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 3 August 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 $49 really cheaper?
It's cheaper the second year and absurdly cheaper the tenth. The sum is here.