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Pick 2–5 published tools. Values come from our evidence-checked profiles — an em-dash means unknown, never “no”. Ranking rows reflect the current published methodology for the comparison context.
Standard Notes vs Bear
Context: Note-taking Apps · methodology v1.0.0 · 21 rows
| Attribute | Standard NotesStandard Notes | BearShiny Frog |
|---|---|---|
| Identity · Taxonomy | ||
| Documentation | https://standardnotes.com/help | — |
| Tags | encryption, privacy, open-source, notes | markdown, apple, writing, notes |
| Platform · Deployment | ||
| Delivery model | SaaS, desktop, mobile | desktop, mobile |
| Desktop apps | — | macOS |
| Pricing · Licensing | ||
| Free plan | true | true |
| Free trial | — | true |
| License model | open-source | proprietary |
| Pricing model | free, subscription | free, subscription |
| Source repository | https://github.com/standardnotes/app | — |
| SPDX license IDs | AGPL-3.0 | — |
| Starting price | — | 2.99 |
| Trial length | — | 7 |
| Features · Product · Fit | ||
| Core capabilities | End-to-end encryption with XChaCha20-Poly1305, Unlimited device sync, Encrypted file storage on paid plans, Web clipper, Two-factor authentication and hardware key support, Daily encrypted email backups | Markdown editing with tables and todo lists, Tag-based organization, iCloud sync (Pro), Note encryption (Pro), Export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG, OCR search in photos and PDFs (Pro) |
| Support · Docs · Services | ||
| Support channels | community, email | — |
| Audience · Use · Case | ||
| Best for | Privacy-focused users who want audited end-to-end encryption and openly available source code for their notes and files. | Apple-device users who want fast, native Markdown notes organized with tags rather than folders. |
| Company-size fit | individual | individual |
| Primary use cases | Private note taking, Secure storage of sensitive information | Personal note taking, Writing |
| Skill level | intermediate | beginner |
| Lifecycle · Versioning | ||
| Maintenance status | active | active |
| Vendor · Maintainer | ||
| Founded year | — | 2016 |
| Vendor type | commercial | commercial |
“—” means unknown (we never treat missing evidence as a negative). Cells reflect each value's current evidence state; superseded or stale values are excluded. Ranking rows are editorial assessments under the cited methodology version — see the Note-taking Apps category for definitions.