Gingko Writer vs Ulysses

Gingko Writer

• Writers who outline and draft at the same time
• Long projects such as a thesis, a novel or a legal brief
• People who lose track of structure in a single long document

Ulysses

• Writers who work only on Apple devices and want their texts on all of them
• Bloggers publishing to WordPress, Ghost or Micro.blog
• Novelists and students keeping many texts in one library

Gingko Writer

• There is no free plan: after the 14-day trial the app needs a subscription.
• The vendor's FAQ, last updated about four years ago, says collaboration and LaTeX are not supported yet and points to the legacy gingkoapp.com version for both.
• Images cannot be uploaded: the FAQ says they are added by linking to a file hosted elsewhere with Markdown image syntax.
• The current version is a web app. An older desktop version is still on GitHub, but the vendor says it has not been brought up to date.

Ulysses

• The site and App Store listing cover Mac, iPad and iPhone only; no Windows, Android or web version is offered.
• The pricing page lists subscriptions only: $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year once the trial ends.
• The trial is described as fully functional, but the site does not say how many days it runs.
• Volume licenses are priced in euros and cover one Mac, one iPad and one iPhone per user.

Gingko Writer

Documents as a tree of cards

Text is written in small chunks called cards, so a novel, thesis or legal brief is worked on one piece at a time instead of as a single long page.

Notes, outline and draft in one view

The overall premise, the outline and the detailed text stay on screen together, so an idea for a specific scene can be written down without leaving the big picture.

Organize while writing

There is no separate outlining mode: cards are written and arranged in the same place, so the structure can change as the draft grows.

Export and print

A draft can be exported to conventional document formats or printed. Anything placed between HTML comment markers in a card is left out of the output.

Import from the older Gingko

Trees from a legacy gingkoapp.com account can be brought in from the File menu, or as a JSON export for very large trees.

Templates by duplication

Any tree can be duplicated from the sidebar, which is how the vendor suggests making a reusable template for new documents.

Ulysses

Markup-based editor

Text is formatted by typing markup in Markdown XL, Ulysses' own markup language, so headings, lists and emphasis never require leaving the keyboard.

Unified library

Everything is stored in one library and organized into projects, so scenes and chapters can be split into chunks and reordered.

Sync across Apple devices

Texts sync automatically between Mac, iPad and iPhone, and the vendor describes feature parity across macOS and iOS.

Grammar and style check

A built-in proofreader for more than 20 languages suggests fixes for capitalization, punctuation, semantics, redundancy and style.

Export and publishing

Exports PDFs, Word documents, ebooks and HTML with switchable styles, and posts directly to WordPress, Ghost and Micro.blog with images and tags.

Writing goals

Set a character limit, a deadline or a daily goal for a text and track progress against it.

Gingko Writer

• Pay Yearly$9.75

  per month, billed yearly ($117)

  The full app, billed once per year. The pricing page puts the saving against monthly billing at $36.

• Pay Monthly$12.75

  per month, billed monthly

  The full app with monthly billing. It can be canceled at any time, and refunds are given on request.

Ulysses

• Yearly Plan$39.99

  per year

  Ulysses on all your Macs, iPads and iPhones with full sync. Apple Family Sharing with up to five other family members is included.

• Monthly Plan$5.99

  per month

  The same app and sync on every Mac, iPad and iPhone, paid month to month.

• Volume licensing€39.00

  per user / year, plus VAT if applicable

  Licenses for businesses and organizations, bought outside the App Store. Covers one Mac, one iPad and one iPhone per user.

Gingko Writer

• Annual discount

  Save $36 a year with yearly billing

  The pricing page lists $117 billed once per year against $12.75 a month, and states the saving as $36.

Ulysses

• Annual discount

  Yearly plan costs about 44% less than monthly

  The yearly subscription is $39.99, against $71.88 for twelve payments on the $5.99 monthly plan.

• Education

  Student offer: $10.99 per 6 months

  Students enrolled at a high school, vocational school, college or university can apply from inside the app with a valid student ID.

• Other savings

  Apple Family Sharing included

  One subscription can be shared with up to five other family members through Apple Family Sharing.

• Lifetime license

  Perpetual License listed in the App Store

  The US App Store listing shows a Perpetual License in-app purchase at $199.99 alongside the subscriptions. The pricing page does not describe its terms.