Apple Notes is free and pretty good. But I have always had an itch to find another note taking app, which I would like better. I explored many apps over a long time - Agenda, Craft, Notion, Joplin, etc. Ultimately, it was Bear that I loved best.

I have previously written about how I love software that is fast, native and has good UX. I have usually found that indie software developers do better in these respects than big companies. Indies stick to the core essence of the app, while the corporations either end up catering to enterprises or come up with a React-based implementation for wider platform support.

Just like Due and Things which I wrote about recently, Bear is an app that just works for me. It looks sleek and pretty, runs very fast, opinionated with its workflows, supports Markdown well, syncs well, works offline, feels native, and more. I love writing in this app. I have been using it for months now, and it has integrated well with my workflows.

It’s the only subscription-based productivity app that I use, and I find their pricing to be reasonable especially because it’s available on all the platforms I care about. It’s a true testament to a piece of software when you pay to use it and there are solid free alternatives available, don’t you think?