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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs SignWell

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SignWell logo

SignWell

Productivity

Electronic signature service priced per sender, with unlimited documents on paid plans

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; SignWell the free plan stops at three documents a month, which makes it a trial rather than a tier, so any genuine use converts to a paid seat within weeks.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, SignWell covers Per-sender pricing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and SignWell differ
AttributeBear NotesSignWell
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 SignWell

  • Per-sender pricing
  • Free signers
  • Free plan
  • Templates
  • Audit trail
  • Automatic reminders
  • In-person signing
  • Bulk send and template links

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

SignWell

  • A small business sending a steady flow of contracts from one or two people, where per-envelope pricing elsewhere adds up faster than a seat would.not Bear Notes
  • Replacing print, sign and scan for client agreements, offers of employment and consent forms.not Bear Notes
  • Embedding signing into your own product through the API without committing to enterprise pricing first.not Bear Notes
  • Repeated onboarding paperwork sent from a template with automatic chasing rather than manual reminders.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

SignWell

  • The free plan stops at three documents a month, which makes it a trial rather than a tier, so any genuine use converts to a paid seat within weeks.
  • Pricing is per sender, so an organisation where many people occasionally need to send something either buys seats for staff who send a handful of documents a year or funnels everything through one person and creates a bottleneck.
  • Templates are rationed by tier, at one on free and five per sender on the entry plan, and templates are what makes the tool worth using at all, so the practical entry point is a tier above the headline price.
  • It is a smaller vendor in a category where signed agreements must be retrievable years later, so the safe practice is downloading every signed document and its audit certificate into your own storage rather than relying on the account still existing.
  • It provides standard electronic signatures rather than acting as a qualified trust service provider, so any transaction requiring a qualified electronic signature under European rules needs a different supplier alongside it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

SignWell

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 sender
    • 1 template
    • 3 documents per month
  • Light$10/month
    • Annual pricing: $10/month (monthly: $12/month)
    • 1 sender
    • 5 templates per sender
  • Business$30/month
    • Annual pricing: $30/month (monthly: $36/month)
    • 3 senders
    • Unlimited templates and documents
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom pricing for teams of 50+
    • High volume support
    • Advanced compliance needs

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 SignWell if

  • You need per-sender pricing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want free signers.
SignWell review

Questions people ask

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

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
SignWell: Do signers need an account or a licence?

No. Recipients open a link, sign and are done, with no account and no cost. You pay only for the people who send documents.

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
SignWell: What does the free plan actually allow?

Three documents a month, one sender and one template, along with a small monthly allowance of API documents. It does not include custom branding or bulk send.

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
SignWell: Is an electronic signature legally binding?

Electronic signatures are recognised for most commercial agreements under the relevant American and European frameworks, and SignWell records an audit trail. Certain instruments are excluded by statute, and anything requiring a qualified signature needs a qualified provider.

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
SignWell: How hard is it to leave?

The signed documents are ordinary PDFs you can download with their certificates, so the records move easily. Your templates and the workflows built around them do not.

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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