Shiny Frog
Shiny Frog is a bootstrapped, Dublin-registered app studio building Bear, a freemium Markdown note-taking app, and Lettera, a standalone file-first Markdown editor for macOS. Its distributed team of approximately eleven members serves individual writers, researchers, and developers on Apple's platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Shiny Frog does
Shiny Frog is a privately held, artisanal app studio (legally Shiny Frog, ltd., Dublin-registered) that builds consumer software exclusively for Apple's macOS and iOS platforms. The company operates as a distributed team of roughly 11 contributors across Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, the UK, and Japan, and develops two core products: Bear, a Markdown-supported note-taking app available via a freemium model with recurring subscription tiers for premium features, and Lettera, a standalone file-first Markdown editor for macOS launched in beta via TestFlight on June 18, 2026.
Lettera grew out of "Panda," the editor engine Shiny Frog rebuilt from scratch for Bear 2.0. Both products share the same underlying WYSIWYG Markdown rendering technology following the CommonMark standard, but Lettera distinguishes itself architecturally by working directly with .md files on disk rather than storing content in a proprietary database — a design choice that prioritizes portability and avoids vendor lock-in. The team's stated values center on open standards, privacy, and quality craftsmanship, and go-to-market is product-led and community-led, with users providing feedback through a dedicated community forum that directly shaped the Lettera spinoff.
The company's revenue mechanics rely on Bear's freemium-to-subscription funnel for individual consumers and SMBs, with no enterprise contracts, partnerships, or institutional funding disclosed. Distribution occurs through direct website downloads, Apple's app stores, and TestFlight for beta programs, while marketing is largely organic via team member social media and earned media coverage (e.g., 9to5Mac, WebProNews). Customer segments span writers, researchers, developers, and longtime Bear users seeking a standalone Markdown editor, reflecting a horizontal, persona-based segmentation strategy.
Shiny Frog firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shiny Frog
- Legal name
- Shiny Frog, ltd.
- Website
- https://shinyfrog.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Shiny Frog is a bootstrapped, Dublin-registered app studio building Bear, a freemium Markdown note-taking app, and Lettera, a standalone file-first Markdown editor for macOS. Its distributed team of approximately eleven members serves individual writers, researchers, and developers on Apple's platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Shiny Frog industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Note-taking and Markdown productivity software
- akta.pro primary industry
- E-Note Devices (E-Ink Writing Tablets) (CRACAMAF)
Keywords
Where Shiny Frog is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Shiny Frog business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Bear App Subscriptions: Bear operates on a freemium model with premium subscription tiers for advanced features
- Bear App Subscriptions: Bear note-taking app generates recurring subscription revenue through premium feature access
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Shiny Frog product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shiny Frog crafts native Mac and iOS applications centered on Markdown-based productivity. The company sells Bear, a Markdown note-taking app for capturing and organizing notes, and Lettera, a standalone file-first Markdown editor for macOS that works directly with .md files on disk. Both products are built on the Panda editor technology, which was rebuilt from scratch for Bear 2.0, and offer CommonMark-compliant WYSIWYG editing with live rendering.
Product overview
Shiny Frog offers two core products: Bear, a note-taking app, and Lettera, a standalone Markdown editor for macOS. Both products are developed by the same artisanal team. Lettera, launched in June 2026 as a beta, grew out of the editor technology rebuilt for Bear 2.0 and distinguishes itself by working directly with .md files on disk rather than using a proprietary database, responding to user requests for a standalone Markdown editing solution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bear: A popular note-taking app for Mac, iOS, and other platforms, developed by Shiny Frog.
- Lettera
Products and services
- Bear A Markdown-based note-taking application for Mac, iOS, and other Apple platforms, used by individual writers, researchers, and developers to capture and organize notes with Markdown formatting. Operates on a freemium model with premium subscription tiers for advanced features.
- Lettera A standalone file-first Markdown editor for macOS that works directly with .md files on disk rather than storing content in a proprietary database. Built on the same Panda editor technology that powers Bear 2.0 and offers CommonMark-compliant WYSIWYG Markdown editing with live rendering. Targeted at writers, researchers, and developers who want a portable, open-standards editing experience.
Companies that use Shiny Frog
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Shiny Frog technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Shiny Frog partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Shiny Frog competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Microsoft OneNote: Microsoft OneNote is a free, cross-platform note-taking application bundled with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It competes with Bear on the consumer notes use case and benefits from massive distribution through Windows and Office.
- Evernote: Evernote is a long-established cross-platform note-taking incumbent. It overlaps with Bear's core note-taking use case but uses proprietary storage and serves enterprise and team segments that Shiny Frog does not address.
- Notion: Notion is a broad, venture-backed productivity workspace that includes note-taking with Markdown support. It competes with Bear at the notes/knowledge-management layer but targets a much wider workflow and team use case.
- Apple Notes: Apple Notes is the default, free note-taking app pre-installed on every Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It is the most direct threat to Bear on the same Apple ecosystem, with improving Markdown and search capabilities each year.
Emerging players
- Simplenote: Simplenote is a free, lightweight, cross-platform note-taking service owned by Automattic that supports Markdown. It overlaps with Bear's free-tier offering and competes on simplicity and multi-device sync.
Direct peers
- iA Writer: iA Writer is a focused Markdown writing app for Mac, iOS, and other platforms. It targets the same distraction-free writing segment as Lettera and has long been a benchmark for premium single-purpose Markdown tools.
- Typora: Typora is a standalone WYSIWYG Markdown editor for Mac (and Windows/Linux) that pioneered the live-preview Markdown editing experience. It is the most direct functional peer to Lettera and competes for the same single-purpose writer user base.
- Obsidian: Obsidian is a file-first Markdown note-taking app that stores notes as local .md files, directly mirroring Shiny Frog's Lettera positioning. It targets the same writers, researchers, and developers, and has become the de facto open-format alternative to Bear.
- Ulysses: Ulysses is a subscription-based Markdown writing app exclusive to Apple platforms. It directly competes with Bear for the same Mac/iOS writer persona and is the most established premium Apple-ecosystem alternative.
- Drafts: Drafts is a Mac/iOS text capture and processing app with Markdown support. It overlaps with Bear's quick-capture and Markdown-editing use cases and competes for the same Apple-platform power-user segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Shiny Frog social profiles
Digital presenceShiny Frog financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shiny Frog leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Shiny Frog funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shiny Frog M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Shiny Frog
What does Shiny Frog do?
Shiny Frog crafts native Mac and iOS applications centered on Markdown-based productivity. The company sells Bear, a Markdown note-taking app for capturing and organizing notes, and Lettera, a standalone file-first Markdown editor for macOS that works directly with .md files on disk. Both products are built on the Panda editor technology, which was rebuilt from scratch for Bear 2.0, and offer CommonMark-compliant WYSIWYG editing with live rendering.
Is Shiny Frog a public or private company?
Shiny Frog is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Shiny Frog founded?
Shiny Frog was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Shiny Frog based?
Shiny Frog is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Shiny Frog make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Bear App Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are bear App Subscriptions.
Who are Shiny Frog's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, Notion and Apple Notes. Simplenote is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are iA Writer, Typora, Obsidian, Ulysses and Drafts.
Does Shiny Frog have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shiny Frog.
What industry is Shiny Frog in?
Shiny Frog's product category is Note-taking and Markdown productivity software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACAMAF, E-Note Devices (E-Ink Writing Tablets).