Best Ulysses alternatives for Mac
Ulysses is a subscription app in Writing & notes. We found 18 Mac apps that cover the same ground. Of those, 6 are completely free, 8 are free to start and 4 are open source. Bear leads on overlap and community votes, followed by Craft and Pages.
The app you want to replace
Ulysses
Distraction-free writing, synced
Subscription · Writing & notes
18 alternatives to Ulysses
How we picked: every app here shares at least one category with Ulysses. Apps that also share features rank higher, and community upvotes break ties. Price and licence never buy a better spot. How we rank apps
- 1
Bear
Markdown notes that feel effortless
178Free + in-appWriting & notes- Also in Writing & notes
- Free to start
- 2Featured
Craft
Docs and notes with beautiful structure
163Free + in-appProductivity- Also in Writing & notes
- Free to start
- 3
- 4
Typora
Markdown editor with live preview
103$14.99Writing & notes- Also in Writing & notes
- No subscription
- One-time purchase
- 5
- 6
Day One
Private journal with photos and places
74Free + in-appLifestyle- Also in Writing & notes
- Free to start
- 7
- 8
NotePlan
Markdown notes, tasks and calendar together
49SubscriptionProductivity- Also in Writing & notes
- 9
- 10
- 11
Drafts
Capture text first, decide later
38Free + in-appProductivity- Also in Writing & notes
- Free to start
- 12
Notion
Docs, wikis and projects in one workspace
35Free + in-appProductivity- Also in Writing & notes
- Free to start
- 13
BBEdit
Professional text and code editor
25Free + in-appDeveloper tools- Also in Writing & notes
- Free to start
- 14
Obsidian
Markdown notes stored on your own disk
23Free + in-appProductivity- Also in Writing & notes
- Free to start
- 15
Joplin
Open-source notes with encrypted sync
16FreeWriting & notes- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
- Open source
- 16
CotEditor
Plain-text editor built for macOS
14FreeDeveloper tools- Also in Writing & notes
- Free
- Open source
- 17
Scrivener 3
Writing studio for long projects
13$59.99Writing & notes- Also in Writing & notes
- No subscription
- One-time purchase
- 18
iA Writer
Focused Markdown writing app
5$49.99Writing & notes- Also in Writing & notes
- No subscription
- One-time purchase
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best alternative to Ulysses on Mac?
- Bear is our top pick. It shares Writing & notes with Ulysses and has 178 upvotes from the community. Craft and Pages are close behind.
- What is the best free alternative to Ulysses on Mac?
- Pages is the best-ranked free alternative to Ulysses. 6 of the alternatives listed here are completely free.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Ulysses?
- Yes. 4 alternatives are open source, including MarkEdit, Logseq and Joplin.
- Is there an alternative to Ulysses without a subscription?
- Yes. Ulysses is sold as a subscription, but 9 alternatives are free or a one-time purchase, including Pages, Typora and MarkEdit.
- How many alternatives to Ulysses are there for Mac?
- Mac App Index lists 18 apps that share a category with Ulysses: 6 completely free, 8 free to start and 4 open source.