Soft Ferret

Note-taking apps

Bear

per month on a yearly plan, checked November 1, 2026

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Apple-only Markdown notes

Pro costs $29.99 a year and adds OCR search and PDF export. No Windows or Android app, and iCloud sync is Pro only.

In the list: Best note-taking apps, judged by their free plans

Specs
Billed monthly2.99 USD/mo
Billed yearly2.5 USD/mo
Free tierFree plan: no iCloud sync, OCR search or extra export formats (Pro)
PlatformsMac, iOS

Close in price

ProductBest forPer month, yearly planCheckedLink
ObsidianLocal-first Markdown knowledge base$4November 1, 2026Visit
ZettlrMarkdown for academic writingFreeNovember 1, 2026Visit
SimplenoteFast free plain notesFreeNovember 1, 2026Visit
JoplinFree open-source notes with encryptionFreeNovember 1, 2026Visit