Scrivener vs Ulysses

Scrivener

• Novelists and academics managing book-length projects
• Writers who restructure a draft by moving scenes and chapters around
• People who want to pay once instead of subscribing

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

Scrivener

• Each platform needs its own license: the macOS, Windows and iOS versions are bought separately.
• The store sells versions for macOS, Windows and iOS only; no Android, Linux or web version is listed.
• Sync between the iOS app and the desktop versions runs through Dropbox and needs a Dropbox account.
• A license does not cover major version updates; moving from Scrivener 3 to a future Scrivener 4 means buying a discounted upgrade.

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.

Scrivener

Binder

Keeps manuscript sections, notes and reference material in one sidebar, so a long text is written and navigated in small pieces.

Corkboard and outliner

Every section has an index card with a synopsis. Moving cards on the corkboard or rows in the outliner reorders the manuscript itself.

Compile

Exports the assembled manuscript to formats including Microsoft Word, RTF, PDF, Final Draft and ePub, with formatting applied at export.

Snapshots

Saves a copy of a section before a rewrite, so the earlier version can be compared with the new one or restored.

Research alongside the draft

Imports PDFs, images, web pages, and sound and movie files into the project and shows them next to the text being written.

Targets and scriptwriting

Word or character targets with live counters and a writing history, plus a scriptwriting mode that handles screenplay and stage-play formatting.

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.

Scrivener

• Scrivener for iOS & iPadOS$23.99

  one-time purchase

  The iPhone and iPad app. There is no trial, and a Dropbox account is required for sync.

• Educational Licence$50.99

  one-time purchase, per platform

  The macOS or Windows version for students and academics. Requires an institutional affiliation.

• Standard Licence$59.99

  one-time purchase, per platform

  The full macOS or Windows version, licensed for every computer in a household that runs that platform.

• macOS + Windows bundle$95.98

  one-time purchase

  A separate license for each of macOS and Windows, sold together at a lower combined price.

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.

Scrivener

• Education

  Educational Licence for students and academics

  The macOS and Windows versions are sold to students and academics with an institutional affiliation for $50.99, against $59.99 for a Standard Licence.

• Other savings

  macOS and Windows bundle

  Buying Scrivener for macOS and Windows together costs $95.98, against $119.98 for two separate Standard Licences.

• Other savings

  Discounted upgrades from older versions

  Owners of an earlier major version can buy an upgrade license at a discount instead of paying the full price for the new version.

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.