Is there a free alternative to Bear?

Yes. Obsidian offers a genuine free tier, which makes it the easiest Bear alternative to try before you pay.

Why switch away from Bear?

Bear is a strong tool, but our full hands-on testing is still in progress. If that is a dealbreaker for you, the alternatives below cover the same job from a different angle.

How do you choose these alternatives?

Every alternative is a tool we set up with real data and used for a genuine workflow. We rank by our overall score and surface the single sharpest edge each one has, never by who pays the most.

Notes & Productivity

Best Bear alternatives

Q: What is the best alternative to Bear?

Superhuman is our top Bear alternative. Superhuman edges out Bear in our testing, scoring 4.7 to 4.4 overall. It scores 4.7 in our testing.

We put Bear head to head with the 6 closest rivals we have tested, so you can switch on evidence, not a hunch.

Read our Bear review

Why people look elsewhere

Where Bear can fall short

Our full hands-on testing is still in progress

Pricing can climb on higher tiers

Ranked by our testing

6 alternatives worth your time

Superhuman

4.7

The fastest email experience ever made for power users.

Higher ratedFrom $30/moPaid only

Superhuman edges out Bear in our testing, scoring 4.7 to 4.4 overall.

Blazing speed with instant keyboard shortcuts
Superhuman AI for draft generation and triaging

4.7

Our score

Try Superhuman Read review

Obsidian

4.7

A local-first knowledge base you fully control.

Higher ratedFrom FreeFree tier

Obsidian edges out Bear in our testing, scoring 4.7 to 4.4 overall.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.7

Our score

Try Obsidian Read review

Raycast

4.7

A blazing-fast launcher that replaces a dozen apps.

Higher ratedFrom FreeFree tier

Raycast edges out Bear in our testing, scoring 4.7 to 4.4 overall.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.7

Our score

Try Raycast Read review

Craft

4.4

Beautiful documents and notes for Apple users.

Ease of useFrom $10/moFree tier

Craft is the pick when you want beautiful documents and notes for apple users., and it leads on ease of use.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.4

Our score

Try Craft Read review

Apple Notes

4.2

The capable notes app built into Apple devices.

Ease of useFrom FreeFree tier

Apple Notes is the pick when you want the capable notes app built into apple devices., and it leads on ease of use.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.2

Our score

Try Apple Notes Read review

Reflect

4.2

Networked notes with AI, built for thinking.

Ease of useFrom $10/moPaid only

Reflect is the pick when you want networked notes with ai, built for thinking., and it leads on ease of use.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.2

Our score

Try Reflect Read review

Side by side

Bear vs the alternatives

Tool	Our score	From	Free tier	Best for
BearYou have	4.4	$2.99/mo	Yes	An elegant Markdown note app for Apple.
Superhuman	4.7	$30/mo	No	Founders, executives, and high volume email professionals
Obsidian	4.7	Free	Yes	A local-first knowledge base you fully control.
Raycast	4.7	Free	Yes	A blazing-fast launcher that replaces a dozen apps.
Craft	4.4	$10/mo	Yes	Beautiful documents and notes for Apple users.
Apple Notes	4.2	Free	Yes	The capable notes app built into Apple devices.
Reflect	4.2	$10/mo	No	Networked notes with AI, built for thinking.

Our pick

Switch to Superhuman

Superhuman edges out Bear in our testing, scoring 4.7 to 4.4 overall. It is the Bear alternative we recommend first for most people.

Try Superhuman Compare them side by side

Questions

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Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we have tested, and commissions never change our scores or rankings. We currently track 218+ tools, including 10 across Notes & Productivity.