Bear Notes vs. Apple Notes

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

I wrote a little about this in iOS 11 Features for Product Managers, but the battle of Apple-centric note-taking apps deserves its own post. In one corner, we have the reigning champ that comes pre-installed on all of your iDevices and MacBooks— Apple’s Notes app (aka “Apple Notes”). In the other corner, the underdog from Italy — Bear Notes by Shiny Frog.

I’m currently a Bear fan, but Apple Notes gets better with every iOS and MacOS release. And while the two apps are similar, they differ in major ways that will probably influence your decision if you’re considering a new place to capture your thoughts.

Similarities

At the top level, Apple Notes and Bear Notes have a similar three-pane view that’s simple to understand and organize:

Both offer standard formatting options including checkboxes and lists, ordered and unordered, though formatting happens in slightly different way. More on that below. Additionally, both allow you to get your sketch on.