Productivity · head to head
Rows vs Bear Notes
The short version
- Only Bear Notes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Rows pro plan is billed per user starting at $6 per month, and higher usage tiers reach $59 to $79 per month for team workspaces; 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 Rows and Bear Notes actually diverge.
| Attribute | Rows | Bear Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | MacOS, IOS, IPadOS |
| Founded | Unknown | 2015 |
Identical on both: 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 Rows
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.
Rows
No use cases recorded yet. See the Rows review.
Bear Notes
- Markdown note taking on Apple devicesnot Rows
- Organising notes with nested hashtags rather than foldersnot Rows
- Exporting notes to PDF, DOCX, HTML or ePubnot Rows
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Rows
- Pro plan is billed per user starting at $6 per month, and higher usage tiers reach $59 to $79 per month for team workspaces
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
Rows
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Rows 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 Rows if
Nothing in the data separates Rows from Bear Notes on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
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 Rows or Bear Notes better?
- Neither clearly leads. Rows starts at On request and Bear Notes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Rows or Bear Notes?
- Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Rows and Free for Bear Notes.
- Does Rows or Bear Notes run on more platforms?
- Rows runs on Web. Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
- Can I use Bear Notes for free?
- Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rows starts at On request.
- What can Rows do that Bear Notes cannot?
- Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support.