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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs RowShare

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RowShare logo

RowShare

Productivity

Shared online table where each contributor sees only their own rows

From
On request
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; RowShare it is a table rather than a spreadsheet, so the formula and analysis capability people expect from Excel is not there, and anything requiring modelling or charting has to be exported and finished elsewhere.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, RowShare covers Row-level permissions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and RowShare differ
AttributeBear NotesRowShare
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb
Founded2015Unknown

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 RowShare

  • Row-level permissions
  • Column-level permissions
  • Typed columns
  • Forms
  • Automatic reminders
  • Microsoft Teams integration
  • Zapier connections
  • Excel import and export

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

RowShare

  • Collecting a recurring return such as timesheets, budget lines or stock counts where contributors must not see each other's entries.not Bear Notes
  • Replacing an emailed spreadsheet that one person consolidates by hand at the end of every month.not Bear Notes
  • A shared list where some columns belong to the contributor and others are only for the administrator.not Bear Notes
  • A structured departmental table inside Microsoft Teams that does not warrant a full database or a heavier platform licence.not 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

RowShare

  • It is a table rather than a spreadsheet, so the formula and analysis capability people expect from Excel is not there, and anything requiring modelling or charting has to be exported and finished elsewhere.
  • It is a small independent product, so putting a recurring business process on it means a single vendor decision can end that process, and unlike the larger alternatives there is no ecosystem or partner network to fall back on.
  • Integration is largely through Zapier rather than deep native connectors, which adds an intermediary service, another subscription and another place for a data flow to fail silently.
  • The niche it occupies is increasingly covered by list tools included in Microsoft 365, so the purchase has to be justified against something the organisation may already be paying for and already administers.
  • Licensing in this category is per user, so if contributors need accounts rather than form links, an occasional contributor costs the same per head as a daily one, and it is worth confirming which model applies before planning a rollout.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

RowShare

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the RowShare 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 RowShare if

  • You need row-level permissions.
  • You also want column-level permissions.
RowShare review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or RowShare better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and RowShare at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or RowShare?
Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bear Notes and On request for RowShare.
Does Bear Notes or RowShare run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. RowShare runs on Web.
Can I use Bear Notes for free?
Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RowShare starts at On request.
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 RowShare is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that RowShare cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. RowShare covers Row-level permissions, Column-level permissions, Typed columns, Forms.

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
RowShare: How is this different from a shared spreadsheet?

Sharing is per row rather than per file. Everyone works in one table, and each person sees only their own rows, which removes the consolidation step rather than speeding it up.

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
RowShare: Can I get my data out?

Tables export to Excel and CSV, so the data itself moves. The permission structure, forms and reminders that made the process work do not, so an exit means rebuilding the workflow.

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
RowShare: Is it a database?

No. It is a permissioned table with typed columns, not a relational store you can query, so it collects structured data rather than modelling it.

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
RowShare: Who is behind it?

A French vendor with named enterprise customers. It is a small company, so weigh continuity carefully before making it the home of a process you expect to run for years.

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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Related pages

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