Bear is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 9.0. Bear wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Todoist on 2.
Writers and Apple users who want fast, good-looking Markdown notes
People and small teams who want a fast, reliable task list on every device
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Bear | Todoist |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity & Notes | Productivity & Notes |
| Category rank | #3 of 13 | #4 of 13 |
| Developer | Shiny Frog | Todoist Inc. |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Linux | — | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Bear better than Todoist?
Bear is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 9.0. Bear wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Todoist on 2.
Which is cheaper, Bear or Todoist?
Bear: Free without sync; Bear Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Todoist: Free Beginner plan; Pro $5/month billed yearly, or $7 monthly. On value for money, Bear scores higher.
Do Bear and Todoist work on the same devices?
Only Todoist runs on Android, Windows, Linux.
Which is more private, Bear or Todoist?
Bear scores higher on privacy (9.4/10). App Store label: no tracking and no data linked to you, only crash data. Notes sync through your own iCloud, Shiny Frog says it can't access them, and Pro adds per-note encryption.
Strengths and weaknesses
Bear
- Polished, distraction-free writing
- Notes stay in your iCloud, not on Bear's servers
- Pro costs just $29.99 a year
- No Android or Windows app
- Sync and encryption require Pro
- Tags only, no traditional folders
Bear is a Markdown notes app with a calm, polished editor that makes jotting things down a pleasure. Organize with nested tags instead of folders, add tables, callouts, math and Mermaid diagrams, and search text inside images and PDFs with Pro. Notes sync privately through your iCloud, and the price is gentle. It's Apple-only apart from a web version, and sync needs Pro.
Full Bear review
Todoist
- Fast, natural language task entry
- Apps for every major platform plus browser add-ons
- Clean design that stays simple as lists grow
- Free plan is limited to five personal projects
- No built-in focus timer or habit tracking
- Pro price went up in late 2025
Todoist is the to-do app that works everywhere and stays out of your way. Type 'call Sam every Friday at 3pm' and it sets the date and repeat for you, or use Ramble to talk through your plans and get tidy tasks back. Filters, labels and shared projects scale from groceries to team work, and sync is fast and dependable. The free plan stops at five projects, and Pro costs more than it used to.
Full Todoist review
