enfoca markdown Buy $12.99

Bear vs Ulysses: which subscription deserves your money?

Name: Enfoca Markdown
Price: 12.99 USD
Rating: 4.8 (73 reviews)

Pick Bear

If you want a library note-taker with iCloud sync and minimalist UX

Pick Ulysses

If you want a serious long-form writing environment with sheets and goals

Side by side

	Bear	Ulysses
Price	$2.99/mo or $29.99/yr	$39.99/yr
Platform	Apple ecosystem only	Apple ecosystem only
File format	Proprietary SQLite	Proprietary sheet format
Library model	Tag-based notes	Group-based manuscripts
Export	Good	Excellent
Offline	Yes	Yes

When Bear wins

You live in Apple + iCloud
You want fast capture with tags
You're ok with a proprietary store

When Ulysses wins

You write novels, books, or long-form nonfiction
You want the most polished macOS writing surface
You're willing to pay $40/year for craft

If neither fits

Both are subscription. Both hold your files hostage. Enfoca is $12.99 once, uses plain .md in any folder, and matches their editorial polish without the rent.

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