The Editors’ Choice note-taking app Bear has all the write stuff: Markdown formatting, table creation, footnotes, smart folders, and powerful organizational tools.

What we love: Bear’s unfussy interface lets you remove cluttered menus and other distractions, freeing up room for you to think. With tons of customizable features, including custom tags, sub-tags, and typography, Bear lets you sort your lecture notes or draft the next great American novel exactly how you’d like. And everything syncs across Bear on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Quick tip: Need an illustration for a story or a sketch in a note? Use Image Playground (Format > Image Playground) to describe a drawing and let your Mac create it right in your document. Or Control-click anywhere in a note and choose Add Sketch to draw using your nearby iPad or iPhone.

Meet the creator: Cofounders Danilo Bonardi, Konstantin Erokhin, and Matteo Rattotti began developing apps while in college. Despite the app’s icon, the inspiration for the name didn’t come from the large, furry animal. “The name comes from the phrase ‘bear in mind,’” Bonardi says. “The goal is to provide a comfortable, private space to create beautiful notes.”