Comparison

tableread vs Ulysses

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

tableread

This app allows users to read and listen to scripts for film, stage, and television on their mobile devices. It offers text-to-speech with over 90 voices, soundtrack integration, and powerful rehearsal tools, all processed locally for complete privacy.

Highlights
  • Local text-to-speech processing
  • Import PDF and Final Draft FDX scripts
  • 90+ character voices
  • Add background soundtracks
  • Create and export script notes
  • Rehearsal features
Features
Read full description

tableread® Production App. 100% Private. 100% Local. Text-to-speech happens entirely on your device. No cloud processing. No uploads. No exceptions. Your scripts stay on your iPhone, iPad, iCloud, or Google Drive — and nowhere else. The tableread® Production App is a low cost subscription based, easy-to-use film, stage play and television productivity app, that allows you to read and listen to scripts, including screenplays and teleplays on mobile devices - anytime, anywhere. Simply import a professionally formatted script in PDF or Final Draft FDX format and listen. tableread® Pro monthly subscription for $2.99(USD). tableread® Pro offers a reduced functionality free version. Listen to scripts as read by over 90 unique character voices in multiple languages across all ages. Add an inspiring underscore or music cues from a library of genre specific scores, or import your own. Create and export script notes, make quick edits and utilize powerful rehearsal features. From script to stage & screen the tableread® Production App is a must have for the entire production process. Features: • Imports professionally formatted scripts directly from PDF. • Analyses screenplay and stage play(US and UK) formats. • Imports Final Draft files in FDX format. • Imports from email, hyperlink or iCloud & Google Drive • Formats scripts for viewing in mobile devices. • Read and listen to scripts. • Skip to next or previous scene/ page or line. • Access online help via the Help Menu or contact the developers directly. • Open tableread® Ready Script Projects. (Script Projects exported from the tableread® Production App). Share your thoughts with the tableread® Production App by leaving a review here in the Apple App Store or by contacting us via Facebook (/tablereadPro) or Twitter (@tablereadPro). or the CONTACT button in the tableread® Production App. tableread® Production App Pro (tableread® Pro) subscription plan advantages: • Assign unique character voices (90+ voices). • Customize all voices via rate and shape. • Save Custom Voices to use with other scripts. • Select voices by gender and age. • Create script notes. • Make simple script edits. • Read and listen to script notes. • Export and share script notes and edits. • Incorporate genre specific scores (20+ tracks). • Import your own score to add as an underscore or music cue to play with your script. • Scores can dynamically dim under dialogue and peak over action. • Rehearsal features including character selections, scene/s selection and looping, pause for me to deliver then read, mute rehearsal dialogue and play rehearsal scenes only. • Playback rate toggle, to read at a standard or faster pace. Subscriptions include a standard 7 day free trial period. Subscriptions will be charged unless cancelled at least 24-hours before the end of the free trial period. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Subscriptions are automatically renewed unless cancelled at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. You will not be able to cancel a subscription during the active period. Manage your subscriptions in your Account Settings after purchase. * Free products and services are subject to the tableread® Production App terms of use that accompany them. Terms of use: http://www.tablereadpro.com/terms Privacy policy: http://www.tablereadpro.com/privacy-policy

About

Ulysses

A distraction-free writing environment for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It offers robust document management, seamless syncing, and flexible export options for writers of all kinds. Includes a proofreader and editing assistant.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free editor
  • Unified document library
  • Cross-device sync
  • Built-in proofreader
  • Flexible export options (PDF, DOCX, eBook, HTML)
  • Direct publishing to blogs
Features
Read full description

