Scrivener vs Ulysses

Struggling to choose between Scrivener and Ulysses? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Scrivener is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like writing, authoring, drafting, outlining.

It boasts features such as Corkboard view to visualize story structure, Outliner to organize scenes and chapters, Annotations and comments to provide feedback on drafts, Split screen to view multiple documents, Templates for common formats like novels and screenplays, Revision tracking to compare draft changes, Export to common formats like PDF and ePub and pros including Powerful tools for planning and organizing long documents, Flexible interface to suit different writing styles, Great for collaborating with editors and co-authors, Robust formatting and export options, Helpful for drafting and revising.

On the other hand, Ulysses is a Office & Productivity product tagged with writing, productivity, minimalist, sync.

Its standout features include Minimalist interface, iCloud sync, Word count goals, Markup formatting, Library organization, and it shines with pros like Distraction-free writing, Cross-platform compatibility, Useful writing tools, Clean interface.

Feature	Scrivener	Ulysses
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Office & Productivity	Office & Productivity

Product Overview

Scrivener

Description: Scrivener is professional writing software used by authors to plan, organize and write long documents like novels and screenplays. It has features like corkboard, outliner, annotations, and split screen to help write drafts and revisions.

Ulysses

Description: Ulysses is a popular writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone that allows users to write without distractions. It has a clean, minimalist interface and offers useful writing tools like word count goals, markup for formatting, and library organization. Ulysses syncs documents across devices via iCloud.

Key Features Comparison

Scrivener Features

• Corkboard view to visualize story structure
• Outliner to organize scenes and chapters
• Annotations and comments to provide feedback on drafts
• Split screen to view multiple documents
• Templates for common formats like novels and screenplays
• Revision tracking to compare draft changes
• Export to common formats like PDF and ePub

Ulysses Features

• Minimalist interface
• iCloud sync
• Word count goals
• Markup formatting
• Library organization

Pros & Cons Analysis

Scrivener

Pros

• Powerful tools for planning and organizing long documents
• Flexible interface to suit different writing styles
• Great for collaborating with editors and co-authors
• Robust formatting and export options
• Helpful for drafting and revising

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Overwhelming interface for new users
• Limited cloud sync and collaboration features
• Windows and Mac only, no Linux or mobile versions
• Can be slow with very large documents

Ulysses

Pros

• Distraction-free writing
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Useful writing tools
• Clean interface

Cons

• Expensive subscription
• Limited export options
• No collaboration features
• Mac/iOS only

Pricing Comparison

Scrivener

• One-time Purchase

Ulysses

• Subscription-Based