A Ulysses alternative you pay for once.
Ulysses costs $39.99 a year, forever, and keeps your library in an Apple-shaped sync. Stop paying and the library goes read-only. That last sentence is the whole reason this page exists.
Ulysses is a genuinely fine writing environment. The objection isn't to the price, it's to what the price is attached to: continued access to your own sentences.
The Ulysses price above comes from our Subscription Price Index, read at source and checked on 23 October 2026.
What Ulysses does better
Focus mode, goals, a sheet library that scales to hundreds of pieces, and direct publishing. Real craft, fairly priced if you write for a living and want that specific shape.
Credit where it is due
The annual price has not moved since Ulysses became a subscription in 2017, which after nine years of inflation is a real-terms cut of roughly a quarter. That is rarer than it should be, and we would rather say it than pretend otherwise. It is still a price you pay again next year.
The read-only clause
Every subscription writing app has a version of it. It's not villainy, servers cost money, but it means your archive's availability is a billing state. A file has no billing state.
The refund
Thirty days, one e-mail, money back. And the file stays yours either way.
Common questions
Can I export from Ulysses?
Yes, Markdown out, straight into the Writing Desk. Nothing is trapped.
Do I lose focus mode?
There's a distraction-free view; it isn't as refined. Trade honestly named.
Can I publish to my blog?
Not directly. Copy the Markdown out and paste it in.
Is $39 founding (list $49) really cheaper?
It's cheaper the second year and absurdly cheaper the tenth. The sum is here.