Ulysses for Novelists: Review, Limits and Who It's Really For
Ulysses is an excellent writing app for a short story writer or an essayist on Mac, iPad and iPhone, and a limited choice for a novelist who has to keep track of eighteen characters and two timelines: the Markdown editor is one of the most elegant on the market, the built-in proofreader covers more than twenty languages, but there are no character sheets, no timeline, no relationship map, and nothing exists outside the Apple ecosystem. Here is what that changes depending on what you write.
What Ulysses is (and what it is not)
Ulysses has existed since 2003. As of September 23, 2026, it runs on Mac, iPad and iPhone only (version 41.1 from September 14, 2026, requiring iOS 26 and macOS 15.4 or later), with a local library synced through iCloud. No Windows, no Android, no web version. If you write on a PC at the office and a Mac at home, that settles it: this one is not for you.
The principle: a library of "sheets" sorted into groups that you reorganise by dragging. A sheet can be a scene, a chapter, a note. You write in lightweight Markdown (a hash for a heading, asterisks for italics), the interface gets out of the way, and the final rendering happens at export. The Reedsy and ScribeCount reviews describe it as a premium notes app; that is fair, and it is the heart of the matter.
What it does very well
The editor. Nothing moves, nothing blinks, the page is a page. This is the minimalist argument, the one behind the distraction-free writing editor, taken to its conclusion.
The proofreader. A "Built-In Proofreader and Editing Assistant" checks grammar and style in over twenty languages, as of September 23, 2026. Whether your language is explicitly in that list is not confirmed on the official page: check during the free trial before you pay.
The export. PDF, DOCX, ePub, HTML, and direct publishing to WordPress, Ghost, Medium or Micro.blog. For a blog, a newsletter or a short story collection, it is the shortest route on the market.
The goals. A deadline per group, a daily goal, tracking of your writing rhythm. Enough for a first draft.
What is missing for a novel
Take a fictional novel, "The Seven Tides": 110,000 words, two eras (1912 and 1974), eighteen named characters. In Ulysses, here is what you can do and what you improvise.
| Need | In Ulysses | What you improvise |
|---|---|---|
| A sheet for Mael (age in each era, the scar, what he knows by chapter 9) | No structured profile | A "Mael" sheet in a "Characters" group, free text |
| 1912 / 1974 timeline | No timeline | A table maintained by hand |
| Who knows whom, who owes what to whom | No relationship map | A list in a sheet |
| Corkboard of scenes | No | The library outline, as a list |
| Someone else reading your draft | No collaboration | DOCX export, comments elsewhere |
All of it can be done in free text. All of it degrades once the novel passes a few tens of thousands of words, because nothing links the "Mael" sheet to the scene where Mael appears. You check by hand, or you don't check. Independent reviews cite exactly these gaps: no corkboard, no timeline, no relationships, no collaboration, export poorly suited to professional print.
What it costs
As of September 23, 2026, the official page lists $5.99 per month or $39.99 per year, a discounted student rate, Family Sharing included, and a free trial on all devices. The French App Store adds a perpetual licence at 199.99 euros. As subscriptions go, it is one of the cheapest on the market; as a lifetime licence, it compares with the one-time purchases listed in the honest comparison of free novel writing software and in the best novel writing software of 2026.
So who is it for
For the short story writer: yes, without reservation. A story fits in a sheet, a collection in a group, and the ePub export comes out clean. If that is where you are, how to write a short story that lands gives you the method and Ulysses gives you the room.
For the essayist, the columnist, the newsletter author: also yes. Direct publishing alone is worth the subscription.
For a short, linear first novel with three characters: yes, provided you accept keeping your notes by hand.
For a saga, an ensemble novel, a dual timeline: no. You will spend more time maintaining your tables than writing. That is precisely the work a novel hub does for you. In Sagoræ, Mael's sheet, the timeline and the relationship map are linked to the manuscript, and the Archivist points out, without rewriting a line, that Mael had a scar in chapter 3 and none in chapter 9. The built-in non-AI proofreader there is free and unlimited.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ulysses exist on Windows or Android? No. As of September 23, 2026, Ulysses runs only on Mac, iPad and iPhone, with iCloud sync.
Does Ulysses have character sheets? No. You can create note sheets and attach files, but there is no structured profile, no timeline and no relationship map.
Is Ulysses free? No. It offers a free trial, then a subscription ($5.99 per month or $39.99 per year on the official page as of September 23, 2026) or a perpetual licence sold through the App Store.
Does Ulysses use AI? No text generation is announced. The built-in proofreader checks grammar and style; whether it is rule-based or AI-based is not specified on the official page.
If your novel has more characters than your memory can hold, Sagoræ offers a free trial, no card required.
✒️ Read next: Free Novel Writing Software: An Honest Comparison (Reedsy Studio, Novlr, Scribbook, WriteControl, bibisco, yWriter, Sagoræ) · Sudowrite Alternative for Writers Who Want to Write Their Own Words · WriteControl Review 2026: Features, Pricing and Who It's For
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