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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Sejda

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sejda logo

Sejda

Productivity

Browser based access to all PDF tools

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; Sejda free tier is restricted by page and hourly limits and limited file uploads
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Sejda differ
AttributeBear NotesSejda
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 Sejda

Nothing recorded that Bear Notes does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Sejda

  • Combining multiple PDFs into single files and reordering pagesnot Bear Notes
  • Converting PDFs to Excel, Word, PowerPoint for data extractionnot Bear Notes
  • Filling and signing PDF forms with digital signatures and validationnot Bear Notes
  • Extracting text from scanned documents through OCR processingnot Bear Notes
  • Batch automating repetitive PDF tasks across hundreds of documentsnot 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

Sejda

  • Free tier is restricted by page and hourly limits and limited file uploads
  • OCR is capped at 100 pages even on paid plans
  • File uploads are capped at 500MB per file on paid plans
  • The 30 percent annual discount requires paying for a year upfront rather than monthly

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Sejda

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Permanently available with no signup required
    • Page/hourly limits applied
    • Restricted file uploads
  • Web Week Pass$5/week
    • Browser-based tools only
    • Single user, 7-day access
  • Web Monthly$7.5/month
    • Browser access to all PDF tools
    • Recurring monthly billing
  • Desktop+Web Annual$63/year
    • Both desktop application and web access
    • Unlimited documents and no page limits
    • Process multiple files simultaneously

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 Sejda if

  • You want to start without paying.
Sejda review

Questions people ask

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

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
Sejda: How much does Sejda cost?

Sejda offers a free tier (no signup required), a Web Week Pass at $5 for 7 days, Web Monthly at $7.50/month, and Desktop+Web Annual at $63/year (30% savings versus monthly pricing).

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
Sejda: Does Sejda offer volume discounts?

Yes, teams receive progressive discounts: 10% for 2-4 users, 20% for 5-24 users, 40% for 25-49 users, and 60% for 50+ users.

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
Sejda: What are the limitations of Sejda's free plan?

The free plan includes page/hourly limits and restricted file uploads. Paid subscriptions unlock unlimited documents, no page or hourly limits, simultaneous multi-file processing, extended task duration up to 21 minutes, and large file uploads up to 500MB.

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
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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