Ulysses is your one-stop writing environment for Mac, iPhone and iPad. Its pleasant, focused writing experience, combined with effective document management, seamless sync, and flexible export, make Ulysses the first choice for writers of all kinds. ++ Apple Design Award Winner ++ “The app is amazing. An absolute delight to use. Well done.” – David Hewson, Bestselling Author (The Killing) ### A Text Production Powerhouse Ulysses’ markup-based, distraction-free editor lets you focus on your most important task: Write, edit, and write some more. Formatting is kept for later, so you can completely immerse yourself in the text. Ulysses’ uniquely streamlined toolset covers the entire writing process, and its clean and simple interface will boost your productivity. From first to final draft, from prologue to closing chapter – Ulysses keeps you in the flow, so you can get stuff done. ### All Your Texts, All the Time Everything you’ll ever write is stored in Ulysses’ unified library. You can manage projects of all kinds and sizes, be it novels, diaries or study notes – they are always saved, and automatically in sync. And since Ulysses offers feature parity across macOS and iOS, it doesn’t matter where you are or when inspiration hits: All its tools, and all your texts, are always at your fingertips. ### Built-In Proofreader and Editing Assistant Write with confidence, thanks to Ulysses’ integrated grammar and style check. Available for over 20 languages, it analyzes your text and offers informed suggestions for capitalization, punctuation, semantics, redundancy, style and more. ### Create eBooks, DOCX, PDFs and HTML Ulysses’ export is flexible enough to cover any writer’s needs: Transform your text into beautiful PDFs, Word documents or eBooks. Or export HTML code, ready to be used anywhere on the web. You can even choose between a variety of pre-made formatting styles for all kinds of purposes, or create your own and share it with other users. ### Publish to WordPress, Ghost, Substack & More Do you blog? Ulysses’ offers best-in-class publishing to WordPress, Ghost, and Micro.blog. You can post to WordPress, Ghost and Micro.blog from right within the app – complete with images, tags, categories etc. All offer a built-in preview to proofread before submission. Ulysses also supports copy paste publishing to Substack and Basecamp. ### Pricing Ulysses requires a subscription. We offer monthly and yearly subscription plans. They include a fully functional trial, so you can test Ulysses (including export and sync). There’s also a special discount for students. All plans unlock the app on Mac, iPhone and iPad, and feature full synchronization. ### Questions Please visit ulysses.app for more information. You can also reach us via help@ulysses.app or on Twitter @ulyssesapp – we’re happily awaiting your feedback! Terms of Use: https://ulysses.app/app-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://ulysses.app/app-privacy-policy

Screenshots

tableread4 screens
Ulysses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ulysses at 4.6 against tableread's 3.0. Ulysses also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 38%) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 54). tableread's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. tableread sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month and Ulysses sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ulysses holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ulysses has 2.1K ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of tableread's written reviews are positive against 67% of Ulysses's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

tableread ships an update weekly, Ulysses every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
tableread versus Ulysses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertablereadUlysses
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (54 ratings)4.6 (2.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.5% of reviews67.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings542.1K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB273 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCONWAY ENTERPRISE WORLDWIDE PTY LTDUlysses GmbH & Co. KG

Customer experience

tableread

All ratings54 ratings
Positive46.3%
Neutral9.3%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral8.9%
Negative53.6%

Ulysses

All ratings2,135 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews1,281 reviews
Positive67.1%
Neutral7.0%
Negative25.8%

Bugs and requests

tableread

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Ulysses

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unexpected data loss or file corruption
  • Slow performance on older devices
  • Unreliable iCloud sync
  • Formatting issues when exporting to other formats

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved collaboration and sharing features
  • Better integration with reference managers and citation tools
  • More flexible export options and compatibility
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts
  • Ability to hide Markdown syntax

In-app purchases

1 purchases

tableread

Subscriptions1
  • tableread Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
6 purchases

Ulysses

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Plan7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$29.991 Year
  • Yearly Plan7 Days trial2 variants$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly Plan1 Year trial$39.991 Year
One-time2
  • Student Offer$10.99
  • Perpetual License$199.99

Questions

Is tableread free?
tableread is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ulysses free?
Ulysses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, tableread or Ulysses?
Ulysses is rated higher. tableread averages 3.0 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while Ulysses averages 4.6 from 2.1K ratings.
Do tableread or Ulysses have ads?
Neither tableread nor Ulysses shows ads.
Which is updated more often, tableread or Ulysses?
tableread ships an update weekly, and Ulysses every 3 weeks. Most recently, tableread was updated on October 16, 2026 and Ulysses on October 19, 2026.

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