Typora vs Ulysses

Typora

• People who write Markdown and want to see formatted text as they type
• Technical notes that mix code blocks, math and Mermaid diagrams
• Buyers who prefer a low one-time price to a subscription

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

Typora

• Desktop only: downloads are offered for macOS, Windows and Linux, with no mobile or web version listed.
• A license covers one person on up to 3 devices at a time, and no bulk or organization-wide license is offered.
• Under the license agreement, free updates do not include major updates such as a move from 1.x to 2.x.
• Typora is file-based and does not store documents; syncing between devices is left to services such as Dropbox or iCloud.

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.

Typora

Live preview editing

Formats Markdown in place while typing, with no separate preview window or mode switch, so the document looks the same when writing and when reading.

Tables, code, math and diagrams

Tables resize by dragging, code fences highlight around 100 languages, MathJax handles equations, and flowchart, sequence and Mermaid diagrams are drawn from text.

Image handling

Images are inserted by drag and drop and shown inline, can be resized with an img tag, and on macOS can be uploaded to a cloud server through the iPic service.

File tree and outline panels

A file tree and an article list organize files in any folder, and an outline panel lists a document's headings for jumping to a section.

Import and export

Exports to PDF with bookmarks, and imports or exports other formats including docx, OpenOffice, LaTeX, MediaWiki and Epub.

Focus mode, typewriter mode and themes

Focus mode blurs every line but the current one, typewriter mode keeps the active line in the middle of the window, and themes are configured with CSS.

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.

Typora

• Typora license$14.99

  one-time purchase, per user, before tax

  Activates Typora on up to 3 devices for one person across macOS, Windows and Linux, with no expiry, subscription or renewal fee.

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.

Typora

No public discounts listed.

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.