
It costs $4.99 per month, $10.99 for six months, or $39.99 per year. Since version 12, the app has charged a recurring subscription fee instead of a one-time flat rate for the software. Ulysses is now in version 18, and it's available for macOS, iPhone, and iPad. If you prefer Markdown or want to try it out, Ulysses is the best writing app to choose. Sometimes a finished, exported document doesn't render the way I thought it would, and I have a really difficult time troubleshooting. I also perpetually mess up the coding for hyperlinks. For example, in some apps, you need double rather than single asterisks to apply ** bold**. Personally, I find it frustrating because Markdown isn't as standardized as it should or could be. When you're finished writing and you export a file from Markdown to HTML, PDF, or any other commonly used format, the Markdown language translates cleanly into the proper stylings. Some people prefer to type in Markdown rather than use menus and buttons because they find it less distracting. If you've ever used underscores to put something in _ italics_ or asterisks in to make text * bold*, those are examples of Markdown language.

Markdown is a way to apply basic formatting to text without using menus and buttons.

One of Ulysses' signature features is that it supports typing in Markdown language. It remains the industry standard for screenwriters and thus it's an Editors' Choice for that group. PCMag recommends one more top pick among writing apps: Final Draft. For that reason, I spend a fair amount of time in this review comparing them. Both Ulysses and Scrivener are top apps for writers, but they are very different. Plus, Scrivener is available on not only macOS and iOS, but also Windows.

For that kind of guidance, Scrivener, which is also an Editors' Choice, is a better app.
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Sure, it has plenty of tools for organizing your writing, but it doesn't tell you how to sort the various drafts of your novel, nor does it tell you that you need a title page, contents page, foreword, and so forth. Ulysses doesn't offer a prescriptive experience. Ulysses is the best writing app and an Editors' Choice for people who believe less is more. It won't coach you through your draft the way some other apps for writers do. Many long-form and short-form writers alike will take to Ulysses easily, although it's not the app for you if you prefer a lot of hand-holding. It's available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad-don't be fooled by any knock-off versions you see for Windows. Ulysses helps writers focus on their writing by keeping the bells and whistles of its interface to a minimum, without skimping on features. Writers faced with the horror of a blank page might at least be comforted if their writing app is Ulysses, because it's beautiful to behold.
