Catchlight vs Bear
Bear is one of the loveliest notes apps on iPhone, and we mean that. It is markdown-first, beautifully made, and syncs through your own iCloud. The difference is what each app is for: Bear is a notes app you can lock note by note; Catchlight is a zero-knowledge place where a note, a task and a reminder are one thing.
The short version.
| Catchlight | Bear | |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed | None. Ever. | Your iCloud (Apple ID) |
| Encryption | Whole app, zero-knowledge, by default | Optional per-note lock; sync via your iCloud |
| Notes + tasks + reminders | One unified Take, with notifications | Notes only (markdown) |
| Sync | Included; a folder you own | iCloud sync is Pro-only (free tier is one device) |
| Price | One flat ~£14.99/yr, everything in | Free (single device) or Pro (~$2.99/mo, ~$29.99/yr) |
| Design | Calm, minimal | Beautiful, markdown-first |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18+); more planned | Apple ecosystem |
Bear pricing and features verified June 2026; check bear.app for current plans. Bear syncs through your iCloud and offers optional per-note encryption. Catchlight is pre-launch; its feature set is subject to change before launch.
Bear is genuinely beautiful.
We are not going to pretend otherwise. Bear's typography, its markdown, its themes, the feel of writing in it, are a high bar, and if you want a pure, gorgeous notes app and live inside the Apple ecosystem, Bear is a wonderful choice.
Where Catchlight differs is not polish for its own sake. It is two specific bets: that privacy should be the default, not a per-note toggle, and that a note, a task and a reminder should not be three separate things.
How the privacy differs.
Bear keeps your notes in your own iCloud and lets you encrypt individual notes with a password. That is good, but it is opt-in and per-note: anything you forget to lock is just synced.
Catchlight encrypts everything, automatically, on your device, with a key only you hold. There is no per-note decision to remember and no account in the picture. Sync, if you want it, writes encrypted files into a folder you already own.
Where Bear is the better choice.
Bear is the better choice if what you want is a beautiful, markdown-native notes app, you are happy syncing through iCloud, and a low annual price for that craft is exactly the trade you want. As a writing surface, it is a delight.
Where Catchlight is the better choice.
Catchlight is the better choice if you want privacy on by default rather than note by note, no account at all, and one place where a note can also be a task and a reminder. It trades Bear's markdown depth for a calmer, unified, zero-knowledge model.
Common questions.
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Is Bear end-to-end encrypted?
Bear syncs through your own iCloud and lets you encrypt individual notes with a password, but it is opt-in and per-note. Catchlight encrypts everything by default, on device, with a key only you hold.
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Does Catchlight use markdown like Bear?
Catchlight is deliberately simpler than a full markdown editor; it is built for fast capture rather than long-form writing. If markdown is the point for you, Bear does it beautifully.
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Does Catchlight need an account or a subscription to sync?
No account, ever. Sync is included in the one flat price and writes to a folder you own; there is no separate sync tier.