The best Bear alternatives

For most people the best alternative to Bear is Reflect, and the best free one is Capacities.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

ReflectPick this if you want simple daily notes with backlinks on the Mac, saved as plain files in your own folder.Free, open source

Best free alternative

CapacitiesPick it if you'd rather organize notes as people, books and ideas than as folders.Free to start Also great

ObsidianPick it if you want your notes as plain files you own, with links and plugins to shape your own system.Free to start

Compare at a glance

Bear is highlighted, so you can see what you give up and what you gain.

App	Price	How you pay	Rating
Bear	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	4.7
Reflect	Free, open source	Free	Too few ratings
Capacities	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	Too few ratings
Obsidian	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	4.5
Goodnotes	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	4.7
Notion	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	4.8
Drafts	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	4.8
Craft	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	4.8
Notability	Free to start	Free, with paid upgrades	4.8

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The alternatives, in order

1
Reflect
Free, open sourceBest alternative

Pick this if you want simple daily notes with backlinks on the Mac, saved as plain files in your own folder.

Daily notes and backlinks saved as Markdown files in your own folder, free and open source on the Mac.

Prices and full verdict Developer's site
2
Capacities
Free to startBest free

Pick it if you'd rather organize notes as people, books and ideas than as folders.

Notes saved as people, books and ideas that link to each other, with no limit on notes in the free plan.

Prices and full verdict Developer's site
3
Obsidian
Free to start4.5

Pick it if you want your notes as plain files you own, with links and plugins to shape your own system.

Free linked notes saved as plain Markdown files on your own device, so your writing outlives any app.

Prices and full verdict App Store
4
Goodnotes
Free to start4.7

Pick this if you write with an Apple Pencil in class or meetings and mark up lots of PDFs and slides.

Paper-style notebooks for Apple Pencil, PDF markup and lecture recordings that turn into summaries.

Prices and full verdict App Store
5
Notion
Free to start4.8

Pick it if your notes double as trackers and project boards, like a reading list or content calendar.

A single workspace for notes, docs, tasks and databases, free for personal use and full of templates.

Prices and full verdict App Store
6
Drafts
Free to start4.8

Pick this if you capture quick ideas all day and send each one on to another app.

A blank page the instant you open it, plus 1-tap actions that send your text to whichever app it belongs in.

Prices and full verdict App Store
7
Craft
Free to start4.8

Pick it if your notes turn into client-facing docs you share as a polished web page.

Notes and docs that look good enough to share as a web page, with tasks and AI built in.

Prices and full verdict Setapp
8
Notability
Free to start4.8

Pick it if you handwrite lecture notes and want the recorded audio tied to what you wrote.

Handwritten notes with the lecture audio synced to what you wrote, plus PDF markup, on iPad, iPhone and Mac.

Prices and full verdict App Store

Bear head to head

When Bear is still the right pick

You want a private, good-looking home for notes and drafts that sorts itself with tags.

Bear prices and verdictFree to start