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Bear Notes vs Clockwise

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Software

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
C

Clockwise

Software

Intelligent calendar management 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; Clockwise service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Clockwise covers Focus Time protection.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Clockwise differ
AttributeBear NotesClockwise
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb
Founded20152016

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

  • Focus Time protection
  • Meeting optimization
  • Scheduling links
  • Team analytics
  • Conflict resolution
  • Google Calendar
  • Slack
  • Zoom

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Clockwise

  • Schedulingnot Bear Notes
  • Appointment bookingnot Bear Notes
  • Time trackingnot Bear Notes
  • Resource managementnot Bear Notes
  • Team coordinationnot 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

Clockwise

  • Service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026
  • All user data was deleted upon shutdown
  • Integration with Asana was removed during product lifecycle

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Clockwise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Focus Time
    • Meeting optimization
    • Personal analytics
  • Teams$6.75/month
    • Team analytics
    • Flexible meetings
    • 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 Clockwise if

  • You need focus time protection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want meeting optimization.
Clockwise review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Clockwise better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Clockwise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Clockwise?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Clockwise at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Clockwise run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Clockwise runs on Web.
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 Clockwise is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Clockwise cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Clockwise covers Focus Time protection, Meeting optimization, Scheduling links, Team analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clockwise: What happened to Clockwise?

Clockwise was acquired by Salesforce and shut down on March 27, 2026. The company announced the team was joining Salesforce to work on Agentforce. User data was deleted and prorated refunds were issued to paying customers.

Source
Clockwise: What integrations did Clockwise support?

Clockwise integrated with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, and previously Asana (though this integration was discontinued).

Source
Clockwise: What were Clockwise's key features?

Clockwise offered AI-powered focus time protection, automatic meeting buffers, Slack status sync, smart lunch breaks, and team calendar synchronization to optimize schedules and prevent burnout.

Source
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Related pages

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