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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs Supernormal

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Supernormal logo

Supernormal

Productivity

AI meeting notes captured from the desktop app without sending a bot into the call

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; Supernormal credit consumption varies by task complexity and no rate card is published, so a team cannot forecast whether fifty credits covers a month of work until it has spent one, which makes the paid tiers hard to size.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Supernormal covers Bot-free desktop capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Bear Notes and Supernormal differ
AttributeBear NotesSupernormal
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by credits
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOSWeb, macOS, Windows, Chrome
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 Supernormal

  • Bot-free desktop capture
  • Structured notes
  • Custom templates
  • Generated work output
  • Credit rollover
  • Admin governance
  • Sharing and search
  • Multi-platform capture

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

Supernormal

  • Client-facing consultants whose customers refuse to admit a recording bot but who still need an accurate record of what was agreednot Bear Notes
  • A recruiter running back-to-back interviews who wants structured notes per candidate without an extra participant appearing to the candidatenot Bear Notes
  • A small team that wants meeting output turned directly into a document or deck rather than into a transcript someone must rewritenot Bear Notes
  • A regulated organisation needing SSO, audit logs and retention controls over meeting records without deploying an enterprise suitenot 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

Supernormal

  • Credit consumption varies by task complexity and no rate card is published, so a team cannot forecast whether fifty credits covers a month of work until it has spent one, which makes the paid tiers hard to size.
  • Team and Business include the same fifty credits, so the higher tier buys governance rather than capacity, and a heavy user hitting the ceiling gains nothing by upgrading.
  • Capturing without a visible bot removes the prompt that reminds participants they are being recorded, but not the legal consent obligation in two-party consent jurisdictions, and the product makes that omission easy.
  • Desktop capture depends on the application running on the meeting host's machine, so a participant joining from a phone, a locked-down corporate laptop or a browser without the extension gets nothing.
  • The category is crowded with better-funded competitors bundled into Zoom, Microsoft and Google subscriptions customers already pay for, which puts sustained pressure on a small independent vendor and on the value of standardising a team on 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

Supernormal

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 15 credits a month
    • Maximum 5 credits a day
    • Desktop meeting capture without bots
  • Team$20/month
    • 50 credits a month
    • No daily credit cap
    • Credit rollover
  • Business$40/month
    • 50 credits a month, the same allowance as Team
    • SSO
    • Audit logs

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 Supernormal if

  • You need bot-free desktop capture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Chrome.
  • You also want structured notes.
Supernormal review

Questions people ask

Is Bear Notes or Supernormal better?
Neither clearly leads. Bear Notes starts at Free and Supernormal at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear Notes or Supernormal?
Bear Notes starts at Free and Supernormal at Free.
Does Bear Notes or Supernormal run on more platforms?
Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS. Supernormal runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Chrome.
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 Supernormal is typically brought in for.
What can Bear Notes do that Supernormal cannot?
Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support. Supernormal covers Bot-free desktop capture, Structured notes, Custom templates, Generated work output.

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
Supernormal: Does Supernormal join my meeting as a bot?

No. It captures from the desktop application, so no additional participant appears in the call. That is its main differentiator.

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
Supernormal: How much does it cost?

Free gives 15 credits a month capped at 5 a day. Team is $20 a month and Business is $40 a month, both with 50 credits.

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
Supernormal: What does a credit buy?

Credits are consumed by tasks and usage varies with complexity. The vendor does not publish per-task rates, which is the weak point of the pricing model.

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
Supernormal: Do I still need consent to record?

Yes. Removing the visible bot does not remove the legal requirement in jurisdictions that require all parties to consent. Treat the absence of a prompt as a compliance risk, not a feature.

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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