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Bear Notes vs Spendesk

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Software

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spendesk logo

Spendesk

Software

Smart spend management for modern teams

From
$29/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; Spendesk no publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Spendesk covers Company cards.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Spendesk differ
AttributeBear NotesSpendesk
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android
Founded20152016

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Spendesk

  • Company cards
  • Expense management
  • Invoice payments
  • Budget management
  • Spend analytics
  • Xero
  • Sage
  • NetSuite

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Spendesk

  • Expense managementnot Bear Notes
  • Spend controlnot Bear Notes
  • Finance automationnot 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

Spendesk

  • No publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
  • Strong European presence but limited in some non-EU markets
  • High implementation costs due to extensive integration requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

Spendesk

$29/month
  • EssentialsFree
    • Virtual cards
    • Expense tracking
    • Approvals

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 Spendesk if

  • You need company cards.
  • You work on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
  • You also want expense management.
Spendesk review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Spendesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Spendesk at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Spendesk?
Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bear Notes and $29/month for Spendesk.
Does Bear Notes or Spendesk run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Spendesk runs on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
Can I use Bear Notes for free?
Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Spendesk starts at $29/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 Spendesk is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Spendesk cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Spendesk covers Company cards, Expense management, Invoice payments, Budget management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Spendesk: What is included in Spendesk's platform?

Spendesk combines corporate cards, a mobile receipts app, approval workflows, automated reconciliation, accounts payable, procurement, and spend controls into one platform.

Source
Spendesk: How does Spendesk handle expense receipts?

Spendesk captures receipts via mobile photo upload with OCR technology, automatically matching receipts to transactions and generating automated expense reports with 98% of expense receipts collected on time.

Source
Spendesk: What integrations does Spendesk offer?

Spendesk integrates with accounting software including Sage, Xero, NetSuite, and SAP, plus HR systems and tools like Slack for comprehensive spend management.

Source
Spendesk: Is Spendesk profitable?

Yes. Spendesk became the first spend management platform to reach profitability in 2025, processing over £10 billion in spend across 35+ countries.

Source
Spendesk: What is Spendesk's valuation?

Spendesk is a unicorn company with a valuation of $1.5 billion, with 2025 revenue of $52 million ARR.

Source
Spendesk: How much time can Spendesk save on bookkeeping?

Organizations using Spendesk save an average of 4 days per month on bookkeeping, equivalent to over 380 hours per year returned to the business.

Source
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Related pages

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