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Surveyed on 17 October 2026

Ulysses or Extypis: which is better for writing your novel?

Ulysses is a writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, with Markdown text, which is rented by the year; Extypis opens in the browser of any device, with a free account, then is paid monthly. Here is how each one answers the questions people ask before choosing, what its users say about it, and the rounds Ulysses wins are on the board.

Engraving: at dusk, a writer works alone at a bare table by an open window, with a three-masted ship at anchor on the sea outside.

How this page was made

Every line about Ulysses was read on 17 October 2026 on ulysses.app, its site, in its help center, its release notes and its App Store listings, in euros on the French store. User reviews come from the latest 500 written reviews on the US, French, German and UK App Stores, and from a published review, each with its link; these reviews come mostly from people who downloaded the app. Extypis prices and limits are read live from our pricing page. Ulysses has no free version: on the free side, it is compared through its 7-day trial; on the paid side, through its annual subscription.

Ulysses in figures

The ratings come from Apple's stores, the only ones to publish reviews in number on Ulysses.

Ulysses on Mac: on the left a novel's library, with its Front matter, Chapters and Back matter groups and an Extras section (Notes, Characters, Places, Plot, Research), in the middle the list of a chapter's sheets with their status, on the right the text of a scene.
A novel in Ulysses on Mac: the library, the sheets of a chapter and the text of a scene. Screenshot: Ulysses GmbH

What matters to you

Take out what does not concern you: the board and the score keep only your criteria.

Rounds won

Extypis11Ulysses1

11 for Extypis, 1 for Ulysses. 8 draws, which do not count in the score.

Free: the free Extypis account (1 project, at most 15,000 words per project, 2 exports per month) against Ulysses's trial, complete but limited to 7 days, on Mac, iPad or iPhone.

What do I pay?

  • How much do I pay, and for how long?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    You pay nothing, with no time limit, with 1 project and at most 15,000 words per project

    Ulysses

    Nothing for the 7-day trial, then the app can only be used to read

  • How many books can I write, and how long?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    You get 1 project, and a project holds up to 15,000 words in 10 sheets

    Ulysses

    As many as you like, during the 7 days of the trial

  • And if I write on a Mac, a PC, a tablet and a phone?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    The free account opens in the browser of each device, Windows and Android included

    Ulysses

    On Mac, iPad and iPhone only, synced through iCloud; nothing on Windows, Android or the web

How do I write and organise my novel?

  • While I write, do I see the pages of my book?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    Yes, on a computer: you write in the pages, at the size, margins and font of your PDF

    Ulysses

    No: you write in Markdown, and the layout comes from the style chosen at export, with a preview in the export window

  • Can I see my whole story scene by scene, and reorder it?

    Extypis

    Yes, up to 10 sheets per project: each scene is a card with its summary, and moving the card moves the text

    Ulysses

    Yes, as a list: nested groups and sheets are reordered by dragging them, split and merged, with no board of cards

  • Can I keep sheets for characters, places and objects?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    Yes: characters, places, objects, events and your own categories, with their fields, images and documents

    Ulysses

    As text sheets: you keep your notes in a “Characters” group, with no fields and no profiles

  • If I name a character, even by a nickname, does the app find them?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    Yes, everywhere in the book, as soon as the nickname is on their sheet; a tab suggests the names in the text that have no sheet yet

    Ulysses

    No: you add a keyword by hand to each sheet where the character appears

  • Can I see the relationships between my characters and the timeline of the story?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    Yes: a map shows the links you write between sheets, and a timeline places each event at its date in the story

    Ulysses

    No: its help describes neither a relationship map nor a timeline of the story

  • Does the app track my writing goals?

    Extypis

    Yes: a goal in words, characters or reading time, at most, at least or about, with a deadline

    Ulysses

    Yes: per sheet, per group or per project, in words, pages or reading time, and a deadline calculates each day's share

  • Can I go back to an earlier version of my text?

    Extypis

    Yes: you freeze a version of each sheet, compare two versions side by side and restore the one you want

    Ulysses

    Yes, through automatic backups on the device: every hour over 12 hours, every day over a week, every week over six months

And AI?

  • Can I write with no AI at all?

    Extypis

    Yes: one setting removes every AI tool from the screen; only importing a manuscript still goes through an AI

    Ulysses

    Yes: it has no AI of its own; Apple Intelligence's writing tools show up in it, and can be turned off in the Edit menu

  • If I want AI, do I get any?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    Yes: 300 credits, given once, to rewrite a passage, continue a scene or review your chapters

    Ulysses

    Only Apple's, on a compatible device: proofread, rewrite or summarise a selection

Where and when can I write?

