Quick Bear Review

Another Markdown Text Editor – This Time With Elegance

Playing with a Markdown text editor called Bear today. Careful attention to the UI and design translates to a solid UX. Although the Editorial app by OMZ Software is still the power-user’s choice for plain text and Markdown, while also getting around the subscription model of Bear ($1.49 monthly or $14.99 annually), Bear is an elegant product. It will be part of my workflow as a lighter version of Editorial (which does offer Dropbox syncing as opposed to Bear’s reliance on Apple’s CloudKit). The use of hashtags to create folders and sub-folders is a nice simple way of keeping notes organized. If you already use Editorial, this might not be the app for you. However, if you appreciate elegant design in a Markdown text editor, you probably won’t regret Bear. You get export options that include HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and RTF. See the GIF above for Bear’s advanced keyboard menu (Gotham theme).

Bear Features:

Advanced Markup Editor that supports and highlights over 20 programming languages
Rich previews while writing so you see prose, not code
In-line support for images and photos
Use Cross-Note Links to build a body of work, quickly reference other notes, and more
Quickly add todos to individual notes to keep yourself on task
Multiple themes to offer a style for everyone
Multiple export options including HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and more
Smart Data Recognition of elements like links, emails, addresses, colors, and more to come
Hashtags to quickly find and organize notes however you like
One-tap formatting on iPhone and iPad with a custom shortcut bar
Focus Mode hides notes and other options when it matters
All your notes are stored in plain text for the ultimate in portability
Effortless, secure, and private multi-device sync via iCloud
Regular updates to keep you and your writing current