I have used and written about the text editor Scrivener many times here. The last time I covered the Mac version was May 11, 2018, and the iOS version was May 4, 2018. I liked Scrivener. Writers for writers programmed it. It has so many features that anything you can imagine to do with text Scrivener can most likely do it. There are just three things that I found wrong with Scrivener. It’s often complicated to do simple tasks. To sync between devices, you have to use Dropbox, and the files are massive, which means paying for a subscription to Dropbox. Dropbox sync is sometimes unreliable, and I have lost complete chapters in the sync only to have them recovered weeks later. So last year, I looked again at a text editor that many of my colleagues in the Apple Ecosystem recommended. Enter Ulysses.
Ulysses is a simple text editor based on Markdown XL. With Markdown XL, it is an easy way to stay distraction-free. I often open Ulysses in full-screen mode on my iPad or Mac and type utterly free of anything to sidetrack my ADHD brain. Ulysses is an Apple-only application that works throughout the ecosystem with iCloud sync and backup support. Dropbox and other external file management platforms are supported, but iCloud works seamlessly. Documents are organized into projects and folders, all stored in Ulysses, and can be exported at any time using a simple but elegant export tool. While Ulysses has an excellent spelling and grammar tool, the best thing is that Grammarly works with Ulysses for an industry-leading editing and proofreading experience. Publication to WordPress and other Blogging platforms is a breeze with Ulysses. There are thousands of features to Ulysses, and there is a 14-day trial for anyone who wants to give the application a try.
Ulysses is not Scrivener. Scrivener has features that rival anything else on the market. Ulysses is somewhat limited because the developers want to provide a clean and straightforward app but still add many features to the back end. Ulysses is a subscription service. At the time of writing, it costs $39.99 per year or $5.99 per month. That gives access to iCloud, the ability to install it on all your Macs, iPads, and iPhones, frequent feature enhancements, and all updates automatically through the Apple App Store.
Ulysses may be missing some advanced features of Scrivener, but it has been a game-changer for me. To date, I haven’t lost any information. I am less distracted and getting more done with Ulysses than I ever have in Scrivener. I know that I have to pay $39.99 a year, but the developers are constantly adding new features, and I was able to drop my Dropbox subscription, so it’s a small price to pay for a better tool. Ulysses is my new current text editor.
