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Software · head to head

Bear Notes vs Fathom

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Software

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fathom logo

Fathom

Software

Free AI meeting assistant

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; Fathom team plan requires minimum 2 users; cannot purchase single seat at team pricing
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Fathom covers Auto-recording.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Fathom differ
AttributeBear NotesFathom
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
Founded20152020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Fathom

  • Auto-recording
  • AI summaries
  • Transcription
  • Highlight clips
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Fathom

  • AI-powered meeting transcription and automatic note-taking for sales teams and professionalsnot Bear Notes
  • Meeting analysis with AI scorecards and action item generation that syncs to CRMsnot 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

Fathom

  • Team plan requires minimum 2 users; cannot purchase single seat at team pricing
  • CRM field sync and deal view summaries available only on Business plan ($34/user/month) and above

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Fathom

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fathom 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 Fathom if

  • You need auto-recording.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams.
  • You also want ai summaries.
Fathom review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Fathom better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Fathom at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Fathom?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Fathom at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Fathom run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Fathom runs on Web, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams.
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 Fathom is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Fathom cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Fathom covers Auto-recording, AI summaries, Transcription, Highlight clips.
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