Bear vs Craft

Bear offers a pure Markdown writing experience with live preview, customizable themes, and a distraction-free focus mode. The tag-based organization (#tags) is intuitive for writers, and the syntax highlighting for code blocks makes it popular among developers. Writing feels immediate and responsive with no formatting friction.

Craft uses a block-based editor where each paragraph, image, or table is a distinct block. While powerful for layout, this can feel less fluid than pure Markdown for continuous writing. The slash commands (/command) provide quick access to formatting, but writers may find the block structure interrupts flow compared to Bear's seamless text experience.

Bear's tag-based system allows nested tags (e.g., #work/project/client) creating an automatic hierarchy without rigid folder structures. The sidebar provides instant filtering, and the powerful search includes OCR for text inside images and PDFs. The linking between notes is simple and effective.

Craft organizes content into Spaces, documents, and nested pages with a breadcrumb navigation system. The card-based structure allows for visual organization, and starred documents provide quick access. However, the folder-like structure can feel more rigid than Bear's fluid tagging system.

Bear Pro supports exporting to PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG, and Markdown. The Markdown export preserves your content in a universal, future-proof format. Custom CSS for PDF export allows professional document styling. This makes Bear ideal for writers who need to submit work to publishers or maintain long-term archives.

Craft offers export to PDF, Markdown, Text, and Print options. The visual styling carries through to PDF exports beautifully, but Markdown export loses some of the visual formatting that makes Craft documents distinctive. The focus is more on sharing live documents than exporting to other formats.

Bear is designed as a personal writing tool with no native collaboration features. While you can share exported documents, there is no real-time collaboration, commenting, or shared workspaces. This is intentional—Bear focuses on individual writing workflows.

Craft excels at collaboration with shared Spaces, real-time editing, comments, and mentions. The Family and Team plans enable multiple users to work within shared environments. Documents can be shared via links with customizable permissions, making it ideal for team documentation and client collaboration.

Bear does not include any AI features as of 2026. The philosophy remains focused on human writing without algorithmic assistance. Users wanting AI capabilities need to copy text to external services like ChatGPT or Claude.

Craft Plus includes an AI assistant that can help write, edit, summarize, and translate content directly within documents. The AI can generate content based on prompts, improve writing clarity, and provide creative suggestions. This integration is seamless and designed for document workflows.

Bear Pro includes over two dozen beautiful themes ranging from minimalist to cozy, with options for light and dark modes. The typography is excellent, and the app icon can be customized. However, the focus remains on text presentation rather than document layout.

Craft's visual design is award-winning, featuring a unique card-based aesthetic with subtle shadows, beautiful typography, and sophisticated layout options. Documents look like polished publications. The block system enables side-by-side layouts, image grids, and styled callouts that Bear cannot match.

Bear is exclusively available on Apple platforms: macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. There is no Windows, Android, or web version. This is a deliberate choice that ensures optimal performance within the Apple ecosystem but locks out non-Apple users entirely.

Craft supports macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and includes a functional web app for browser access. While still Apple-focused, the web version enables access from Windows and other platforms, making it more accessible for mixed-device environments and team collaboration.

Bear is lightweight, fast, and reliable with near-instant launch times and smooth scrolling even with thousands of notes. The iCloud sync is dependable and conflicts are rare. The app has a long track record of stability and continues to receive regular updates in 2026.

Craft is well-optimized and generally responsive, though loading large documents with many blocks or embedded media can introduce slight delays. The sync is reliable across devices. As a newer app, it has matured significantly but occasionally introduces bugs with major feature updates.