

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 Breathe HR

  • Employee Database
  • Absence Management
  • Document Storage
  • HR Reporting
  • Performance Management
  • Training
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Breathe HR

  • Holiday, absence and sickness tracking for a UK small businessnot Bear Notes
  • Storing HR documents, contracts and e-signaturesnot Bear Notes
  • Performance reviews and onboarding workflows for small teamsnot 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

Breathe HR

  • Pricing is banded by headcount, starting at £24 per month for 1 to 10 people, £44 per month for 11 to 20 and £99 per month for 21 to 50
  • Plans are capped by band up to 151 to 200 people, so it is not sold to organisations above that range on the published ladder
  • The free trial is 14 days
  • Health and safety, e-learning and other modules are sold as add-ons on top of the core HR plan
  • Pricing is quoted in pounds and the product is marketed to UK SMEs

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Breathe HR

£13/month
  • Core$13/month
    • Employee Database
    • Absence Management
    • Documents
  • People Management$18/month
    • All Core features
    • Performance
    • Goals

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 Breathe HR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want absence management.
Breathe HR review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Breathe HR better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Breathe HR at £13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Breathe HR?
Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bear Notes and £13/month for Breathe HR.
Does Bear Notes or Breathe HR run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Breathe HR runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Bear Notes for free?
Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Breathe HR starts at £13/month.
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 Breathe HR is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Breathe HR cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Breathe HR covers Employee Database, Absence Management, Document Storage, HR Reporting.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Bear Notes

More on Breathe HR

Keep looking

Other head to heads