Beyond NotesCompare
Four notes apps, side by side
Bear, iA Writer, Apple Notes and Beyond Notes all run on iPhone, iPad and Mac. They differ in what you pay, where your notes are kept and what you can do with the files later. These are the facts as of October 2026.
| Beyond Notes | Bear | iA Writer | Apple Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | A month free with everything, then $1.99 a month, $14.99 a year or $39.99 once. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. | Free to use without sync. Bear Pro, with iCloud sync, is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year. | $49.99 once for iPhone and iPad, and $49.99 once for the Mac. | Comes with every iPhone, iPad and Mac. |
| Where notes are kept | One plain .md file per note, in a Beyond Notes folder in your iCloud Drive. | In Bear's own database, with export to Markdown and other formats. | Plain text files in a folder you choose, such as one in iCloud Drive. | Inside Notes. From iOS 26 and macOS 26, a note can be exported as Markdown. |
| Writing | Markdown, formatted as you type. The paragraph you are editing shows its marks. | Markdown, formatted as you type. | Markdown as plain text, with a preview. | Rich text, formatted from a toolbar. |
| Organising | Nested #tags written in the text, links between notes. | Nested #tags written in the text, links between notes. | Folders, and the files' own names. | Folders, tags and smart folders. |
| Sync | Your own iCloud Drive. | iCloud, with Bear Pro. | Through the folder you choose, such as iCloud Drive. | iCloud. |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad and Mac. | iPhone, iPad and Mac. | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows, each bought separately. | iPhone, iPad, Mac and iCloud.com. |
What each one does well
Bear. A polished Markdown editor with nested tags, and a long record on Apple devices. Its free version covers one device well, and Pro adds sync, more themes and more export formats.
iA Writer. Made for long writing. Focus mode and its syntax highlighting for nouns, verbs and adjectives help with drafts, and it works on plain text files wherever you keep them.
Apple Notes. Already on your devices, with nothing to set up. It handles drawings, scanned documents and notes shared with other people, and from iOS 26 it imports and exports Markdown.
Beyond Notes. For people who write short notes every day and want them to stay plain Markdown files they own. Mark AI Wording underlines stock phrases on the device, without a language model. A sum typed before an equals sign gets its answer, and In the Zone warms the letters while you write fast.
Prices and features come from each app's website and App Store page on 29 October 2026. They change, so check the App Store before you buy.
Coming from Bear? Read how to bring your Bear notes, tags and links included.
See what Beyond Notes looks like on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Coming soon to the App Store
For iPhone and iPad with iOS 18 or later, and the Mac with macOS 15 or later.