UnmarkedOur pick
Pick Unmarked when you want a beautiful Mac app for ordinary Markdown files. It opens them in place, gives reading its own mode and includes its complete table and export tools for free. Bear makes sense when nested tags, backlinks and a synced note library are the reason you are choosing an app.
| Question | Unmarked | Bear |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Reading, editing and finishing Markdown files | Building a linked, tag-based note library |
| File model | Opens from Finder and saves the original file in place | Imports notes into Bear, with Markdown available as an export |
| Writing | WYSIWYG Markdown with syntax revealed around the cursor | Markdown hiding inside the note editor |
| Reading | Dedicated Read mode, plus scroll-synced Split | The note editor remains the main document view |
| Tables | Direct grid editing, rectangular selection, rich copy and structural controls | Visual tables inside notes |
| After writing | Slides, editable Word, paginated PDF and self-contained HTML | Markdown and RTF on the free plan. Word, PDF, HTML and ePub with Pro |
| Price | Free | Free core app. Pro is $2.99 monthly or $29.99 yearly in the US |
Your file stays where you put it
Double-click a Markdown file in Finder and Unmarked opens it as a Mac document. Edit it, close the window and the same file is still in the same folder. There is no import step and no copy to export when another app needs the source.
Bear is organized around its own note library. It can import Markdown and export it again, which is useful for moving between systems. Unmarked removes that move from everyday work. Your folders remain yours, and every change goes back to the file you opened.
Reading gets the same care as writing
Both are native Mac apps with calm writing surfaces. Unmarked adds a sharper separation between making the document and using it. Write mode styles Markdown in place and reveals marks around the cursor. Read mode removes the editor from the window.
Links open, task boxes can be checked, code blocks can be copied and local images zoom. The outline moves through long documents while reading time and word count stay close. Switch back to Write and the cursor returns to the source you were editing.
Five theme families come in light and dark, with separate typography for reading and writing. The app feels considered before you change a setting and remains easy to make your own.
Tables and handoff stay inside the document
Both apps can put a table on the page. Unmarked is built for the edits that follow. Select a rectangle of cells, replace or clear it at once, move through the grid from the keyboard and insert, duplicate, align or reorder whole rows and columns.
The table saves as ordinary GFM, copies cleanly as rich text and becomes an editable table in Word. Present turns the same file into full-screen slides. PDF and self-contained HTML are built in too. All of it is included in the free app.
Bear earns the choice when the library is the product: nested tags, backlinks, attachments and iCloud sync across Apple devices. For a Markdown document you already have, Unmarked is the direct path.
Which one fits your work?
Choose Unmarked if
- You want a beautiful native Mac app built around ordinary files.
- Your Markdown should stay in Finder and save in place.
- You want a dedicated reading experience and detailed table controls.
- Slides, Word, PDF and HTML should be available without a subscription.
Choose Bear only if
- Nested tags, backlinks and library-wide search organize your work.
- You want Bear Pro sync across Mac, iPhone and iPad, plus note attachments and sketches.