Bear (app) explained

Bear
Developer:	Shiny Frog
Released:	^[1]
Latest Release Version:	2.2.2
Operating System:	macOS, iOS, iPadOS
Programming Language:	C++, Objective-C, Swift^[2]
Genre:	Note-taking application
License:	Freemium

Bear is a note-taking application by Shiny Frog. Bear 2 launched for macOS, iOS and iPadOS in July 2023.^[3]

History

After 3 years of development, the initial version of Bear was released in October 2016 for macOS, iOS and iPadOS.^[4] It was released as free application, with an optional paid subscription, that unlocks more advanced features, e.g. note syncing and app themes. In the same year, the application received Apple's Mac App of the Year Award.^[5]

In 2017, support for the Apple Watch was added and Shiny Frog received an Apple Design Award for their work on Bear.^{[6] [7]}

Within one year of the initial release, the team started to work on version 2, while still releasing continuous updates for Bear 1. To implement all the features planned for Bear 2, the development team had to build a new text-editing system, code-named Panda. This new system is also needed for a future Bear web application.^[8] Version 2 was eventually released in July 2023 for macOS, iOS and iPadOS.

Features

• notes are written in Markdown
• (nested) tags are used to organize the notes
• export to plain text, Markdown, TextBundle and RTF
• export to PDF, JPG, HTML, DOCX and ePub *
• search inside PDFs and images *
• synchronization with iCloud *
• GIF support
• support for sketches
• web clippers for Safari, Google Chrome and Firefox
• note encryption *

* marks features that are only available to paying users

See also

• Comparison of note-taking software

Further reading

• Ashworth . Boone . Jot Down Your Thoughts With These Great Note-Taking Apps . . 2019-11-25 . en-US . 1059-1028 . mdy-all .
• Web site: Duffy . Jill . Bear (for Mac) Review . PC Magazine . 2021-01-06 . en . 2023-07-12 . mdy-all .
• News: Eaton . Kit . Journaling Apps That Inspire, Organize and Keep Out Snoops . . 2017-01-25 . en-US . 0362-4331 . mdy-all .
• Web site: Gartenberg . Chaim . Note-taking app Bear is rapidly improving with new features . . 2017-05-25 . en-US . 2023-07-12 . mdy-all .
• Web site: Ingraham . Nathan . Popular iOS notes app Bear adds sketching (and stickers) . . 2017-05-25 . en-US . 2023-07-12 . mdy-all .
• Web site: Ionescu . Stefan . Bear note-taking app . TechRadar . 2022-07-27 . en . 2023-07-12 . mdy-all .
• Web site: Newton . Casey . Why I finally replaced Evernote with Bear . . 2017-03-02 . en-US . 2023-07-12 . mdy-all .
• Web site: Turner . Brian . Best note-taking apps of 2023 . TechRadar . 2023-03-10 . en . 2023-07-12 . mdy-all .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hello, I’m Bear. 2016-11-01. blog.bear.app. 2024-07-17.
2. Web site: Bear 2 under the hood. reddit.com. 2024-07-28. The editor core is written in C++ using an AST structure on top of that we have different parts written in ObjC and Swift..
3. Web site: Pierce . David . Bear 2 is a terrific notes app — and it only took forever to build . . 2023-07-11 . en-US . 2023-07-12 . mdy-all .
4. Web site: shinyfrog . 2016-11-01 . Hello, I’m Bear . 2024-07-19 . blog.bear.app . en-US.
5. Web site: Clover . Juli . 2016-12-06 . Apple's Best of the App Store in 2016:' Prisma' and 'Clash Royale' Win Top Honors . 2024-07-19 . MacRumors . en.
6. Web site: shinyfrog . 2017-10-11 . Bear for iOS gets drag and drop-ier, arrives on Apple Watch . 2024-07-19 . blog.bear.app . en-US.
7. Web site: Apple Design Awards celebrate innovation and creativity . 2024-07-19 . Apple Newsroom . en-US.
8. Web site: shinyfrog . 2020-11-02 . Cheers to another year of Bear . 2024-07-19 . blog.bear.app . en-US.