Markd.ly vs Ulysses — honest comparison
Looking for an Ulysses alternative? Here is an honest Markd.ly vs Ulysses comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. Ulysses is a polished, mature writing environment with a beautiful library, cross-device sync, and one-tap publishing. Markd.ly is a fast native editor that writes to plain .md files on your disk, costs one payment for life, and runs on Windows too. If you want the managed library and sync, Ulysses earns its subscription. If you want to own a fast editor outright and keep your files as files, that is the Markd.ly side.
| At a glance | Markd.ly | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free | $5.99/month |
| Most popular plan | $19 lifetime (launch) | $39.99/year (better value than monthly) |
| Lifetime license | $19 launch / $29 retail (one-time, Mac + Windows desktop) | Subscription only — $5.99/mo or $39.99/yr USD, no one-time or lifetime license (verified ulysses.app/pricing, 2026-05-16; US pricing, local prices may differ) |
| Platforms | Mac · Windows · iPhone · Android | Mac · iPad · iPhone |
Pick Ulysses if
- ·Your writing synced across Mac, iPad, and iPhone automatically. Ulysses' iCloud sync is mature and reliable. Markd.ly has no sync of any kind — your files live where you save them and nowhere else.
- ·A managed library. Ulysses' group / sheet / keyword organization, filters, and goal tracking are genuinely excellent for managing a large body of work over time. Markd.ly is a document editor, not a library manager.
- ·One-tap publishing to Medium, WordPress, or Ghost. Ulysses' publishing pipeline is polished and battle-tested. Markd.ly exports files; it does not publish to platforms.
- ·The most refined typing experience in the Apple ecosystem. Ulysses' editor is a mature, highly-tuned writing surface and is a better pure typing environment than Markd.ly today.
Pick Markd.ly if
- +No subscription. Markd.ly is one payment — $19 at launch, $29 retail — and you own it for life. There is no annual renewal and no cloud add-on.
- +Your work as plain .md files on disk. No proprietary library, no container, no export step to get your files out — they were always files, openable in any other editor any time.
- +Windows too. One Markd.ly purchase covers the Mac and Windows desktop builds. Ulysses is Apple-only — there is no Ulysses for Windows.
- +Vim mode, Pandoc-compatible export (DOCX/PDF/EPUB/Reveal.js), and AES-256-GCM encrypted documents in Pro. Ulysses has none of these. On Windows these Pro tools are rolling in across the 1.x series.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-16. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | Markd.ly | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One-time $19/$29 lifetime | Subscription $5.99/mo or $39.99/yr |
| Platforms | Mac + Windows desktop; free iPhone/Android editor | Mac, iPad, iPhone (Apple only) |
| Cross-device sync | No | Yes (iCloud) |
| File format | Plain .md on disk | Managed library / container |
| Native (non-Electron) app | Yes | Yes |
| Live preview | Pane live preview | In-app preview |
| Managed library / organization | No | Yes (deep) |
| Goal / word tracking | No | Yes |
| One-tap publishing (Medium/WP/Ghost) | No | Yes |
| Vim mode (normal/insert/visual, core motions + operators) | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | No |
| Pandoc export (DOCX/PDF/EPUB/Reveal.js) | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | Limited built-in export |
| Encrypted documents (AES-256-GCM) | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | No |
| Snippet library with variables | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | No |
| Custom CSS / theme editor | Pro (Mac today; Windows rolling across 1.x) | Themes (no CSS editor) |
| MCP (AI read/write files) | Read free / write Pro (Mac) | No |
| Mermaid / KaTeX | Free | Limited |
| Paid mobile app | No (free editor only) | Yes (mature, synced) |
Bottom line
The cleanest way to choose: do you want a managed writing system, or do you want to own a fast editor and keep your files as files? Ulysses is the better system — the library, the sync, the publishing pipeline, the years of refinement are real, and for a working writer who lives across a Mac, an iPad, and a phone, the subscription buys something worth paying for. Markd.ly is not that system, and pretending otherwise would waste your time. What Markd.ly offers instead is a native editor you buy once and own forever, on Windows as well as Mac, writing straight to plain .md files with no container and no lock-in — plus vim, Pandoc export, and encryption that Ulysses does not have at all. If the recurring cost and the Apple-only boundary are what sent you searching, that is the trade Markd.ly is built for.
FAQ
Is there a Markd.ly subscription?+
No. One payment, lifetime, covers Mac and Windows desktop. There is no annual plan and no cloud add-on.
Does Markd.ly sync between my devices like Ulysses?+
No. Markd.ly has no sync. Your files live on disk where you save them. If automatic cross-device sync is essential, Ulysses is the better fit.
Can I import my Ulysses library into Markd.ly?+
Markd.ly opens plain .md files. If you export your Ulysses sheets to Markdown, Markd.ly will open them as ordinary files. There is no direct library importer.
Does Markd.ly run on Windows?+
Yes — one purchase covers the Mac and Windows desktop builds. Ulysses is Apple-only.
More Markd.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-16. Ulysses pricing source. Subject to change.