OpenMark vs Bear
Standard .md files vs proprietary note store
Bear is a beautiful, well-designed note-taking app — and it's genuinely excellent for capturing and organising notes across Mac and iPhone. But it stores notes in its own encrypted database. OpenMark opens standard .md files directly — no import, no export, no lock-in. Here's the full comparison.
Feature comparison
Feature
OpenMark
Bear
Purpose
File editor — opens standard .md files from anywhere on your Mac
Note-taking app — notes stored in Bear's own encrypted database
File format
Standard .md files — yours forever, open in any app
Proprietary Bear database — export required to use files elsewhere
Platform
Native macOS — built with SwiftUI, Liquid Glass
macOS and iOS — excellent mobile app, no Android or Windows
Pricing
$9.99 — one-time purchase, full features forever
Free basic / $2.99/mo for Pro (sync + export)
Sync
Standard iCloud Drive file sync — works like any file
Bear Cloud sync included with Pro — reliable and fast
Mermaid diagrams
Built-in — flowcharts, sequence, Gantt, ER, pie, and more
Not supported
Math / LaTeX
Built-in KaTeX — inline and display equations
Not supported
Organisation
Finder-based — use any folder structure you choose
Tags and nested folders inside Bear — powerful but walled
Export
PDF and HTML export built-in
PDF, HTML, DOCX, Markdown, JPG export
Design
Liquid Glass — native macOS Tahoe
Custom polished design — Apple Design Award winner
Which one should you choose?
Choose OpenMark if…
- You want to work with standard .md files — no lock-in, usable in any app
- You need Mermaid diagrams or LaTeX math rendered natively
- You prefer a one-time $9.99 purchase over a monthly subscription
- You want a native macOS Tahoe app with Liquid Glass design
Choose Bear if…
- You want seamless iPhone sync and a great iOS app alongside Mac
- You prefer a tag-based note organisation system
- You want a free tier to try before committing
- You're replacing Apple Notes and want something more powerful
Try OpenMark — $9.99, one-time
Your .md files stay as .md files. Mermaid and LaTeX included. No subscription, ever.
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