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Rectangle VS Bear

Compare Rectangle VS Bear and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

Bear logo Bear

Bear.app is a note-taking and content writing app that helps you boost productivity with its intuitive tools.
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20
  • Bear Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15

Rectangle features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Rectangle offers an intuitive user interface that makes window management straightforward and user-friendly.
  • Customizable Shortcuts
    Users can easily configure keyboard shortcuts to better suit their workflow, making window management faster and more efficient.
  • Free
    Rectangle is available for free, making it accessible to anyone without the need for a financial investment.
  • Frequent Updates
    The app receives regular updates, introducing new features and ensuring compatibility with the latest macOS versions.
  • Lightweight
    Rectangle is a lightweight application that doesn't consume many system resources, ensuring smooth performance even on older Macs.

Possible disadvantages of Rectangle

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Rectangle lacks some of the more advanced features found in paid window management applications, such as multiple monitor support and more complex window arrangements.
  • MacOS Only
    Rectangle is only available for macOS, so users of other operating systems are unable to take advantage of its features.
  • Occasional Bugs
    Some users report occasional bugs or unpredictable behavior, which might require troubleshooting or waiting for a future update.
  • Learning Curve for Shortcuts
    While customizable shortcuts are a benefit, there is an initial learning curve for users to memorize and effectively use these shortcuts.
  • Basic Aesthetic
    The app's design and aesthetic are quite basic, lacking the polish and visual appeal found in some other similar tools.

Bear features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Bear features a clean, intuitive design that makes it easy for users to navigate and manage their notes, even for those who are not tech-savvy.
  • Markdown Support
    Bear supports Markdown, allowing users to format their text efficiently and maintain consistency across documents with simple syntax.
  • Cross-Device Synchronization
    Bear offers seamless synchronization across iOS and macOS devices, ensuring your notes are always up-to-date regardless of which device you use.
  • Powerful Tagging System
    The app includes an advanced tagging mechanism, enabling users to easily categorize and find their notes through hashtags.
  • Focus Mode
    Bear offers a Focus Mode that hides distractions, allowing users to concentrate entirely on their writing.
  • Export Options
    Users can export their notes in various formats including PDF, HTML, DOCX, and others, making it versatile for different use cases.

Possible disadvantages of Bear

  • Apple Ecosystem Only
    Bear is only available on iOS and macOS devices, limiting its accessibility to users who are not within the Apple ecosystem.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of Bear comes with restricted features, requiring users to subscribe to Bear Pro for full functionality, including cross-device sync and export options.
  • No Collaboration Features
    Bear does not support real-time collaboration, which can be a significant drawback for users looking to work on notes with others simultaneously.
  • Storage Constraints
    Bear stores data locally and does not offer cloud storage, which could be a limitation for users with multiple devices or those who need extensive storage capabilities.
  • Learning Curve for Markdown
    While Markdown is powerful, it can be challenging for new users to learn and use effectively, potentially slowing down the note-taking process initially.

Analysis of Rectangle

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Rectangle is highly regarded for its ease of use, extensive customization options, and the fact that it is free and open-source. It provides essential functionality without unnecessary complexity, making it suitable for both casual users and power users who need efficient window management.

Why this product is good

  • Rectangle is a popular window management tool for macOS, known for its simplicity and ease of use. It allows users to efficiently organize and resize application windows using customizable keyboard shortcuts or by dragging windows into pre-defined areas of the screen. This can enhance productivity by minimizing the time spent arranging windows and improving multitasking capabilities.

Recommended for

    Rectangle is recommended for macOS users looking for a straightforward, lightweight solution to manage application windows. It is particularly beneficial for those who frequently work with multiple applications at once, including developers, designers, and anyone who values a tidy and organized desktop environment.

Analysis of Bear

Overall verdict

  • Bear is an excellent note-taking app for individuals who value a minimalist design coupled with powerful features. It's especially appealing to users who need a reliable, aesthetically pleasing application for organizing and capturing notes.

Why this product is good

  • Bear is highly praised for its clean and intuitive interface, allowing users to focus on writing without distractions. It supports Markdown, making it easy to format notes, and offers seamless organization with tags and nested tags. Additionally, Bear provides robust search functionality, cross-note linking, and impressive export options to various formats. It's also known for its synchronization capabilities across Apple devices, making it convenient for users in the Apple ecosystem.

