Ulysses is a beautiful Markdown writing app for Apple devices, but it costs $5.99/month or $39.99/year. Free Markdown editors and note apps deliver the same distraction-free experience. Here are the best free Ulysses alternatives.
| Alternative | Price | Best For | No Signup? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | Free (personal use) | Markdown plus knowledge base | ✅ Yes |
| Mark Text | Free (open source) | Minimal Markdown editing | ✅ Yes |
| Google Docs | Free | Writing anywhere | Account needed |
| Notion | Free (personal) | Writing plus organization | Account needed |
Obsidian is a free, local-first Markdown app with a distraction-free editor, backlinks, and themes. Writers keep plain-text files they own forever, with none of Ulysses' subscription.
Mark Text is an open-source Markdown editor with a clean, distraction-free interface, live preview, and export to HTML and PDF. It is the closest free equivalent to Ulysses' writing feel.
Google Docs gives writers a clean canvas with outline view, voice typing, and offline access - free on every device, with no Apple ecosystem requirement like Ulysses.
Notion's free personal plan offers a clean writing surface, Markdown shortcuts, and databases for organizing drafts and publishing pipelines - all synced across devices.
Ulysses costs $5.99/month ($39.99/year). That is $39.99/year every year — money that could go toward building an AI-powered income stream instead. Our case studies show that you can build complete revenue-generating systems using only free tools.
| Option | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | 5-Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ulysses | $5.99 | $39.99 | $199.95 |
| Free Alternatives | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Savings | $39.99/year/year saved | ||
The best free alternative to Ulysses depends on your needs. Obsidian is ideal for markdown plus knowledge base. Mark Text is ideal for minimal markdown editing. Google Docs is ideal for writing anywhere. All of these alternatives are free or have generous free tiers.
Ulysses costs $5.99/month ($39.99/year). For most individual users and small projects, the free alternatives listed here provide 80-100% of the functionality at zero cost. Teams with complex collaboration needs may find the paid version worthwhile, but solo creators and small businesses can save hundreds per year.
Yes. The alternatives we list are production-ready tools used by millions. Most people switching from Ulysses find that 2-3 free tools combined cover all their needs, often with better specialised features than the all-in-one paid product.
Yes. Every alternative listed is a well-established tool with active development, large user bases, and transparent privacy policies. Open-source options like those from Hugging Face and Ollama are additionally auditable — you can inspect the code yourself.
Switching from Ulysses ($5.99/month ($39.99/year)) to free alternatives saves you $39.99/year per year. Over 5 years, that is enough to fund a side business or invest in other tools.
Browse All Free Alternatives →