  • Can I write on the train, with no network?

    Extypis

    Only in a tab that is already open: the text waits for the network to come back
    Better answer

    Ulysses

    Yes: the library lives on the device, and syncs through iCloud when the network returns

  • Which languages is the interface in?

    Extypis

    In French, English, Spanish, German and Chinese

    Ulysses

    In 12 languages, including French, English, Spanish, German and Chinese

How do I get, print and share my book?

  • Where do I write the dedication, the preface and the copyright page?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    On a computer, you write them on the pages of the book, in their place, and you type the publisher and the ISBN on the copyright page

    Ulysses

    In ordinary sheets, kept in a group; the EPUB export asks for the author, the title and the cover

  • Do I get a PDF ready for the printer?

    Extypis

    Yes: Extypis typesets the PDF with LaTeX, in A4, A5 or Letter, up to 2 exports per month

    Ulysses

    A PDF or Word file formatted by an export style, with page size and table of contents; its help mentions neither a book format nor Amazon KDP

  • Can I get an EPUB for an e-reader?

    Extypis

    Yes, up to 2 exports per month

    Ulysses

    Yes, with its cover and table of contents, during the trial

  • Can I publish my book in the app, so people read it online and send comments?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    Yes: the book has its reading page, open to everyone, and readers with an account comment paragraph by paragraph

    Ulysses

    No: it publishes articles to WordPress, Ghost or Micro.blog, but has no reading page for a book

  • Can I show that I wrote my text myself?

    Better answer

    Extypis

    Yes, for the typing: the “human origin” certificate says what was typed, pasted or moved, and is shared by a link; it does not say where the ideas come from

    Ulysses

    No: it keeps the history of your writing sessions, without attesting anything

  • Can I bring in a manuscript started elsewhere?

    Extypis

    Yes: Word, PDF, EPUB, Markdown or HTML, as long as the manuscript fits in 15,000 words

    Ulysses

    Yes: Word, Apple Notes, Bear or Evernote; a Scrivener project goes through an export to Markdown or Word

What its users like about Ulysses

A summary of what comes back in published reviews, each with its link. We paraphrase rather than quote.

What bothers its users, and how Extypis answers

The complaints that come back, from the most frequent to the rarest. Opposite each one, what Extypis does, including when it does no better.

  1. The complaint

    The subscription is mandatory and the free app can only be used to read: users say they feel misled by the “free” label, dislike the trial that asks for a card, and find €39.99 per year too expensive for writing. It is the subject of about 60 of the 99 one- or two-star reviews left since January 2025, by our count.

    Ulysses on the App Store (United States) · Ulysses on the App Store (France) · Ulysses on the App Store (United Kingdom)

    Extypis's answer

    The free account is for writing, with no bank card and no time limit, up to 15,000 words per project. The Extypis subscription, 9 € per month, does cost more than Ulysses's, however, and Extypis has no lifetime licence.

  2. The complaint

    Crashes, blank screens and slowness after system updates: a grey screen on iOS 26, endless loading, typing that lags on iPad beyond about 400 words per sheet.

    Ulysses on the App Store (United States) · Ulysses on the App Store (United Kingdom) · Ulysses on the App Store (France)

    Extypis's answer

    Extypis opens in the browser and does not depend on a system version: an up-to-date browser is enough.

  3. The complaint

    Getting started is rough and formatting is hidden: Markdown has to be learned, and finding how to highlight a word or change the background takes some people hours.

    Ulysses on the App Store (United States) · Ulysses on the App Store (Germany) · Indie Author Magazine, December 2022

    Extypis's answer

    Formatting is done from the toolbar, as in a word processor, and Markdown remains possible for those who prefer to type it.

  4. The complaint

    The novelist's tools are missing: no character sheets, no board of cards, no relationships, no timeline, a dragged chapter ends up in a subfolder, and writing with others does not exist.

    Indie Author Magazine, December 2022 · Ulysses on the App Store (United States) · Help: writing with others

    Extypis's answer

    Sheets, the relationship map, the timeline and the scene board are in the free account. Extypis has no writing with others either.

  5. The complaint

    Lost work, rarely but badly: empty libraries after a reinstall, files removed after twelve months without opening, requests for help left unanswered.

