Is Bear or Day One better?

Neither clearly leads. Bear starts at Free and Day One at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Bear or Day One?

Bear starts at Free and Day One at Free.

Does Bear or Day One run on more platforms?

Bear runs on Web. Day One runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Web.

Can I use Bear for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Bear best used for?

Bear is most often used for note-taking with document scanning, cross-device note synchronization. Of those, note-taking with document scanning and cross-device note synchronization are not what Day One is typically brought in for.

What can Bear do that Day One cannot?

Day One covers Multiple journals, Rich entries, End-to-end encryption, On This Day.

Productivity · head to head

Bear vs Day One

Bear

Productivity

Markdown notes for Apple devices

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Day One

Productivity

Journalling app for iOS, Android and Mac now sold as a subscription after years as a one-time purchase

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Bear built for Apple hardware only, with no Windows, Android or web client; Day One it moved from a one-time purchase to a subscription after the Automattic acquisition, so long-term cost is materially higher than the original pricing implied.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bear and Day One actually diverge.

Attributes where Bear and Day One differ
Attribute	Bear	Day One
Pricing model	freemium	Free tier plus subscription
Platforms	Web	iOS, Android, macOS, Web

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

Nothing recorded that Day One does not also cover.

Only in Day One

Multiple journals
Rich entries
End-to-end encryption
On This Day
Cross-platform sync
PDF and Day One export

What people use each for

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

Bear

Note-taking with document scanningnot Day One
Cross-device note synchronizationnot Day One

Day One

Someone wanting a private daily journal with photos that syncs between phone and laptopnot Bear
A person keeping a travel journal that auto-attaches location and weather to each entrynot Bear
Someone who wants encrypted entries kept separate from an unencrypted general journalnot Bear
A user who wants automated daily writing prompts and On This Day nostalgia reviewnot Bear

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bear

Built for Apple hardware only, with no Windows, Android or web client
Free tier is limited to 3 themes, 1 app icon and restricted export formats; iCloud sync requires Bear Pro
Bear Pro is $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year after a 7 day free trial

Day One

It moved from a one-time purchase to a subscription after the Automattic acquisition, so long-term cost is materially higher than the original pricing implied.
The free tier caps at one journal and 25 photo entries, which is restrictive enough that anyone journalling seriously for more than a few weeks needs to pay.
End-to-end encryption is opt-in per journal rather than on by default, so users have to actively choose it and understand which journals are protected.
Cancelling Premium after using multiple journals or heavy photo storage can leave content viewable but with sync and some features disabled, so people should export before cancelling.
As an Automattic product, its roadmap sits behind a company whose primary focus is WordPress and Tumblr, not journalling specifically.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear

Free

FreeFree
- Local note access
- Document scanning
- PDF, image, text, markdown, HTML, DOCX, ePub export
Pro$2.99/month
- All free features plus 28+ themes
- 15 app icons
- PDF and image search across notes
Pro$29.99/year
- All free features plus 28+ themes
- 15 app icons
- PDF and image search across notes

Day One

Free

FreeFree
- One journal
- Up to 25 photo entries
- Basic sync
Day One Premium$3.99/month
- Unlimited journals and photos
- End-to-end encryption
- On This Day and audio transcription
Day One Premium Annual$34.99/year
- Same as monthly Premium at a lower effective rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Bear if

You want to start without paying.

Bear review

Choose Day One if

You need multiple journals.
You want to start without paying.
You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Web.
You also want rich entries.

Day One review

Questions people ask

Is Bear or Day One better?: Neither clearly leads. Bear starts at Free and Day One at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bear or Day One?: Bear starts at Free and Day One at Free.
Does Bear or Day One run on more platforms?: Bear runs on Web. Day One runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Web.
Can I use Bear for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bear best used for?: Bear is most often used for note-taking with document scanning, cross-device note synchronization. Of those, note-taking with document scanning and cross-device note synchronization are not what Day One is typically brought in for.
What can Bear do that Day One cannot?: Day One covers Multiple journals, Rich entries, End-to-end encryption, On This Day.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bear: Does Bear offer a free plan?

Yes, Bear has a free plan with local note access, document scanning, and export to multiple formats, but without iCloud sync or PDF/image search.

Source

Day One: Is Day One still a one-time purchase?

No. Since the 2021 Automattic acquisition it is sold as Day One Premium, a subscription. Older lifetime purchasers were grandfathered but new users pay a subscription.

Bear: How much does Bear Pro cost?

Bear Pro is $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The yearly plan offers approximately 15% savings compared to monthly billing.

Source

Day One: Is encryption on by default?

No, end-to-end encryption is an option users turn on per journal, not a default for all entries.

Bear: Is there a free trial for Bear Pro?

Yes, Bear Pro includes a 7-day free trial before charging begins.

Source

Day One: Can I export my entries if I cancel?

Yes, PDF and native Day One export formats are available regardless of subscription status, though some sync and premium features stop working.

Bear vs Day One

Bear

Day One

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Bear

Only in Day One

What people use each for

Bear

Day One

Where each one falls short

Bear

Day One

Pricing, plan by plan

Bear

Day One

Which should you pick?

Choose Bear if

Choose Day One if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Bear

More on Day One

Keep looking

Other head to heads