Is Craft or Ulysses better for writing?

Ulysses is better for long-form writers — novelists, bloggers, and anyone writing thousands of words who need a distraction-free editor with powerful organization of long documents. Craft is better for notes, documents, and collaboration — it has a more visual, block-based design great for teams and linked documents.

How much do Craft and Ulysses cost?

Craft costs $5/month or $45/year (Pro), with a generous free tier. Ulysses costs $6.99/month or $49.99/year — no free plan beyond a trial. Both are competitive on price for serious writers on Apple devices.

Craft vs Ulysses (2026): Which Premium Writing App Wins for Apple Users?

By ToolVS Research Team · Updated April 10, 2026

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Quick Answer

Ulysses wins for dedicated long-form writers — its focused writing environment, powerful manuscript organization, word count goals, and publishing integrations make it the gold standard for writing books, blogs, and articles on Mac. Craft wins for teams, linked documents, and visual note-taking that feels more like Notion but with Apple-native beauty.

Craft

8.9/10

Best for notes, docs & collaboration

Ulysses

9.1/10

Best for long-form focused writing

Feature Comparison

Feature	Craft	Ulysses
Pricing	Free tier; $45/year (Pro)	$49.99/year (no free plan)
Writing Focus	Block-based documents/notes	Distraction-free long-form writing
Markdown	Markdown-based blocks	Semantic Markdown with live preview
Organization	Pages, linked docs, folders	Sheets grouped in library
Publishing	Share as web link	WordPress, Ghost, Medium publish
Word Count Goals	Basic	Advanced writing goals & streaks
Platform	Mac, iOS, Windows (web)	Mac, iOS only
Best For	Teams, note-heavy docs, visual layout	Bloggers, authors, long-form writers

Which do you use?

Craft

Ulysses

Who Should Choose What?

→ Choose Craft if:

You want beautiful linked documents that feel like a visual knowledge base. You collaborate with teammates on documents. You want a free tier before committing. You occasionally need Windows access. You blend note-taking, project docs, and writing in one workspace.

→ Choose Ulysses if:

You write long-form content daily — blog posts, newsletters, books, or scripts. You want a distraction-free writing environment with powerful manuscript management. You publish directly to WordPress or Ghost. You track writing goals and streaks. You're an Apple-only user.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Craft or Ulysses publish directly to a blog?

Ulysses has native publish integrations for WordPress, Ghost, and Medium — you can write and publish directly from Ulysses without copy-pasting. Craft does not have direct blog publishing; it creates shareable web links. For bloggers, Ulysses is significantly better for the publishing workflow.

Does Craft work on Windows?

Craft has a Windows app in addition to Mac and iOS, making it more cross-platform than Ulysses. Ulysses is Apple-only. If you work across both Windows and Mac, Craft is the better choice. For Apple-only households, both work equally well on that front.

Editor's Take

I switched from Craft to Ulysses last year, then switched back. Why? Craft just had better integrations with the rest of my stack. Lesson learned: features matter less than ecosystem fit.

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Last updated: April 10, 2026