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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Mealime

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mealime logo

Mealime

Productivity

Freemium meal planning app that suggests simple recipes and builds a grocery list, subscription for full customisation

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; Mealime its recipe library is its own and deliberately simple, so it does not accommodate importing or organising an existing personal recipe collection the way Paprika does.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Mealime covers Personalised weekly meal plans.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Mealime differ
AttributeBear NotesMealime
Pricing modelfreemiumFreemium subscription
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSiOS, Android, Web
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

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 Mealime

  • Personalised weekly meal plans
  • Consolidated grocery list
  • Simple recipe library
  • Recipe swapping
  • Dietary filters
  • Grocery delivery integration

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Mealime

  • Someone who finds deciding what to cook each week more tiring than the cooking itselfnot Bear Notes
  • A household with specific dietary restrictions wanting meal suggestions pre-filtered to fit themnot Bear Notes
  • A beginner cook who wants simple, short-ingredient recipes rather than an open-ended personal collectionnot Bear Notes
  • Someone who wants a grocery list generated automatically from a week of planned meals without manual entrynot 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

Mealime

  • Its recipe library is its own and deliberately simple, so it does not accommodate importing or organising an existing personal recipe collection the way Paprika does.
  • The free tier limits customisation and recipe swaps, pushing habitual users toward the paid Pro subscription for a fuller experience.
  • Recipes lean toward quick, mainstream weeknight cooking, so someone wanting more ambitious or cuisine-specific recipes will find the library thin.
  • Grocery delivery integration is only available in supported markets, so users outside those regions get the grocery list without the delivery convenience.
  • Because meal suggestions come from the Mealime catalogue rather than the wider web, variety is narrower than a service like Paprika that can import from anywhere.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Mealime

Free
  • MealimeFree
    • Basic weekly meal plan generation
    • Consolidated grocery list
  • Mealime Pro$5.99/month
    • More recipe swaps and customisation
    • Nutrition tracking
    • Larger recipe library access

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 Mealime if

  • You need personalised weekly meal plans.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want consolidated grocery list.
Mealime review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Mealime better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Mealime at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Mealime?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Mealime at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Mealime run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Mealime runs on iOS, Android, 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 Mealime is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Mealime cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Mealime covers Personalised weekly meal plans, Consolidated grocery list, Simple recipe library, Recipe swapping.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bear Notes: How much does Bear Pro cost per month or year?

Bear Pro costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Annual subscribers receive a 15% discount compared to monthly pricing.

Source
Mealime: Is Mealime free?

There is a free tier with basic weekly plans; a paid Pro subscription unlocks more customisation and nutrition tracking.

Bear Notes: Does Bear offer a free trial before committing to a subscription?

Yes, Bear Pro includes a 7-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
Mealime: Can I add my own recipes to Mealime?

No, it works from its own recipe library rather than importing external recipes, unlike Paprika.

Bear Notes: What export formats are available with Bear Pro?

Bear Pro subscribers can export notes in multiple formats including TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, RTF, PDF, JPG, HTML, DOCX, and ePub.

Source
Mealime: Does it integrate with grocery delivery?

Yes, in supported markets, generated grocery lists can be sent to a delivery or pickup service such as Instacart.

Bear Notes: Can I sync my notes across devices with the free Bear plan?

No, iCloud sync is only available with Bear Pro. The free plan allows local note access but does not support cloud synchronization across devices.

Source
Bear Notes: What features are included in the free Bear plan?

The free plan includes local note access, document scanning, limited export formats, 3 themes, and 1 app icon. PDF and image search requires Bear Pro.

Source
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