Scrivener vs. Ulysses in 2025: My detailed comparability

Writing initiatives feels extra enjoyable when the concepts are popping up in your head, however the precise writing can really feel tiresome and fewer partaking. Whereas I personally concentrate on staying inventive, the method is extra fulfilling if I can work sooner. Perhaps you have heard that Scrivener can assist. Or, you came upon Ulysses might simplify your undertaking.

On this article, I’m diving into the Scrivener vs. Ulysses debate, conserving it chill and unbiased. I’ll share every thing it’s essential know to choose the suitable writing app in your undertaking in 2025.

Let’s take a fast have a look at why these instruments are such a success and take a look at what they’ve in frequent and the way they differ earlier than we get into particulars:

Scrivener assessment: The device’s fundamentals

Scrivener is a extremely nice writing app for anybody who writes typically, and it’s obtainable on macOS. It has a pleasant mixture of instruments that can assist you keep organized and make edits, plus it comes with templates for conventional publishing codecs.

Core Scrivener options embrace:

• Corkboard with index playing cards and coloured strains for posting and arranging concept parts
• Snapshots for saving part variations throughout revisions
• Speech function that can assist you hear what your writing seems like (nice for speeches)
• Formatting templates for screenplays, whitepapers, theses, stories, and extra
• Purpose setting and progress monitoring options to encourage consistency

My first impression: I see Scrivener as an important device for business writers who work on completely different sorts of initiatives. It is particularly helpful for freelance ghostwriters coping with all types of duties for varied purchasers, like content material advertising blogs, pitch decks, social media posts, fiction, and extra. It helps them keep organized and rapidly entry templates to dive into no matter they’re engaged on.

Ulysses assessment: The device’s fundamentals

Ulysses is a writing app that hastens digital content material creation and supply. It helps you polish your unfinished items, getting them nearer to being release-ready with some easy design and preview choices that work effectively with the principle writing instruments. It looks like writing on a clean web page while you use Ulysses, which actually helps you tune out distractions and concentrate on what’s essential to enhance your writing abilities.

Core Ulysses options embrace:

• Multi-lingual proofreading (20+ languages) and modifying assistant to assist finetune spellings, grammar, redundancies, tone, semantics, and extra
• Built-in publishing to platforms like Medium, WordPress, and extra
• A number of export types, together with eBooks, Phrase manuscripts, weblog posts, PDFs, and extra
• Monitoring instruments for reaching every day objectives and assembly deadlines
• Simplified picture incorporation

My first impression: Ulysses is nice for anybody who wants to consider how their doc appears to be like whereas they write. It helps you to model issues like photographs, excerpts, sidenotes, and different issues extra simply.

Variations between Scrivener and Ulysses: What does writing really feel like?

Let’s be trustworthy: a Scrivener assessment is simply going to gush about Scrivener, and a Ulysses assessment shall be all about how nice Ulysses is. So, why not break down what every of them brings to the desk on the subject of writing apps?

Characteristic battle

Each apps have just about the identical purpose, however they’ve received some distinctive options that may enable you to resolve which one to make use of by way of options.

Group and formatting

Whereas I just like the binder method, I really feel the corkboard is what actually unlocks Scrivener’s file administration and doc structuring strengths. It helps you create a map of your undertaking and freely transfer issues round as you progress.

Ulysses focuses extra on the precise writing web page, conserving its complementary options out of the way in which so you’ll be able to cowl extra floor. Nonetheless, I nonetheless consider its folders and key phrase tagging are sufficient for managing a number of writing initiatives. When importing content material, the key phrases can be transformed to readable tags for WordPress or Ghost.

Enhancing and compiling

Scrivener’s split-screen function is fairly spectacular. I typically write lengthy texts, and it may get difficult conserving observe of the general model and tone of every web page. Consider me, phrase frequency searches are barely sufficient. However by placing pages facet by facet, I can rapidly see which one sounds too educational or too informal and make them sound extra cohesive.

Ulysses additionally has a break up view, however it’s spiced up with reside previewing. I discover this very useful for individuals who write for print and different codecs that diverge from the unique smooth copy web page format. For example, if you happen to’re concentrating on paperback, you’ll be able to simply see whether or not you’re falling quick, filling the web page, or exceeding it. The identical goes for digital newsletters and magazines. You don’t should maintain recalling phrase depend estimates.

Assistive options

Scrivener and Ulysses each have text-to-speech capabilities. Scrivener depends on the platform on which it is working, so the expertise may not be constant throughout platforms. Ulysses depends on Apple’s dictation, so the function shall be fairly comparable throughout completely different Apple units.

Scrivener pricing vs. Ulysses pricing

Scrivener has fairly easy pricing, with one-time buy plans obtainable beginning at $50.99. You’ll want macOS 13 or later to get it up and working. Plus, it presents 30-day free trial to check the app.

