9.6
After hands-on testing across multiple workflows, here is what Standard Notes did well, what it struggled with, and who should pick it.
Bear Review
bear.app
151K
Active users
99.71%
Uptime (90d)
4.1★
App store
Bear arrives with a refined design language and stays focused on the fundamentals that define the Note Taking category.
Quick Verdict
"Strong fundamentals undermined by a few persistent rough edges."
Medium
Note Taking
Privacy approved
Score Breakdown
4.4
Security model
4.9
Sharing flow
4.7
Performance
4.5
Migration
Pros & Cons
Pros
-
Strong defaultsYou get a useful product within ten minutes of signup.
-
Consistent UXPatterns repeat from list view to detail view to mobile.
-
Reasonable pricingFree tier covers most solo cases; paid tiers add real value.
-
Active developmentPublic changelog with measurable cadence over the last year.
Cons
-
Rough importsMigration from competing tools sometimes drops attachments.
-
No CLI yetPower users automating workflows still have to wait.
-
Aggressive resyncOffline mode pulls more than necessary on reconnect.
Content Library
54K
Saved items
301+
Templates
57
Integrations
24/7
Support SLA
Content breakdown by category
Type A
67%
Type B
12%
Type C
11%
Type D
3%
Other
4%
Site Experience
Home — search-first layout
Sharing dialog
Audit dashboard
Search anywhere
Cmd-Shift-V global shortcut surfaces fuzzy matches across every folder.
Smart folders
Saved searches act like dynamic groupings.
Built-in audit
Reuse, weak credentials, and breach exposure surfaced as trend lines.
Pricing & Plans
Free
$0 /mo
Up to 200 items
- End-to-end encryption
- 1 device
- Email support
- Family sharing
- Audit dashboard
Most Popular
Pro
$7.92 /mo
Annual billing
- Unlimited items
- All devices
- Priority support
- Family sharing (up to 5)
- Audit dashboard
Teams
$8.54 /seat/mo
Min. 5 seats
- Per-folder roles
- SCIM provisioning
- SSO (SAML / OIDC)
- Audit log export
- Dedicated account manager
Accepted payments
Visa
Mastercard
Amex
PayPal
Billing appears as Billed monthly. Cancel anytime. — discreet on statements
Mobile Experience
4.9
Mobile Score
Mobile feels like a first-class citizen, with both apps shipping a near-feature-parity build alongside desktop.
iOS
4.5 / 10
Android
4.7 / 10
Feature checklist
Biometric unlock
Offline access
Autofill (system)
Apple Watch unlock
Wear OS unlock
TV / console clients
Privacy & Safety
End-to-end encryption
Verified
Independent audit
Public report
No tracking
On by default
Compliance
Audited
How It Compares
| Feature | Bear | Amplitude | Norton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-folder roles | Yes | Limited | No |
| SSO | No | Yes | Add-on |
| Audit dashboard | Yes | No | Yes |
| Hardware key support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CLI tooling | Coming Q3 | Yes | No |
Who It's For
Solo professionals
Small teams (5–25)
Families
Privacy-first users
Not the right fit if…
Heavy CLI users today. Engineers needing scripted access should wait for the upcoming release.
Final Verdict
4.7
Medium
Bear
bear.app
Reviewed by Alex Quinn · April 2026
Bear earns its score through consistent execution on the basics: search is fast, sharing works, the privacy story is plausible. The few remaining issues are well-known and on the public roadmap.
For privacy-conscious users, this is a fallback rather than a first choice.
Visit Bear ↗
View Plans & Pricing
Quick Scores
Security4.3
Speed4.4
Sharing4.6
Onboarding4.7
Mobile4.1
Overall
4.7
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