    Ulysses on the App Store (Germany) · Ulysses on the App Store (United States) · Ulysses backups

    Extypis's answer

    Your texts are on our servers, stored in the European Union, not on the device: reinstalling or changing device does not touch them. A deletion waits 30 days in the trash.

  6. The complaint

    Export disappoints for print: a 20,000-word ebook had to be reformatted, and the final layout seems hidden.

    Ulysses on the App Store (United Kingdom) · Ulysses on the App Store (United States)

    Extypis's answer

    You write in the pages, at the PDF's settings, and the preview of the whole book opens in one click before export.

  7. The complaint

    Apple only, and older systems are left behind: nothing on Windows, Android or the web, and the current version requires macOS 15.4 and iOS 26, which left an iMac owner on macOS 13.7 with no update.

    Ulysses on the App Store (France) · Indie Author Magazine, December 2022 · Ulysses on the App Store (United States)

    Extypis's answer

    An up-to-date browser is enough, on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android or iOS.

  8. The complaint

    An AI nobody asked for: a long-time user complains about Apple's ChatGPT icon that pops up on every text selection.

    Ulysses on the App Store (France) · Help: Apple's writing tools

    Extypis's answer

    The no-AI mode removes all of Extypis's AI tools from the screen in one click. Apple's can be turned off in the system settings.

What Ulysses does better

  • Its subscription costs less: €39.99 per year, against 90 € per year for Extypis, and a lifetime licence exists at €199.99.
  • You can write entirely offline: the library lives on the device and syncs through iCloud. Extypis keeps the text of a tab that is already open, but does not open offline.
  • Its Mac, iPad and iPhone apps are native, awarded by Apple in 2016, and designed for each device.
  • It publishes articles directly to WordPress, Ghost and Micro.blog.
  • Its export styles can be written to measure, down to the line grid and the columns.

What Extypis does that Ulysses does not

  • It opens on Windows, Linux and Android as on Mac, iPad and iPhone, in the browser.
  • Its free account is for writing, with no time limit, while Ulysses becomes read-only after 7 days.
  • You write in the pages of the book, at the size, margins and font of your PDF.
  • It keeps sheets for characters, places and objects, finds their names and nicknames in the text, draws their relationships and places events on a timeline.
  • It publishes your book on a reading page where your readers comment, and issues a “human origin” certificate that says what was typed, pasted or moved.
Extypis on film, in 20 chapters. Click a chapter to jump to it.

Moving from Ulysses to Extypis

Extypis does not open a Ulysses library as it is. In Ulysses, select the novel's group and export it to Word (DOCX) or EPUB, then import the file into Extypis: it is split into chapters and scenes, and the characters who come back often already have their sheet, filled with what the text says about them. Ulysses's keywords and notes do not carry over. The free account imports a manuscript as long as it fits in 15,000 words; beyond that, importing requires a subscription.

The questions people ask us

Is Ulysses free?
No. The app can be downloaded for free, but without a subscription it can only be used to read. The subscription costs €39.99 per year or €5.99 per month on the French App Store, with a 7-day trial; a lifetime licence sells for €199.99 (surveyed on 17 October 2026).
Does Ulysses work on Windows or Android?
No: Ulysses only exists on Mac, iPad and iPhone, and the current version requires macOS 15.4 or iOS 26. Extypis opens in the browser of any computer, tablet or phone.
What happens if I stop my Ulysses subscription?
According to its help, the app becomes read-only: you can open and export all your texts, but can no longer create or edit any. On Extypis, your projects stay editable on the free account, without growing past 15,000 words.
What is the difference with Extypis?
Ulysses is a Markdown writing app for Apple devices, which works offline and is rented for €39.99 per year. Extypis opens everywhere in the browser and prepares the story: sheets, relationship map, timeline, scene board and writing in the pages of the book; it is free up to 15,000 words per project, then costs 9 € per month.
Does Ulysses have AI?
Not its own: it shows Apple Intelligence's writing tools on compatible devices, which can be turned off in the Edit menu, and its publisher states that your texts are never used to train an AI. Extypis offers AI on request, and one setting removes it from the screen.
How do I move from Ulysses to Extypis?
Export your novel's group to Word or EPUB from Ulysses, then import the file into Extypis: it is split into chapters, and the characters who come back often already have their sheet. The free account imports a manuscript of at most 15,000 words.

Sources

The pages opened on 17 October 2026 to write each line about Ulysses.

User reviews

2026-10-17

See also Extypis compared to Scrivener · Extypis compared to Microsoft Word · Extypis compared to Google Docs · Extypis for writing a novel · The Extypis pricing grid

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