Scrivener vs Ulysses

Price, free plan and alternatives, side by side

Cheapest per year

Not enough public prices to compare the cost.

Who has a free plan

Scrivenerno free plan
Ulyssesno free plan

Easiest to rebuild

Scrivener, Ulysses

Buildable

Side-by-side comparison

APPLICATION	ScrivenerNotes & knowledge	UlyssesWriting assistants
Monthly billing	Not listed	$5.99/moPersonal
Per year	—	$39.96/yrannual plan · −44%
Billing model	Flat subscription	Flat subscription
Free tier	no free tier; trial lasts 30 days of actual use	no free tier
Additional costs	macOS, Windows and iOS/iPadOS are separate purchases unless the desktop bundle is bought; paid major-version upgrades may be required; Dropbox is required for supported desktop-to-iOS sync	US prices can differ by App Store region; student pricing excludes Family Sharing, and business volume pricing is quote-only.
Can you rebuild it?	Buildableone sitting	Buildableone sitting
Free alternatives	novelWriter Manuskript Kindling	SiYuan Zettlr
Checked on	07/31/2026	10/20/2026
Buy on the official site	Buy View app page	Buy View app page

The free plan compares up to 2 apps. Pro compares up to 4. See plans →

ProTotal cost over up to 3 years, for your teamWith Pro you see what each app costs over 1, 2 or 3 years for your team size and export the comparison as CSV or Markdown.Unlock with Pro →

Total cost over up to 3 years, for your team

With Pro you see what each app costs over 1, 2 or 3 years for your team size and export the comparison as CSV or Markdown.

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Prices from each app’s latest check; confirm on the official site before buying.

The comparison in short

Side-by-side comparison