Markd.ly vs Bear — an honest answer

Looking for a Bear alternative? Here is an honest Markd.ly vs Bear comparison. Markd.ly runs natively on Windows, Linux and Android as well as Mac, iPhone and iPad, and $19.99 once unlocks all six; Bear's native apps are Apple-only, and Bear Pro is a subscription. Markd.ly saves plain .md files wherever you keep them and, on a computer, exports Word, EPUB, LaTeX and reveal.js slides. If you want a tagged notes library that syncs across your Apple devices, Bear is built for that.

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$19.99 once, no subscription. Try it free for 24 hours first, no card.

Verified 2026-09-26
Bear pricing
Where Bear wins

Where Markd.ly and Bear each win

Pick Bear if

You want a tagged notes library. Bear organizes notes with flexible tags, more than 250 tag icons and pinned tags; Markd.ly has no tags and no notes library.
Your notes should follow you across Apple devices on their own. Bear Pro syncs them through iCloud to your Mac, iPhone and iPad; Markd.ly moves a document only when you tap Add to Cloud.
You like writing in one pane. Bear hides the Markdown as you type and renders math and Mermaid diagrams right inside the note; Markd.ly keeps the markdown in its Editor and shows the result in Preview or Split.
You want more export formats from a note. Bear exports TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, RTF, PDF, JPG, HTML, DOCX and ePub; Markd.ly has no RTF, JPG or TextBundle export.
You want AI tools and scripts to work with your notes. Bear for Mac bundles a command-line tool, a Claude connector and an MCP server (Bear 2.8, April 2026), and since 2.9 you choose by tag which notes its MCP server sees. Markd.ly has nothing like it.

Pick Markd.ly if

You write on Windows, Linux or Android. Markd.ly runs natively on all three, as well as Mac, iPhone and iPad. Bear's native apps are Apple-only, and Bear says it has no plans for Windows or Android.
You would rather pay once. $19.99 once unlocks Markd.ly on all six platforms, with no subscription; Bear Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.
You want plain .md files. Markd.ly edits ordinary markdown files wherever you keep them, so there is nothing to export and nothing to migrate out of; Bear keeps notes in its own database.
You ship documents from a computer. On Mac, Windows and Linux, Markd.ly exports LaTeX and reveal.js slides as well as Word, EPUB, HTML and PDF, and has vim mode and AES-256-GCM encrypted document files.

Who should use which: Markd.ly or Bear

Two different tools for two different jobs. Verified 2026-09-26; source linked at the bottom.

What you want	Markd.lywhat we do here	Bearwhat they do here
Category	Markdown document editor	Notes app with tags
Price	$19.99 once	Bear Pro $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr; a free tier without sync
Windows and Linux	Yes, native on both (Windows 10 version 1809 or later; Linux x64)	No native app; Bear Web, a browser version, is in public beta
Android	Yes, native (Android 8.0 or later)	No native app (no plans, per Bear)
Runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad	Yes: macOS 14 or later; iOS and iPadOS 17 or later	Yes: macOS 12.4 or later; iOS and iPadOS 15.6 or later; also Apple Watch
Where your writing lives	Plain .md files, wherever you keep them	Bear's own database (export to get files)
Cross-device sync	Not automatic: tap Add to Cloud, then open it on your other devices	Yes, through iCloud (Bear Pro)
Tags / notes library	No	Yes (flexible tags, 250+ tag icons, pinned tags; since Bear 2.9, any tag can be a workspace)
Writing surface	Editor, Preview and Split views	One pane that hides the Markdown as you type
Mermaid diagrams and LaTeX math	Yes, on every device, even offline	Yes (Mermaid since July 2026; math via MathJax)
Export formats	HTML, PDF, Word (DOCX), EPUB, LaTeX and reveal.js slides on Mac, Windows and Linux; Mac and Windows need a connection for Word, EPUB, LaTeX and slides	Free: TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, Bear Note and RTF; Bear Pro adds HTML, DOCX, PDF, JPG and ePub (on Mac, iPhone and iPad)
Encryption	AES-256-GCM encrypted document files, locked with a passphrase (Mac, Windows, Linux)	Password-encrypted notes inside the app (Bear Pro), on Mac, iPhone and iPad
Vim mode	Yes (Mac, Windows, Linux)	No
Account needed	Yes: a Bravely Account sign-in on every device	No Bear account: Pro and sync use your Apple ID
Where synced notes are kept	The documents you add to the cloud library are kept on our servers, not end-to-end encrypted	In your iCloud; Bear says it can't see your notes
AI tools and scripts	No	Yes, on Mac: command-line tool, Claude connector, MCP server (Bear 2.8)

The honest take on Markd.ly and Bear

Pick Bear if your notes live on Apple devices and you want a tagged library that syncs itself. Pick Markd.ly for documents across Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android: it runs natively on all six, and $19.99 once unlocks them all. On the computers it exports Word, EPUB, LaTeX and slides, with vim mode and AES-256-GCM encrypted documents, and Mermaid diagrams and math render on every device. Your writing stays in plain .md files wherever you keep them. Bear is a notes app and Markd.ly is a document editor, so the job decides which one you want.

Looking for Bear on Windows, Bear without a subscription, or your notes as plain files? Markd.ly runs natively on Windows, costs $19.99 once and keeps your writing in plain .md files.

Markd.ly vs Bear FAQs

Is there a Bear app for Windows or Android?

No native app. Bear's apps are for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, and Bear says it has no plans for Android or Windows. Bear Web, a public beta since July 2025, signs in with an Apple ID. Markd.ly runs natively on Windows, Linux and Android, and the same $19.99 covers Mac, iPhone and iPad.

Does Markd.ly have a subscription?

No. $19.99 once unlocks Markd.ly on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android, and you can try every feature free for 24 hours first, with no card.

Can I bring my Bear notes to Markd.ly?

Yes. Export them from Bear as Markdown, and Markd.ly opens the .md files as they are, with no import step.

Does Markd.ly render Mermaid diagrams and math?

Yes. Mermaid diagrams and LaTeX math render in the preview on every device, even offline.

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Markd.ly

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$19.99 once, no subscription. Try it free for 24 hours first, no card.

Pricing verified 2026-09-26. Bear pricing source. Subject to change.