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Bear Notes vs Grammarly

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Software

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grammarly logo

Grammarly

Software

Great writing, simplified

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; Grammarly occasional false positives and grammatically incorrect suggestions that can introduce errors
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Grammarly covers Grammar checking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Grammarly differ
AttributeBear NotesGrammarly
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Founded20152009

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 Grammarly

  • Grammar checking
  • Spelling correction
  • Punctuation
  • Clarity suggestions
  • Engagement feedback
  • Delivery insights
  • Plagiarism checker
  • Citation generator

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Grammarly

  • Email writingnot Bear Notes
  • Document editingnot Bear Notes
  • Academic writingnot Bear Notes
  • Business communicationnot Bear Notes
  • Content creationnot 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

Grammarly

  • Occasional false positives and grammatically incorrect suggestions that can introduce errors
  • Privacy concerns about sending text to Grammarly's servers for analysis
  • AI capabilities sometimes produce hallucinations and fabricated citations that appear grammatically correct

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Grammarly

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic grammar and spelling checks
    • Tone visibility
    • 100 AI prompts per month
  • Pro$12/month
    • Sentence rewrites
    • Tone adjustment
    • Plagiarism and AI detection

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 Grammarly if

  • You need grammar checking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want spelling correction.
Grammarly review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Grammarly better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Grammarly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Grammarly?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Grammarly at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Grammarly run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Grammarly runs on Web, macOS, Windows, 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 Grammarly is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Grammarly cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Grammarly covers Grammar checking, Spelling correction, Punctuation, Clarity suggestions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Grammarly: Does Grammarly have a free version?

Yes, Grammarly offers a free tier with basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation checks, tone visibility, and 100 AI prompts per month. The Pro plan ($12/month annual) adds sentence rewriting, plagiarism detection, and 2,000 AI prompts.

Source
Grammarly: What platforms does Grammarly work with?

Grammarly works across 1 million+ apps including Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Outlook, Slack, Gmail, and web browsers. It also integrates with productivity tools like Asana, Jira, Monday.com, Confluence, and HubSpot.

Source
Grammarly: Can I use Grammarly offline?

Grammarly requires an internet connection to function, though the browser extension works with some offline text areas. For offline use, the desktop app and browser extensions sync when reconnected.

Source
Grammarly: What is included in the Enterprise plan?

The Enterprise plan includes unlimited team members, dedicated support, custom roles and permissions, data loss prevention, bring-your-own-key encryption, and unlimited AI prompts. Pricing is custom and available by contacting sales.

Source
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