Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Gravit Designer

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Gravit Designer logo

Gravit Designer

Design Tools

Free vector graphics editor in the cloud

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; Gravit Designer the Gravit Designer brand and domain designer.io were retired and now redirect live to CorelDRAW, confirming the standalone product no longer exists under its own name
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Gravit Designer covers Vector drawing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bear Notes and Gravit Designer actually diverge.

Attributes where Bear Notes and Gravit Designer differ
AttributeBear NotesGravit Designer
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWindows, Macos, Linux, Web
CategoryProductivityDesign Tools
Founded20152014

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 Gravit Designer

  • Vector drawing
  • Bezier tools
  • Shape tools
  • Typography
  • Gradient tools
  • Symbols
  • Layers
  • Cloud storage

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Gravit Designer

  • Logo designnot Bear Notes
  • Vector illustrationnot Bear Notes
  • Icon designnot Bear Notes
  • Web graphicsnot 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

Gravit Designer

  • The Gravit Designer brand and domain designer.io were retired and now redirect live to CorelDRAW, confirming the standalone product no longer exists under its own name

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Gravit Designer

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Cloud storage
    • All design tools
    • SVG support

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 Gravit Designer if

  • You need vector drawing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Web.
  • You also want bezier tools.
Gravit Designer review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Gravit Designer better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Gravit Designer at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Gravit Designer?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Gravit Designer at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Gravit Designer run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Gravit Designer runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, 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 Gravit Designer is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Gravit Designer cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Gravit Designer covers Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Shape tools, Typography.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Bear Notes

More on Gravit Designer

Keep looking

Other head to heads