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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Clockify

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Clockify logo

Clockify

All industries

Free time tracker for teams

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; Clockify the free plan stops at 5 users
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Clockify covers Timer & manual time entry.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Clockify differ
AttributeBear NotesClockify
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Browser-extension
CategoryProductivityAll industries
Founded20152017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 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 Clockify

  • Timer & manual time entry
  • Timesheets
  • Calendar view
  • Projects & tasks
  • Reports & analytics
  • Team dashboard
  • Kiosk mode
  • Offline mode

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Clockify

  • Employee time trackingnot Bear Notes
  • Project time budgetsnot Bear Notes
  • Client billingnot Bear Notes
  • Productivity analysisnot Bear Notes
  • Payroll calculationnot 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

Clockify

  • The free plan stops at 5 users
  • Free accounts are throttled to 30 API requests per hour and 3 webhooks
  • Reporting on the free plan only covers a 1 month range
  • Invoicing needs Standard at $5.49 per seat per month and GPS tracking needs Pro at $7.99
  • SSO, SCIM provisioning, a custom subdomain and the audit log are Enterprise only at $11.99 per seat per month

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Clockify

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited projects
    • Time tracking
  • Basic$3.99/user/month
    • Bulk edit
    • Billable rates
    • Rounding
  • Standard$5.49/user/month
    • Timesheet approvals
    • Invoicing
    • Scheduled reports
  • Pro$7.99/user/month
    • Profit & loss
    • GPS tracking
    • Screenshots

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 Clockify if

  • You need timer & manual time entry.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Browser-extension.
  • You also want timesheets.
Clockify review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Clockify better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Clockify at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Clockify?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Clockify at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Clockify run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Clockify runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Browser-extension.
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 Clockify is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Clockify cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Clockify covers Timer & manual time entry, Timesheets, Calendar view, Projects & tasks.
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