Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Lark

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lark logo

Lark

Communication & Collaboration

The super app for team collaboration

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; Lark lark's own pricing page description states it offers a free starter pack, a Pro plan, and an Enterprise plan, and directs buyers to Contact us rather than publishing Pro/Enterprise figures on the rendered page.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Lark covers Team messaging.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Lark differ
AttributeBear NotesLark
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android
CategoryProductivityCommunication & Collaboration
Founded20152019

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 Lark

  • Team messaging
  • Video conferencing
  • Collaborative docs
  • Cloud storage
  • Calendar
  • Jira
  • GitHub
  • 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 Lark
  • Organising notes with nested hashtags rather than foldersnot Lark
  • Exporting notes to PDF, DOCX, HTML or ePubnot Lark

Lark

  • Team communicationnot Bear Notes
  • Document collaborationnot Bear Notes
  • Project managementnot Bear Notes
  • Company intranetnot 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

Lark

  • Lark's own pricing page description states it offers a free starter pack, a Pro plan, and an Enterprise plan, and directs buyers to Contact us rather than publishing Pro/Enterprise figures on the rendered page.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Lark

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Up to 50 users
    • 100GB storage
    • Unlimited messaging
  • Pro$12/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB storage per user
    • 24-hour meetings
  • Enterprise$20/month
    • SSO/SAML
    • eDiscovery
    • Custom retention

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 Lark if

  • You need team messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
  • You also want video conferencing.
Lark review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Lark better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Lark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Lark?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Lark at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Lark run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Lark runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, 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 Lark is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Lark cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Lark covers Team messaging, Video conferencing, Collaborative docs, Cloud storage.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Bear Notes

More on Lark

Keep looking

Other head to heads