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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Samsung Food

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Samsung Food logo

Samsung Food

Productivity

Recipe and grocery list app, formerly Whisk, rebranded after Samsung acquisition and integrated with Samsung appliances

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; Samsung Food the appliance integration, its most distinctive feature, is only useful to someone who owns compatible Samsung kitchen hardware.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Samsung Food covers Recipe import.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bear Notes and Samsung Food actually diverge.

Attributes where Bear Notes and Samsung Food differ
AttributeBear NotesSamsung Food
Pricing modelfreemiumFree, no 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 Samsung Food

  • Recipe import
  • Automatic grocery list generation
  • AI meal suggestions
  • Samsung appliance integration
  • Nutrition information
  • Shared lists

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Samsung Food

  • Someone who owns Samsung kitchen appliances and wants recipes to send settings directly to the ovennot Bear Notes
  • A household wanting a shared grocery list that builds itself from saved recipesnot Bear Notes
  • A home cook who saves recipes from social media and wants ingredients turned into a shopping list automaticallynot Bear Notes
  • Someone who previously used Whisk and needs to know it is the same product under a new namenot 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

Samsung Food

  • The appliance integration, its most distinctive feature, is only useful to someone who owns compatible Samsung kitchen hardware.
  • The rebrand from Whisk to Samsung Food in 2023 means older references, saved links or bookmarks under the Whisk name can confuse returning users.
  • As a Samsung ecosystem product, its long-term roadmap is tied to Samsung hardware strategy rather than to the grocery list feature on its own.
  • Recipe import from arbitrary websites and social media can be inconsistent depending on how a source page is structured.
  • It lacks some of the granular list customisation, such as manual sorting by store aisle, that dedicated list apps like AnyList and Bring focus on.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Samsung Food

Free
  • Samsung FoodFree
    • Recipe import and saving
    • Automatic grocery lists
    • Samsung appliance integration

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 Samsung Food if

  • You need recipe import.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want automatic grocery list generation.
Samsung Food review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Samsung Food better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Samsung Food at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Samsung Food?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Samsung Food at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Samsung Food run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Samsung Food 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 Samsung Food is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Samsung Food cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Samsung Food covers Recipe import, Automatic grocery list generation, AI meal suggestions, Samsung appliance integration.

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
Samsung Food: Is Samsung Food the same as Whisk?

Yes, Samsung acquired Whisk in 2019 and rebranded it entirely to Samsung Food in August 2023; Whisk no longer exists as a separate app.

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
Samsung Food: Is Samsung Food free?

Yes, it has no subscription or paid tier.

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
Samsung Food: Do I need Samsung appliances to use it?

No, the core recipe and grocery list features work without them, but appliance integration only works with compatible Samsung hardware.

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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