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Productivity · head to head

Bear Notes vs WPS Office

Bear Notes logo

Bear Notes

Productivity

Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WPS Office logo

WPS Office

Productivity

Office suite from Kingsoft with Microsoft file compatibility, including maintained Linux builds

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; WPS Office the free tier is funded by advertising, and the adverts and upgrade prompts appear inside the editing window rather than on a website, so the cost of not paying is charged in interruptions while you work.
  • They diverge on capability: Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, WPS Office covers One application.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bear Notes and WPS Office actually diverge.

Attributes where Bear Notes and WPS Office differ
AttributeBear NotesWPS Office
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 WPS Office

  • One application
  • Microsoft format handling
  • PDF tools
  • Linux builds
  • WPS AI
  • Cloud storage
  • Mobile apps
  • Templates

What people use each for

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

Bear Notes

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

WPS Office

  • A Linux desktop where the free alternatives keep breaking the layout of colleagues' DOCX and PPTX files.not Bear Notes
  • A small business that edits and converts PDFs regularly and does not want an Acrobat subscription for each person.not Bear Notes
  • Students and home users who need Microsoft-compatible documents without a Microsoft 365 subscription.not Bear Notes
  • Older or low-specification Windows machines where the full Microsoft suite is slow to install and slow to run.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

WPS Office

  • The free tier is funded by advertising, and the adverts and upgrade prompts appear inside the editing window rather than on a website, so the cost of not paying is charged in interruptions while you work.
  • Kingsoft is a Chinese company and cloud sync stores documents on its infrastructure by default, which is a procurement blocker for government, defence and many regulated buyers no matter how well the software performs.
  • Complex Microsoft files still drift, so heavily formatted documents with tracked changes, PowerPoint animations and workbooks using recent functions or VBA macros can open with differences that only become visible when the file goes back to a Microsoft user.
  • There is no tenant administration, so an organisation has no central console for licences, policy, retention or offboarding, and every installation has to be managed on the individual machine.
  • Cloud storage stops at 1 GB free and 20 GB per user when paid, so it works as sync for documents and stops being viable for anyone handling media, scans or large PDF archives.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear Notes

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

WPS Office

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the WPS Office review.

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 WPS Office if

  • You need one application.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want microsoft format handling.
WPS Office review

Questions people ask

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

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
WPS Office: Will it open and save Microsoft Office files properly?

It reads and writes DOCX, XLSX and PPTX natively and ordinary documents round-trip cleanly. Files with macros, tracked changes or complex animation can differ, so check anything going back to a Microsoft user.

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
WPS Office: Is the free version genuinely free?

Yes, and it is not time-limited. It shows adverts, caps cloud storage at 1 GB, and holds back PDF editing and conversion, text recognition and electronic signature for the paid plan.

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
WPS Office: Does it run on Linux?

Yes, with maintained desktop builds, which is unusual for a commercial office suite. The Linux version can trail Windows on newer features.

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
WPS Office: Is it suitable for a regulated organisation?

Usually not without a review. The vendor is Chinese, cloud sync is on by default, and there is no administrative or compliance tooling of the kind a regulated buyer will be asked to evidence.

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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