Ulysses
A writing app for books, blogs and long projects
The verdict
At $39.99 a year for all your Macs, iPads and iPhones, shared with up to 5 family members, this writing app keeps every draft in 1 iCloud library split into sheets you can reorder. Word count goals, deadlines and direct publishing to WordPress, Ghost and Micro.blog suit bloggers and novelists alike. If you hate subscriptions, Scrivener costs $59.99 once for the Mac, and Ulysses has a $199.99 perpetual license in its App Store purchases.
Get it if
You write long pieces or run a blog and want every draft organized in 1 distraction-free library.
Skip it if
You write the odd short document, and Pages or Apple Notes does that with no subscription.
Screenshots 4
What it helps you do
- Organize a whole book into reorderable sections
- Hit daily word count goals and deadlines
- Publish a post straight to WordPress or Ghost
- Export a manuscript as an ebook or Word file
What it really costs
Pay once or subscribe? Drag to see the total after each year.
Pay-once totals leave out paid upgrades to future major versions.
Plans and prices
Subscription
$5.99$5.99 a month or $39.99 a year, covers all your Macs, iPads and iPhones, with iCloud sync and Family Sharing for up to 5 other people
Perpetual License
$199.99$199.99 once, listed in the App Store's in-app purchases
Students
Reduced pricing for students
Setapp
IncludedIncluded in a Setapp subscription, which has a 7-day free trial
What changed
Version 42
iPhone Duo We have prepared Ulysses for iPhone Duo. We fine-tuned all poses and orientations, updated the UI left and right (no pun), and made sure Ulysses looks great on Apple’s latest device. Scrollable Markup Bar On iPhone (Duo or not), we have reworked the markup bar to allow for quicker access to frequently used actions. For example: · You can now find links and images on the top level. · The inline menu has…
Added to The Useful Apps
Pick something else if
ScrivenerPick this if you're writing a novel, script or thesis and need sections you can rearrange beside your research.$59.99 once
TyporaPick this if you write in Markdown but want the page to look finished while you type.$14.99 once
iA WriterPick it if you want a calm screen, plain Markdown files and a nudge when you lean on filler words.From $19.99
Ulysses head to head
- Ulysses vs ScrivenerPick this if you're writing a novel, script or thesis and need sections you can rearrange beside your research.
- Ulysses vs iA WriterPick it if you want a calm screen, plain Markdown files and a nudge when you lean on filler words.
- Ulysses vs TyporaPick this if you write in Markdown but want the page to look finished while you type.
The details
- Runs on
- Mac, iPhone, iPad
- Requires
- macOS 26.0 or later
- Version
- 42
- Size
- 285 MB
- Made by
- Ulysses GmbH & Co. KG
- Rating
- 4.6 from 2.2K ratings on the App Store
- iCloud sync
- Syncs across your devices
- Family Sharing
- 1 purchase for the family
- Free trial
- Try the paid version first
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