Bear alternative
Paying Bear just to sync? Varlig syncs free.
Bear Pro, which includes sync, costs $29.99 a year in the US. Keep writing in Markdown, with your tags and pictures: Varlig adds shared notes, version history and a calculator in the page, and syncs through your own iCloud at no cost.
What comes with you
- Every note, as Markdown
- Your tags, nested tags included
- When each note was created and last edited
- Pictures and attachments
- Links between notes
Move in three steps
- In Bear, let every attachment download. Notes you’ve encrypted in Bear need their password removed first, or export them unlocked.
- In Varlig on your Mac, open Settings › Import & Export and choose Import from Bear…. When Varlig asks, choose Bear’s library, the folder named Application Data.
- Varlig copies your notes and leaves Bear’s library as it was. Turn on Sync notes with iCloud in Settings › Sync & Backup, and they’re on your iPhone and iPad too.
No Mac? On iPhone and iPad, export your notes from Bear as TextBundle or a Bear backup, then choose Import Notes… in a note list’s … menu.
Varlig and Bear, side by side
| Feature | Varlig | Bear |
|---|---|---|
| Sync between your devices | Free, through your own iCloud | Bear Pro: $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year |
| Shared notes | Free: invite people to edit a note with you | Not available |
| Calculator in your notes | Built in, with units, currencies and dates | Not built in |
| Password-protected notes and PDF export | Free | Bear Pro |
| Word and HTML export, more themes, text in pictures | Varlig Pro | Bear Pro |
| Markdown | Yes | Yes |
| Where it runs | Mac with Apple silicon (macOS 14 or later), iPhone and iPad (iOS 17 or later) | Mac (macOS 12.4 or later), iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, and Bear Web in beta |
| Pay once | Varlig Pro for $59.99 | Not offered |
Checked October 2026. Prices in US dollars, as each app lists them; they may change.
Questions about switching from Bear
Does importing change my Bear library?
No. Varlig reads Bear’s library and makes copies in its own, so Bear stays exactly as it was and you can use both while you decide.
What happens to notes I encrypted in Bear?
Varlig can’t read them while they’re encrypted. Remove their password in Bear first, or export them unlocked, then give them a password in Varlig, which is free.
Can I go back to Bear later?
Yes. Varlig exports any note or tag as Markdown or TextBundle for free, and Bear imports both.
Write the plan.
Varlig does the sums.
Get Varlig FreeImport, iCloud sync and shared notes are free in Varlig. Varlig Pro adds power tools when you want them.