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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Confluence

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Confluence logo

Confluence

Writing & Documentation

Your remote-friendly team workspace

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; Confluence listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Confluence covers Page creation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Confluence differ
AttributeBear NotesConfluence
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android
CategoryProductivityWriting & Documentation
Founded20152002

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Confluence

  • Page creation
  • Rich text editing
  • Macros
  • Templates
  • Comments
  • Version history
  • Content organization
  • Jira

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Confluence

  • Knowledge basenot Bear Notes
  • Meeting notesnot Bear Notes
  • Process documentationnot Bear Notes
  • Project planningnot 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

Confluence

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud at £5 to £11 per licence per month for Atlassian Confluence, via reseller Rapid X

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Confluence

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited pages
    • Basic sharing
    • Search
  • Standard$5.5/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Advanced permissions
    • Macros

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 Confluence if

  • You need page creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want rich text editing.
Confluence review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Confluence better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Confluence at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Confluence?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Confluence at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Confluence run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Confluence runs on Web, Windows, Macos, 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 Confluence is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Confluence cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Confluence covers Page creation, Rich text editing, Macros, Templates.
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