Bear Logo
Craft logo

More room
for your ideas.

Looking for a Bear app alternative? Craft gives you sync, live collaboration, and AI — included, with limits that vary by plan.

Try Craft Free

Which one is right for you?

Craft

Sync included on Craft’s free plan; Bear Pro includes sync and other premium features
Dedicated Windows and Android apps plus Web access; Bear offers native Apple apps and a Web beta
Real-time collaborative editing, comments, and shared spaces
Built-in AI assistant: Included; limits vary by plan
Collections, rich document styling, and hosted web publishing in one workspace

Bear

You only use Apple devices and love pure markdown editing
Tag-based organization is essential to your workflow
You prefer a minimal text editor over a document tool
You prefer personal Markdown notes with tables, sketches, and nested tags

Bear users love its clean design, Markdown editing, and flexible tags. Craft adds rich document styling, collections, hosted web publishing, and real-time collaboration, with sync included on its free plan. Bear Pro includes iCloud sync, OCR search, themes, and expanded export options.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

See how Craft and Bear compare across key features

Feature
Craft
Bear
Performance
Native apps, instant launch on all platforms
Native Apple apps, fast launch; Web beta also available
Document Design
Rich covers, layouts, tables, and typography
Markdown, tables, themes, attachments, and link previews
AI Features
Included; limits vary by plan
Claude Connector, MCP, and Apple Writing Tools on supported devices
Offline Access
Full offline on all platforms
Full offline (Apple devices only)
Apple Pencil
Full drawing and annotation support
Inline sketches with Apple Pencil
Web Publishing
One-click beautiful web pages
Not available
Free Tier
Free plan with sync included
Free but no sync (pay $2.99/mo for sync)
Organization
Spaces, folders, collections, tags
Tags with nested hierarchies, backlinks, and search
Extensibility
API, MCP, and integrationsLearn more →
Official CLI, MCP Server, Claude Connector, and X-Callback-URL

Why users switch to Craft

M

Mikailkraft

“ Craft gets rid of all the noise from Notion while not becoming as barebones as Obsidian. It’s a perfect balance of features – and it’s done seamlessly. Synching is immediate, and the app feels right at home on my Mac and my iPad.”
App Store Award
App Store Award
Mac App of the Year
Apple Design Awards
Apple Design Awards
Finalist
Webby
Webby
Awarded three times in various categories
German Design Award
German Design Award
Excellent Communications Design Interactive UX

What matters most

Craft gets it right

Quick idea capture

Capture ideas on any device — Mac, iPad, iPhone, Windows, or Web — with sync included free

Fast, beautiful writing

Rich formatting with covers, tables, and media — not just plain markdown text

Offline access

Full offline everywhere, with Craft’s dedicated Windows app alongside its Apple apps and Web access

Easy Organization

Spaces, folders, collections, and tags — a different approach from Bear’s nested tags

Task management

Built-in tasks with due dates and daily notes — no third-party app needed

API, MCP & Automations

Connect with Claude, ChatGPT, Apple Shortcuts, and build custom workflows

Compare the cost

Craft
Bear
Free plan or trial
Free — 1,500 blocks, 1 GB storage
Free local notes; Pro required for sync and some exports
Individual
$6.4/month, billed annually
Pro: $2.99/month or $29.99/year
Family
$12.0/month, billed annually; up to 6 people
No family plan
Team
$5/month, billed annually per member; minimum 3 members
Personal notes; no shared team workspace
AI Assistant Feature
Included; limits vary by plan
Apple Writing Tools on compatible devices; external AI via CLI, MCP, and connectors

Craft prices reflect your region and available offers. Competitor $ prices are USD unless stated otherwise; billing periods are shown with each price. Taxes, offers and plan limits may differ. Check Bear pricing

See full pricing

Why users switch to Craft

J

Jeffb129

“ Craft is way more functional than Apple or Google Notes while being much easier to use than Notion”

Switch From Bear To Craft

Export Your Notes

In Bear, select all notes and use File → Export Notes. Choose Markdown format for best compatibility.

