Ulysses Pricing
Complete pricing breakdown for Ulysses including all plans, hidden costs, and limitations.
Pricing score: 52/100
Plans & Pricing
- All features
- Mac, iPad and iPhone
- iCloud sync
- All export formats
- Direct publishing
- 7-day free trial
User limit: 1 Apple Account + Family Sharing (up to 5 more)
Storage: Your iCloud storage
- Ulysses included in Setapp's app bundle
User limit: 1 user
Storage: Your iCloud storage
- All features for 6 months
- For students, teachers and university staff
- 3-day trial after approval
User limit: 1 user
Storage: Your iCloud storage
- All features
- Mac, iPad and iPhone
- iCloud sync
- All export formats
- Direct publishing
- 7-day free trial
User limit: 1 Apple Account + Family Sharing (up to 5 more)
Storage: Your iCloud storage
- Current app plus future updates
- Mac, iPad and iPhone (universal purchase)
User limit: 1 Apple Account
Storage: Your iCloud storage
Pricing Issues Reported by Users
Controversial switch to subscription angered existing users
Users who bought Ulysses at full price ($45-70) lost their perpetual license when developers switched to subscription. The backlash was significant - long-time users felt betrayed paying again for software they already owned.
Why is Ulysses so expensive? $40/year subscription for a writing app
Ulysses costs $5.99/month or $39.99/year in the US (official pricing page, App Store). For writers who only need a focused editor, a recurring fee compares badly to one-time purchases such as Scrivener or iA Writer. Family Sharing (up to 5 extra members) softens it for households.
Ulysses perpetual license costs $199.99
In 2026 Ulysses added a one-time Perpetual License ($199.99 in the App Store) with no trial. Users on Mac Power Users (Oct 2026) call it expensive and say they don't trust a 'lifetime' promise after the 2017 switch that moved earlier one-time buyers to subscriptions; the help page itself says new features can't be guaranteed indefinitely.