This is the best markdown editor on the market, hands down

Beta Panda Feedback
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Feel free to close this if you feel like it’s a duplicate of something else, or inappropriately repeats an old discussion but recently there was a small bug where the MacOS version had expired but there was no updated version to download and I was unable to use Panda for a short while. During that time I once again went back to the App Store to try and find something that was even close to as good as the experience I’m currently having with Panda and there just, isn’t. It’s possible that some app that costs $50 and has no free trial might be as good, but I’m not going to drop $50 on something just to test it out.

To be clear, IMO, Panda is even better than Bear. I realize this is just a testing ground for a new editor for Bear, but what makes Panda a better experience for me is that I own my files and can sync them to different devices via iCloud. I understand that this was just a workaround to provide a usable alpha, but I want the product team to know that I would gladly pay $50**+** for Panda as it currently stands, without all the extra bells and whistles that come with Bear, and I’m confident a lot of other people would too. In its current state, it is better than everything else on the app store: it’s compatible with both desktop and mobile, it has smooth, non-buggy editing, it gives me local file storage that (because of Apple) I can sync across devices, and it has, by far, the cleanest, most beautiful editing interface out there. I’m honestly kind of scared of the day when the beta closes and I lose this perfect combination of features.

If the problem with local file storage is that you want recurring revenue for offering an ongoing service, I’d be happy to pay a little per month (what is Bear right now, $1?) for iCloud-like file syncing that stores actual files on Bear servers that sync to local file directories so I don’t fill up my iCloud storage, or maybe for some kind of beautified PDF export service or something like that. I think there are probably plenty of ways to do it.

tl;dr; I just wanted to let you all know that, as of today, out of every markdown editor out there, including Bear, I would buy Panda for its perfect combination of basic features. Anything else is literally just more icing on top of the cake.

7 Likes
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I second this. I think the option to have local markdown files would be incredible. I think Obsidian proved that people like this. However, they are electron and I just love the way Panda/Bear2 looks more than Obsidian. Having a MacOS native application that has this kind of Markdown note taking is a big gap in the market IMO.

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Definitely agree. Although, I don’t know about paying a recurring fee for something as lightweight and simple as Panda (Bear, yes). I would pay a one-time cost and for major updates.

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How can panda AS part of bear be better than bear? It is included in bear.

I think you mean explicitly the feature to store the notes in files. Then I must say that panda by far hasn‘t reached iaWriter and its capabilities. I cannot imagine that panda has any chance in competition WITHOUT wikilinks and backlinks

Maybe it is the best editor but an app consist of more than JUST of an editor even if the editor is the main point

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At the time I wrote that initial comment, the Panda editor was not yet available in Bear. Or, if it was, I didn’t realize it. My point was that the upgraded editor plus the ability to sync files was a more valuable feature set to me on its own than Bear at the time with its previous editor, extra features, and no ability to access your files. The inability to access files in my case is not just a lacking feature but an active detriment.

WRT iaWriter, I did mention that there might be some $50 app out there with an equally good experience but that if it has no free trial, I’m not going to pay $50 just to test it. You could be right that certain features need to be included to optimize for a larger audience but, for my use case (and I would imagine a lot of people are similar) I don’t personally need any of that extra stuff.

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Have you tried Typora?

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Actually IA Writer has a trial. in regard to panda: Adding a left panel for quicker access on files and folders in combination with the new editor and infor popup resp. panel is already an amazing product. But it will be the decision of shiny frog if they want to compete with other filebased note and writing apps by adding highly desired features like tags and wikilinks.