I get asked this question often: "How is Jottings different from Bear Blog?"

It's a fair question. Both platforms share the same philosophy at heart—that blogging should be simple, distraction-free, and owned by you. But we've taken different paths to achieve that vision, and I think it's worth being transparent about where we differ and where Bear Blog actually does things better.

The Bear Blog Philosophy

Bear Blog, created by Herman (an independent developer), is beautifully minimal. If you want a blogging platform that stays out of your way, Bear Blog is hard to beat. The blog editor is distraction-free, the generated pages are pure HTML with zero JavaScript, and there's genuine indie cred behind it. Herman has been running it sustainably as a solo project, and that's genuinely impressive.

I respect what Bear Blog does. I use it as a reference point when designing Jottings.

But Jottings exists because I wanted something different—not better, necessarily, just different.

Where They're Similar

Both platforms:

• Reject bloat: No ads, trackers, or algorithmic feeds trying to maximize engagement
• Emphasize writing: Clean editors that let you focus on your content
• Support custom domains: Host your blog on your own domain
• Generate static sites: Your blog works without vendor lock-in concerns
• Are indie-maintained: Built by developers who genuinely use their own products
• Prioritize simplicity: No complicated dashboards or unnecessary features

If minimalism is your only goal, Bear Blog does it with more conviction. I won't pretend otherwise.

Where Jottings Differs

1. Multi-media storytelling

Bear Blog is text-first (though it supports images). Jottings embraces photos, links, and embeds as first-class citizens. You can create a "photo jot"—a single image with a caption—and it's treated as meaningful content, not an afterthought. This is intentional. Sometimes the best way to share a moment or idea is visual.

2. AI-assisted writing (optional)

Jottings includes optional AI features—auto-generated titles, content summarization, and smart excerpts. These are opt-in and never required. They exist because I believe AI can be a tool for better expression, not just engagement manipulation. Bear Blog doesn't do this, and that's fine. Not everyone wants it.

3. Serverless architecture

Jottings is built on AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, and Cloudflare. This means zero infrastructure overhead for you. No worrying about server maintenance, scaling, or uptime—it just works. Bear Blog is also serverless (runs on Render, I believe), so this isn't a huge differentiator, but it's worth noting.

4. Search functionality

Jottings includes built-in search on your blog. Bear Blog doesn't. If you have 200+ posts, search becomes genuinely useful.

5. Tags and discovery

Jottings has a tag system with tag pages and tag clouds. Bear Blog focuses more on chronological discovery via its community feed. Different philosophies on how readers find your work.

6. Pagination and settings

Jottings lets you customize how many posts appear per page, configure author info, set up social links, and control rendering preferences. These feel like natural features for a self-hosted blog. Bear Blog keeps this simpler.

The Real Difference

Here's what I think the core difference is:

Bear Blog is philosophy implemented as a product.

The minimalism isn't a marketing angle—it's a genuine constraint. No JavaScript. No unnecessary features. Pure, simple blogging. If you're looking for a platform that philosophically opposes feature creep, Bear Blog is it.

Jottings is minimalism plus selective features.

We've said "no" to a lot (no comments, no social graphs, no algorithm), but "yes" to things we think enhance writing and publishing: photos, custom domains, search, AI assistance. It's opinionated but less strictly minimalist.

Who Should Choose What?

Choose Bear Blog if you:

• Want the absolute simplest blogging experience
• Value no JavaScript in the generated site
• Appreciate the "purity" of a philosophy-first platform
• Have a small blog (under 50 posts)
• Want zero customization and maximum simplicity

Choose Jottings if you:

• Want multi-media storytelling (photos, links, embeds)
• Appreciate optional AI features
• Need search functionality
• Want to customize author info, social links, and rendering
• Value advanced features that don't clutter the writing experience

The Honest Truth

Bear Blog is more purely minimalist. If you want to argue that my platform has feature creep compared to Bear Blog, you'd have a good point. Herman's commitment to simplicity is uncompromising, and there's real value in that.

But I built Jottings because I wanted something that's minimalist in spirit while being practical for real-world blogging needs. I wanted to prove that you don't need to choose between simplicity and capability. You can have both.

Both platforms let you own your content. Both respect your readers. Both will still work in 10 years because they're not venture-backed products with growth pressure. That's what matters.

The choice between them comes down to your personal preference: Do you want radical simplicity (Bear Blog), or do you want simplicity with modern features (Jottings)?

Either way, you're choosing to publish with integrity. That's what counts.

If you're curious about Jottings, check it out here. If you prefer Bear Blog's philosophy, I genuinely recommend it. The indie web is better when we have options.