Productivity · head to head
RemNote vs Bear Notes
The short version
- Each has a real cost: RemNote free plan caps at 3 annotated PDFs, 5 image occlusion cards and 1 handwritten document; unlimited use requires a paid plan; Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which RemNote and Bear Notes actually diverge.
| Attribute | RemNote | Bear Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web | MacOS, IOS, IPadOS |
| Founded | Unknown | 2015 |
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 RemNote
Nothing recorded that Bear Notes does not also cover.
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
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
RemNote
No use cases recorded yet. See the RemNote review.
Bear Notes
- Markdown note taking on Apple devicesnot RemNote
- Organising notes with nested hashtags rather than foldersnot RemNote
- Exporting notes to PDF, DOCX, HTML or ePubnot RemNote
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
RemNote
- Free plan caps at 3 annotated PDFs, 5 image occlusion cards and 1 handwritten document; unlimited use requires a paid plan
- Free plan limits uploads to 20 files per day at up to 8MB each, versus 600 files per day up to 300MB on paid tiers
- AI features are metered by credits: 100 per month free, 1,000 on Pro, and full AI access only on the $18 per month Pro with AI tier
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
Pricing, plan by plan
RemNote
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the RemNote review.
Bear Notes
Free- FreeFree
- Note creation and organization
- Tags
- Local sync
- Premium$1.99/month
- iCloud sync
- Themes
- Markdown export
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.
Questions people ask
- Is RemNote or Bear Notes better?
- Neither clearly leads. RemNote starts at Free and Bear Notes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, RemNote or Bear Notes?
- RemNote starts at Free and Bear Notes at Free.
- Does RemNote or Bear Notes run on more platforms?
- RemNote runs on Web. Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
- Can I use RemNote for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What can RemNote do that Bear Notes cannot?
- Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support.