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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Circleback

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
C

Circleback

Productivity

Unbelievably good meeting notes

From
On request
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; Circleback individual pricing is set at $20.83 per user per month, above the $25 per user Team tier's effective rate once billed monthly rather than annually, as of August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Circleback differ
AttributeBear NotesCircleback
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Circleback

Nothing recorded that Bear Notes does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Circleback

No use cases recorded yet. See the Circleback review.

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

Circleback

  • Individual pricing is set at $20.83 per user per month, above the $25 per user Team tier's effective rate once billed monthly rather than annually, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Circleback

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Circleback review.

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 Circleback if

Nothing in the data separates Circleback from Bear Notes on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Circleback review

Questions people ask

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