Software · head to head
Bear Notes vs Hubstaff
Hubstaff
Software
Time tracking and team management for remote teams
- From
- $5.99/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Bear Notes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app; Hubstaff billed per seat; the pricing page's own proration example states the Team plan costs $10 per seat per month, with fees adjusted when seats are added or removed mid-cycle
- They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Hubstaff covers Time tracking with timer.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Bear Notes and Hubstaff actually diverge.
| Attribute | Bear Notes | Hubstaff |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $5.99/month |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | MacOS, IOS, IPadOS | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows |
| Founded | 2015 | 2012 |
Identical on both: 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 Hubstaff
- Time tracking with timer
- Activity monitoring
- GPS location tracking
- Screenshots
- Reports and analytics
- Invoicing
- Team management
- Mobile apps
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Bear Notes
- Markdown note taking on Apple devicesnot Hubstaff
- Organising notes with nested hashtags rather than foldersnot Hubstaff
- Exporting notes to PDF, DOCX, HTML or ePubnot Hubstaff
Hubstaff
- Productivitynot Bear Notes
- Collaborationnot Bear Notes
- Task managementnot Bear Notes
- Organizationnot 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
Hubstaff
- Billed per seat; the pricing page's own proration example states the Team plan costs $10 per seat per month, with fees adjusted when seats are added or removed mid-cycle
Pricing, plan by plan
Bear Notes
Free- FreeFree
- Note creation and organization
- Tags
- Local sync
- Premium$1.99/month
- iCloud sync
- Themes
- Markdown export
Hubstaff
$5.99/month- FreeFree
- Basic time tracking
- Limited to 1 user
- Basic reports
- Starter$5.99/month
- Time tracking
- Team management
- Reports
- Pro$9.99/month
- Everything in Starter
- GPS tracking
- Activity monitoring
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.
Choose Hubstaff if
- You need time tracking with timer.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- You also want activity monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Bear Notes or Hubstaff better?
- Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Hubstaff at $5.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Hubstaff?
- Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bear Notes and $5.99/month for Hubstaff.
- Does Bear Notes or Hubstaff run on more platforms?
- Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Hubstaff runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- Can I use Bear Notes for free?
- Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hubstaff starts at $5.99/month.
- 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 Hubstaff is typically brought in for.
- What can Bear Notes do that Hubstaff cannot?
- Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Hubstaff covers Time tracking with timer, Activity monitoring, GPS location tracking, Screenshots.
Related pages
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- Bear Notes vs Todoist
- Bear Notes vs Things 3
- Bear Notes vs OmniFocus 3
- Bear Notes vs Brain.fm
- Bear Notes vs TickTick
- Bear Notes vs Akiflow
- Bear Notes vs Any.do
- Bear Notes vs Focus@Will
- Bear Notes vs Forest
- Bear Notes vs Google Workspace
- Bear Notes vs Remember The Milk
- Bear Notes vs Structured
- Bear Notes vs Tana
- Bear Notes vs Time Doctor
- Bear Notes vs 7-Zip
- Bear Notes vs Bear
- Bear Notes vs BoldSign
- Hubstaff vs Todoist
- Hubstaff vs Things 3
- Hubstaff vs OmniFocus 3
- Hubstaff vs Brain.fm
- Hubstaff vs TickTick
- Hubstaff vs Akiflow
- Hubstaff vs Any.do
- Hubstaff vs Focus@Will
- Hubstaff vs Forest
- Hubstaff vs Google Workspace
- Hubstaff vs Remember The Milk
- Hubstaff vs Structured
- Hubstaff vs Tana
- Hubstaff vs Time Doctor
- Hubstaff vs 7-Zip
- Hubstaff vs Bear
- Hubstaff vs BoldSign