My main writing tool is Ulysses III. Simply put, it’s where my text is. In a way, it’s like an office. When I open the app I write.

Most importantly, Ulysses is a writing environment. All writing is done on “sheets,” which are managed by the app. The sheets (documents) are kept in a library, organized with a database. This means all files are kept out of sight and don’t clutter up the documents folder.1

Markdown is Ulysses’ native language, Markdown XL being it’s preferred dialect. It combines plain text with an easy to read display. The brackets, parentheses, and other markup are hidden behind tokens.

At first I thought this was unnecessary ornamentation. Something that was cute, and not in the spirit of “plain text only.” I changed my mind after only a few minutes of use. Simply having URLs hidden behind a token made reading proofing extremely easy.

I’d much rather see this:

Than this:

Because all files are managed by Ulysses, they’re accessible using the lists in the sidebars.

Native iCloud sync is built-in, and all sheets are automatically saved. Ulysses does have a save command which creates a version. Again, library to the rescue! All documents have a browsable history with the Time Machine-style interface. Creating a version makes sure document is captured as-is in the history.2

This is where Ulysses earns it’s keep. Plain text is universally readable, which makes it a great starting point for exporting. Ulysses can export in PDF, HTML, ePub, and Word/RTF formats.

There are a few features that seem unique to Ulysses:

Link pasting: If there’s a URL on the clipboard, pasting over selected text will create a link, not replace the selection. I didn’t realize how much time this would save.

Typewriter scrolling: With this option, the cursor stays at one place on the screen. The sheet moves “behind” it, like a piece of paper. Best. Thing. Ever. I absolutely detest having to type into the bottom of a screen. Typewriter scrolling keeps my eyes up.

Dark mode: Other apps have this, and each theme has different dark and light colors. But I can also choose to have the interface dark or light, no matter which theme is active.

Glue/split: Sheets can be merged (“glued”) together or split apart. Also, when multiple sheets are selected, they are viewed/exported as a single sheet. Managing multi-part projects are much easier to proofread this way.

No piece of software is perfect, here’s where I think Ulysses could be made better.

Ulysses is unique. It’s worth every penny of the $39.99 price tag. It’s available exclusively on the Mac App Store, and a free demo is available.