Import to Craft

In Craft, use Import and select your exported Markdown or TextBundle files. TextBundle keeps attachments together; Markdown assets may need checking.

Start Creating

Your notes are in Craft. Review formatting, attachments, links, and tags after import. Sync works immediately — no subscription needed.

Ready for writing, tasks, and collaboration together?

Start for free. No credit card required.

Continue on webDownload on the App Store

Common Questions

For many users, yes. Craft offers a clean writing experience with hosted web publishing, live collaboration, collections, and tasks. Bear also supports tables and Apple Pencil sketches. Choose Craft when you want your documents, planning, and shared work together.

Writers, creators, educators, and professionals who want beautiful documents with more power than a simple note-taking app. Craft is fully native on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with automatic sync and full offline access – just like Bear, but with more capabilities.

Yes. Craft supports real-time collaboration, comments, and team spaces. Share documents with anyone via link – they can view without an account. This is a major advantage over Bear's single-user model.

Bear Pro costs $2.99/month or $29.99/year in the US and includes iCloud sync, themes, OCR search, and additional export formats. Craft has a free plan with sync and paid upgrades for higher limits. Craft AI assistant: Included; limits vary by plan. See current regional pricing.

Craft adds hosted web pages, live collaboration, collections, spaces, covers, styled blocks, and a built-in AI assistant. Bear also offers tables, media, and Apple Pencil sketches; the difference is the broader document and collaboration workflow.

Yes. Craft provides full offline access – create, edit, organize, and search documents without internet. Changes sync automatically when you reconnect. Both apps excel at offline, but Craft adds more features on top.

Yes. Export your Bear notes as Markdown or TextBundle, then import the files into Craft. TextBundle keeps attachments with the text. For Markdown, check attachment paths and place each asset on its own line. Review formatting, links, and tags after import.

Yes. Craft supports Markdown input and can export to Markdown. You can write with Markdown shortcuts just like Bear. The difference is Craft renders your content beautifully in real-time rather than showing raw Markdown.

Both are fast native apps built for Apple platforms. Bear is slightly lighter for pure text notes, but Craft's performance is excellent even with rich content, images, and embedded files. Sub-second sync across all devices.

Yes. Craft supports tags for organizing your documents. You can also use folders, spaces, and collections for more powerful organization options that Bear doesn't offer.

Yes. This is one of Craft's biggest advantages. Publish any document as a beautiful website with one click. Share professional-looking pages with anyone – no account needed to view.

Yes. Both apps support inline drawings with Apple Pencil on iPad. Craft combines drawing blocks with rich documents, collections, and collaboration; Bear offers editable sketches alongside text and attachments.

Craft has a built-in AI assistant: Included; limits vary by plan. Bear offers an official Claude Connector and MCP Server for external AI assistants, and Apple Writing Tools on supported devices. These are different approaches to working with AI.

If you need hosted publishing, live collaboration, collections, and a built-in AI assistant, Craft is a strong next step. Bear remains a good fit for personal Markdown notes with tables, sketches, and nested tags.

Yes. Craft offers a free Education plan for students with eligibility verification and annual renewal. Better organization with spaces and collections, publishing for portfolios, and collaboration with classmates make it ideal for academic work.

Both are excellent writing tools. Bear is great for distraction-free Markdown notes. Craft is better if you want to publish, collaborate, or create richly formatted documents. Many writers use Craft for polished work and Bear for quick drafts.

Both sync quickly. Craft uses its own cloud service; Bear uses iCloud for its native apps and offers a Web beta with specific limitations. Craft adds dedicated Windows and Android apps, plus shared links that work for anyone.

In Bear, export the notes you want as TextBundle or Markdown. In Craft, open Import from All Documents or Organize and select those files. Review attachments, links, formatting, and tags after import; TextBundle is useful for keeping assets together.

Why users switch to Craft

Aaron avatar

Aaron

“ Best App for Everyone. It features every features with excellent UI and UX taking note taking to next level and I even replaced Notion with this one.”