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Prices & plans Features and limits Open-source notes with a choice of sync service
Markdown writing for Apple devices
Prices & plans Published prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
Local app Free
Free open-source application
Availability Global
Optional external storage may have its own cost.
Source Cloud Basic — monthly EUR 2.99/month
Monthly subscription
Availability EUR public list price
2 GB and 10 MB per note or attachment.
Source Cloud Basic — annual EUR 28.69/year
Annual subscription
Availability EUR public list price
Vendor's explicit annual total; do not calculate it from the rounded monthly equivalent.
Source Cloud Pro — monthly EUR 5.99/month
Monthly subscription
Availability EUR public list price
30 GB and 200 MB per note or attachment.
Source Cloud Pro — annual EUR 57.48/year
Annual subscription
Availability EUR public list price
Includes creating shared notebooks.
Source Free Free
No subscription charge
Availability Global Apple App Store availability
Local notes with TXT, Markdown, TextBundle and RTF export.
Source 1 Source 2 Pro — monthly USD 2.99/month
App Store recurring subscription
Availability US base price
One subscription across devices with the same Apple ID. Local prices and taxes vary.
Source Pro — annual USD 29.99/year
App Store yearly subscription
Availability US base price
7-day trial is documented. Introductory promotions are not assumed to be renewal prices.
Source Features and limits Documented differences. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Joplin Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android; Cloud plans also include a web app.
Bear Native Mac, iPhone and iPad apps plus a limited browser beta; no native Windows or Android version.
Offline use Joplin The app keeps notes locally and is designed for offline use.
Bear Native apps support local notes offline. The web privacy page says notes are not stored locally in the browser.
Sync Joplin Joplin Cloud, Nextcloud, S3, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive and local filesystem are supported.
Bear Pro synchronizes through Apple CloudKit using the same Apple ID.
Privacy and storage Joplin End-to-end encryption is supported but must first be enabled on one device and synchronized to the others.
Bear Pro can encrypt individual notes; their password cannot be reset by Bear and titles may remain visible.
Collaboration Joplin Cloud Basic can join another user's shared notebook. Pro or above can create a notebook share.
Bear A shared live editing workflow was not established from the reviewed official sources.
Sharing exported notes and syncing one person's devices do not establish multi-person co-editing.
Export Joplin JEX preserves notes and metadata for Joplin restores; HTML and PDF exports are also documented.
Bear Free exports TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, Bear Note and RTF. Pro adds HTML, DOCX, PDF, JPG and ePub.
Project portability Joplin ENEX imports notes and resources; complex formatting and some inter-note links may need repair.
Bear The Mac importer brings in vault notes and local attachments. Remote HTTP assets and plugin-generated tags are not imported automatically.
Free plan limits Joplin The local application is free and open source; Joplin Cloud is optional.
Bear Local editing and basic export are free; official cross-device iCloud sync is a Pro feature.
Local OCR Joplin Desktop processes PNG, JPEG and PDF text offline. OCR results can sync to mobile; handwriting is not supported.
Bear Not yet verified for this product.
AI features Joplin Joplin Cloud plans list an AI chat beta for desktop. It is distinct from the core local editor.
Bear Bear 2.8+ on Mac offers a CLI, Claude Connector and MCP server. These require opt-in and cannot read encrypted note content.
Browser and ADP Joplin Not yet verified for this product.
Bear Official pages disagree on whether Bear Web works with Advanced Data Protection enabled.
The web FAQ says ADP prevents use. The privacy page documents ADP login with two-factor authentication. Do not switch security settings based on this comparison.
This workspace aligns existing research. It does not declare a winner or treat missing evidence as a missing feature. Read the methodology .
