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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Reflect

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Reflect logo

Reflect

Productivity

Fast networked note-taking with AI

From
$10/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Reflect no free tier or free plan option
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Reflect covers Bidirectional links.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Reflect differ
AttributeBear NotesReflect
Starting priceFree$10/month
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS
Founded20152020

Identical on both: 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 Reflect

  • Bidirectional links
  • End-to-end encryption
  • AI assistant
  • Instant sync
  • Daily notes
  • Chrome extension
  • Calendar sync
  • Kindle highlights

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Reflect

  • 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

Reflect

  • No free tier or free plan option
  • Losing your password means permanent data loss with no recovery option
  • Shared notes are not end-to-end encrypted despite platform marketing encryption
  • AI features send your content to OpenAI servers (30-day retention)
  • Mobile apps have limited offline functionality compared to desktop

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Reflect

$10/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Reflect review.

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 Reflect if

  • You need bidirectional links.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS.
  • You also want end-to-end encryption.
Reflect review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Reflect better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Reflect at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Reflect?
Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bear Notes and $10/month for Reflect.
Does Bear Notes or Reflect run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Reflect runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS.
Can I use Bear Notes for free?
Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Reflect starts at $10/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 Reflect is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Reflect cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Reflect covers Bidirectional links, End-to-end encryption, AI assistant, Instant sync.

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
Reflect: Is there a free tier?

No. Reflect offers only a 14-day free trial before requiring $10/month (billed annually). There is no free plan.

Source
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
Reflect: Does Reflect work offline?

Yes, editing and note-taking work offline on desktop. Mobile apps have offline limitations compared to the desktop experience.

Source
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
Reflect: How secure is my data?

Reflect uses end-to-end encryption with XChaCha20-Poly1305. An independent audit by Doyensec found no vulnerabilities. However, audio for transcription and text sent to AI features are processed by OpenAI servers (retained 30 days per OpenAI policy).

Source
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
Reflect: Can I export my notes?

Yes. Reflect allows export of your notes, though the primary export method involves using their web and iOS apps with standard export capabilities.

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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