Ulysses is on the market from $9.99 a month through Setapp. The platform hooks you up with over 250 macOS and iOS apps for writing, productiveness, creativity, and extra, all rolled into one subscription. In addition to Ulysses, you’ll be able to take a look at different writing instruments like MarsEdit for offline modifying or MonsterWriter for tackling extra complicated textual content simply. It’s a stable deal for anybody who loves helpful apps. You can too verify them out along with your 7-day free trial.

Ease of use of writing device

Ulysses is often lots simpler to make use of because it has a clear, easy design and allows you to do many modifying duties with fast shortcuts. Then again, Scrivener can do extra however may confuse newcomers. It requires extra time to study, which might actually minimize into your writing time.

Is Scrivener higher than Ulysses? Professionals and cons

Now that you just’ve received a superb grasp of what Scrivener and Ulysses have in frequent and the way they differ, let’s break down the professionals and cons of every app.

Scrivener: Finest for writing initiatives

Scrivener will undoubtedly offer you instruments to do much more, however it might additionally maintain you again in sure methods, so let me clarify.

What’s cool:

• Multi-platform availability (macOS, Home windows and iOS)
• Options just like the Binder and Corkboard permit for environment friendly group and rearrangement of writing initiatives
• Multi-media file importing in your analysis folder
• One-click part compiling to keep away from repeated copying and pasting for lengthy reads
• Quite a few themes for customizing the writing interface

What’s not:

• Restricted spelling and grammar checking capabilities because it lacks superior grammar checks
• Wants time to get conversant with organizational options just like the binder system and corkboard
• Lacks clean native synchronizing as customers typically depend on Dropbox

Evidently, Scrivener was made to cowl as many individuals and eventualities as potential. Finally, it empowers these seeking to mix writing with undertaking administration incessantly.

Ulysses: Finest for nice UI writing

Too lean for some at first look, however simply good for others. Let me let you know what you may come to love about Ulysses and what could throw you off.

What’s cool:

• Apple-powered dictation and text-to-speech options
• Complete writing and styling method for sooner publishing (Markdown help)
• Straightforward synchronizing to maintain undertaking adjustments up-to-date throughout all units
• Visually interesting interface with minimal distractions
• Customizable key phrase tagging and revision mode to easily discover initiatives or sections

What’s not:

• Solely obtainable within the Apple ecosystem
• Restricted templates for frequent publication sorts
• Writing depending on iCloud storage could pose challenges for customers with restricted iCloud or those that desire different cloud providers

Ulysses stands out in making the writing course of less complicated by decluttering workflows whereas nonetheless sufficiently helping when wanted. This app typically speaks extra to much less demanding solo initiatives, the place it’s largely about hitting the phrase depend, however it nonetheless helps those that need to do extra.

Which app must you select?

As somebody making a dwelling primarily from writing, I’ve to be prepared for no matter a shopper throws my means. However, I even have to stay passionate and attempt to work how I desire to, so let me let you know which of those instruments adequately serves sure folks and conditions.

When to decide on Scrivener:

• Multi-project handlers: For those who work on a number of unrelated and steady business initiatives, go for Scrivener. It’ll enable you to plan easy methods to deal with every of them and incorporate these plans right into a broader one which evolves as every undertaking progresses. For those who take care of books, documentary narrations, and screenplays, Scrivener will enable you to adapt your textual content to every of them.
• Cross-platform writing: For those who like having the ability to write on varied units and platforms, select Scrivener. It should additionally assist if in case you have an assortment of analysis supplies to attract from and quite a lot of media via which you’ll publish.

When to decide on Ulysses:

• Apple customers: For those who desire the cohesion of units and apps native to the Apple ecosystem, go for Ulysses. You received’t have to fret in regards to the expertise various from one gadget and OS to a different.
• Targeted writing: If you wish to concentrate on placing down as many phrases as potential, go together with Ulysses. For folks like me who’ve consideration points, Ulysses can get rid of distractions and enable you to do extra rapidly.
• Brief studying curve: For those who’re in search of an ideal stability between handbook modifying shortcuts and assisted modifying, get Ulysses. You’ll be capable of use Markdown to rapidly tune up your textual content and get extra strategies on making it move higher.

Scrivener vs. Ulysses: Which one is the way forward for writing?

The Scrivener vs. Ulysses debate is attention-grabbing since these two apps are constructed on completely completely different philosophies. Scrivener helps you do extra with completely different sorts of initiatives, whereas Ulysses helps you to get going rapidly. Scrivener has extra templates, group, and import and export choices, whereas Ulysses has a easy person expertise with larger assistive options.

I personally lean towards Ulysses due to its AI-based options, but when Scrivener rolls out extra AI-powered writing and modifying options, I would rethink. Are you with that pattern, or are you continue to skeptical about having AI combing via your writing concepts? For those who see Ulysses as the long run, you may get it on Setapp. It’s a platform that helps you uncover, set up, and handle life-changing Mac apps. It’ll enable you to get Ulysses and plenty of different apps at a fraction of what you’d pay for them individually.