Raven is native on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, the way Bear is.
What changes is where the writing lives: plain .md files in a folder you
pick, not rows in an app’s database.
US$14 lifetime through August 31, 2026. Apple handles refunds.
Bear exports Markdown, and exporting leaves your library untouched.
Instead of a note database
Bear keeps your notes as rows in a SQLite library. Raven writes each one as a .md file in a folder you pick, so Finder, grep, git, and any editor can reach it without an export.
Instead of notes alone
Bear is a notes app, so plans and daily writing end up somewhere else. Raven keeps tasks and Journal entries beside your notes, in the same Markdown files.
Instead of an export step
A SQLite library is closed to the tools you use around your notes. Because Raven's notes are files on disk, Claude, Codex, Cursor, and MCP clients read them directly.
Bear can write your whole library out as Markdown. Point Raven at that folder and you are done.
What people ask before they switch.
| Dimension | Raven
| Bear |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Files you own, tasks, agent access | Typography, attachments, hashtags |
| Where notes live | Plain .md in your folder | A SQLite library |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| Native feel | Native SwiftUI and UIKit | Native, and long polished |
| Organization | Folders, [[wiki-links]], backlinks | Hashtags |
| Terminal access | grep, git, any editor | Export first |
| Agent access | Files on disk, plus Companion CLI/MCP | The database blocks it |
| Tasks | Across notes, with filters and a board | Not built in |
| Journal | Daily notes, built in | Not built in |
| Encrypted notes | No | Face ID and Touch ID |
| Free tier | No | Yes, with a limited plan |
| Pricing | US$14 lifetime through August 31, then US$25/year | Subscription only, $2.99/month |
Three things you’d give up.
Bear encrypts individual notes behind Face ID or Touch ID. Raven has no equivalent, and files in a folder are exactly as private as that folder.
Bear's nested hashtags are the whole filing system for a lot of people. Raven uses folders, [[wiki-links]], and backlinks instead.
Bear handles inline images and attachments better than Raven does. If your notes are mostly visual, that gap will show up on day one.
One purchase includes Raven and future updates.
US$14 one time
Lifetime offer ends August 31, 2026. Apple handles refunds.
New purchases are US$25/year.
Questions
Export from Bear with File, then Export Notes, then Markdown. Drop the exported folder anywhere on disk and point Raven at it. That folder is now your vault, and your Bear library stays exactly as it was.
They survive as plain-text #tags inside the Markdown, because that is how Bear exports them. Raven organizes with folders, [[wiki-links]], and backlinks rather than a hashtag index, so the tags read as text.
Bear exports them alongside the notes. Raven's inline image and attachment handling is lighter than Bear's, so if your notes lean heavily visual, Bear is still better at that.
No. Bear can lock individual notes behind Face ID or Touch ID and Raven has no equivalent. Raven's notes are files, so they are as protected as the folder and the device they sit on.
Not yet. Raven is US$14 once for lifetime access through August 31, 2026, sync and future updates included. From September 2026, new purchases are US$25/year. Bear Pro is $2.99/month or $29.99/year with no one-time option.
You can, and Bear's editor work may well land. It would still be an editor on top of a SQLite library, so notes stay inside the app. That is the part Raven changes, not the typography.
Not without exporting first, because Bear stores notes in a database rather than files. Raven's notes are already .md files on disk, so file-capable tools read them directly. Companion CLI and MCP add permissioned, Raven-aware edits.
Yes. Exporting does not touch your Bear library, so both apps can sit on the dock while you decide. Nothing about Raven's folder is locked to Raven.