App on 1 list
Bear
Shiny Frog Ltd. · Free · Productivity · 4.7 (6,870 ratings)
What it does
Instead of Notes: write in Markdown, sort with tags. No account needed. From 7 iPhone apps better than the defaults.
The developer describes it as: “Bear is a beautiful, powerfully simple Markdown app to capture, write, and organize your life.”
Alternatives to Bear
The closest alternatives to Bear are Things 3, Focus Train, Fantastical, MusicPal, CARROT Weather and Spark Mail — 6 apps from the list Bear appears on, “7 iPhone apps better than the defaults”, each answering the same moment a different way.
Things 3Instead of Reminders: plan today and every project in one tidy list.
Focus TrainInstead of the Clock timer: every focus session becomes a train ride.
FantasticalInstead of Calendar: type “lunch Friday at 1” and the event is made.
MusicPalInstead of Music: play the audio files you own, offline. No feed, no ads.
CARROT WeatherInstead of Weather: forecasts from a robot with five personalities.
Spark MailInstead of Mail: every account in one inbox, real people on top.
Price and ratings
| App | Price | App Store rating | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear | Free | 4.7 (6,870) | Productivity |
| Things 3 | $9.99 | 4.8 (27,989) | Productivity |
| Focus Train | Free | 5.0 (5) | Productivity |
| Fantastical | Free | 4.2 (24,423) | Productivity |
| MusicPal | Free | 5.0 (2) | Music |
| CARROT Weather | Free | 4.7 (87,425) | Weather |
| Spark Mail | Free | 4.6 (82,608) | Productivity |
Bear and its alternatives, as the App Store listed them on 2026-10-06.
Bear is free to download from the iOS App Store and holds 4.7 out of 5 from 6,870 ratings, checked on 2026-10-06. Prices and ratings go stale; the App Store is the live source. It is listed there as “Bear - Markdown Notes”.
Official site ↗