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 and Linux too. Ulysses has the mature cross-device sync that Markd.ly does not. 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 | $19.99 one-time | $5.99/month |
| Most popular plan | $19.99 one-time | $39.99/year (better value than monthly) |
| Lifetime license | $19.99 one-time (one purchase covers Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone & Android) | 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 · Linux · 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 — $19.99 — 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 and Linux too. One Markd.ly purchase covers Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, and Android. Ulysses is Apple-only — there is no Ulysses for Windows or Linux.
- +Vim mode, Pandoc export (DOCX/EPUB/Reveal.js — bundled offline on Linux, or via Pandoc on PATH on Mac/Windows), and AES-256-GCM encrypted documents on the desktop. Ulysses has none of these. Native HTML and PDF export always work without Pandoc.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-16. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | Markd.ly | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One-time $19.99 | Subscription $5.99/mo or $39.99/yr |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone & Android | 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) | Yes (desktop) | No |
| Pandoc export (DOCX/PDF/EPUB/Reveal.js) | Yes (desktop) | Limited built-in export |
| Encrypted documents (AES-256-GCM) | Yes (desktop) | No |
| Snippet library with variables | Yes (desktop) | No |
| Custom CSS / theme editor | Yes (desktop) | Themes (no CSS editor) |
| MCP (AI opens/creates files) | Opens + creates files (macOS) | No |
| Mermaid / KaTeX | Yes | Limited |
| Mobile apps (iPhone / iPad / Android) | Yes — iPhone and Android | Yes (mature, synced) |
FAQ
Is there a Markd.ly subscription?+
No. One payment, lifetime, covers Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, and Android. 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 Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone & Android builds. Ulysses is Apple-only. Markd.ly has no dedicated iPad build, so if you write mainly on an iPad, Ulysses is the better fit there.
More Markd.ly comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-16. Ulysses pricing source. Subject to change.