Recommended for

  • Writers
  • Students
  • Apple device users
  • Markdown enthusiasts
  • People who prefer a focused writing environment

Rectangle videos

+ Add

SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

More videos:

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  • Review - Marvin Malton 160 Rectangle Flying Hour Watch Review

Bear videos

No Bear videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rectangle and Bear)

Rectangle

Bear

Mac Tools
100 100%
Mac Tools
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
Note Taking
100% 100
Window Manager
100 100%
Window Manager
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
Productivity
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Rectangle and Bear

Rectangle Reviews

Best 6 Mac Window Managers
Rectangle shows that you donโ€™t need to dip into your bank account to get window resizer tools. This free Mac window manager lets you manage multiple windows using keyboard shortcuts, menu options, or by dragging and dropping. Just like Magnet, you can split your screen up into quarters, thirds, or halves.
Source: mackeeper.com
Top 6 Window Manager Apps for Mac
Most window manager apps for Mac support multiple monitors. They can help you move windows between screens and create custom layouts for each monitor. Many window manager apps โ€“ such as BetterSnapTool, Magnet, and Rectangle โ€“ offer this functionality.
Source: www.maketecheasier.com
The 6 Best Mac Window Management Tools
However, it might take some time for you to get used to the shortcuts in the Rectangle app since there are many. Furthermore, you can also add some of your apps to exceptions if you want to keep them away from Rectangle's shortcuts.
Source: www.makeuseof.com

Bear Reviews

20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
When Bear users talk about it, the common theme you will hear across all people is Bearโ€™s minimalistic UI. Bear comes with no bells and whistles save for a few formatting options. Bear users can link their notes to each other and sync them across all their apple devices.
Source: clickup.com
The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data
Bear Markdown Notes is an app for macOS and iOS devices with an excellent interface and selection of features that could make me regret my faithfulness to Android. Even the free version offers a number of tweaks โ€” for example, the header can either be the first sentence of the note or the date and time (or you can leave it empty and put in anything you want). You have a wide...
Source: www.theverge.com
7 minimalist alternatives to CherryTree
With Bear Pro, you can encrypt individual notes to keep them safe and lock Bear to keep away nosy friends, family, and coworkers. Set a unique password that only you know, use Face/Touch ID to open your notes, and know that your Bear is safe from everyone.
Source: papereditor.app
15 Best Notability Alternatives 2022
Other handy features that Bear provides include an advanced markup editor, rich previews, multiple export options, and smart data recognition for elements like emails, links, and addresses. In terms of pricing, Bear is a very affordable alternative.
Source: rigorousthemes.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rectangle should be more popular than Bear. It has been mentiond 479 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Rectangle mentions (479)

  • Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released
    As a both old Linux and now decade user of MacOS, after I got used to no middle-click paste and no focus-follows-mouse: 1. Keyboard shortcuts are Emacs, Ctrl-A: start of line, E: end of line, K: kill selected or to end of line, Y to paste, etc. https://support.apple.com/en-au/102650#text 2. Karabiner elements (FOSS) fixes keyboard mappings outside of the Settings: https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/ 3. I have the... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Native Instant Space Switching on macOS
    Every macOS user uses Rectangle.app โ€” https://rectangleapp.com The ones who don't use it is because they donโ€™t know it exists. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Native Instant Space Switching on macOS
    I use https://rectangleapp.com/ and enjoy it. I have shortcuts to move windows to the left/right half of the screen, and cycle between monitors. This, combined with native cmd+tab and cmd+` is enough for me. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Make macOS consistently bad (unironically)
    Rectangle [1] is pretty much essential for me because of this. I use only a few keypresses (maximize window, move to one of the halves of the screen horizontally) but that is enough. My mouse very rately interacts with the borders of any window, or those buttons. I had to click on the green one that you mentioned in order to see what it did (yuck). [1] https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Make macOS consistently bad (unironically)
    I use Rectangle [1] for window management. I only use three shortcuts: full screen, left half of the screen, and right half of the screen. My editors and chrome are always running in one of these modes. But for other apps like Messages, Notes, Music, etc - yeah I don't usually expand them to full screen. [1] https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
View more

Bear mentions (57)

  • 7 Underrated Mac Apps Every Developer Should Try in 2026
    Bear is what you get when someone builds a notes app that respects developers. It's clean, fast, supports full Markdown, and syncs across devices. Unlike Obsidian, it doesn't require you to set up a vault structure and plugin ecosystem before you can write a single note. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Quiet UI: My Creative Outlet
    I kept track of bugs and ideas in Bear which, if you're in the Apple ecosystem, I highly recommend. When I stumbled on a good idea for a component that might be fun to build (sup, flip card), I'd write it down. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Bear is now source-available
    It's odd that this blogging system is using a name also in use by a writing tool: https://bear.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Bear is now source-available
    I got this confused with the Bear note-taking app for a minute (https://bear.app/), since it's in a closely adjacent domain and even has similar value statements. Unfortunate naming collision. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • After court order, OpenAI is now preserving all ChatGPT user logs
    Bear app is so damn good at markdown (by default) https://bear.app. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Rectangle and Bear, you can also consider the following products

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

yabai - A tiling window manager for macOS based on binary space partitioning

Simplenote - The simplest way to keep notes. Light, clean, and free. Simplenote is now available for iOS, Android, Mac, and the web.

BTT Remote - A remote control for you Mac, using your iPhone or iPad

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

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