# Ulysses vs Story Plotter

The clearest difference is monetization model: Story Plotter at freemium against Ulysses's subscription. Story Plotter also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). Ulysses's advantage is ratings volume (2.1K vs 193). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ulysses sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Story Plotter sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ulysses holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ulysses has 2.1K ratings behind it against 193, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Ulysses's written reviews are positive against 80% of Story Plotter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, Story Plotter every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ulysses | Story Plotter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ulysses-writing-app/id1225570693/reviews)** | [4.4 (193 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/story-plotter-idea-to-plot/id1491980862/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 193 |
| Positive reviews | 67.1% of reviews | **80.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 273 MB | 193 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ulysses GmbH & Co. KG](https://appshunter.io/developer/385113765) | [Hajime Hata](https://appshunter.io/developer/1491980861) |

## What reviewers say

### Ulysses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ulysses-writing-app/id1225570693)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $39.99 | per year |
| Student Offer | $10.99 | one-time |
| Perpetual License | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 👍 Simple, distraction-free writing experience
- 💡 Powerful organization and formatting features
- 🦋 Beautiful, customizable interface
- ✨ Excellent for focused writing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Occasional sync issues
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and lock-in
- 📚 Limited support for advanced formatting (tables, formulas, etc.)
- 🤔 Steep learning curve for some users

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Story Plotter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/story-plotter-idea-to-plot/id1491980862)

This app helps you craft compelling stories for novels, comics, movies, and more. It offers tools for organizing ideas, developing characters and their relationships, and structuring plot points. AI-powered brainstorming and time-series visualization assist in overcoming writer's block.

**Highlights:** Idea Note, Plot Note, Plot creation function, AI Brainstorming, Character Correlation & Family Tree, Time series with World Setting, Theme Setting

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Data Sync(half price) | $1.99 | per month |
| Device Synchronize | $3.49 | per month |
| Number of Image Generations | $0.49 | one-time |
| Releasing AI Limitations | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for writing and planning
- 🚀 Great organizational tools
- 💡 Detailed character profiles
- 🔒 Secure and password protected
- 👍 Clean and easy to navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or performance issues
- 🔍 Confusing or unclear interface in places
- 🔒 Limited free features, need to pay for syncing
- 🐛 Bugs with Bluetooth keyboards
- 🐛 Data loss issues, stories deleted without warning

**Reported bugs**

- Deleting previous work without warning
- Crashing when trying to edit thumbnails or move characters
- Syncing and data transfer issues between devices
- Bluetooth keyboard compatibility problems

**Requested features**

- Add ability to pull photos from external sources
- Implement a collaborative feature for co-writing
- Add more customization options for character profiles
- Improve the character relationship diagram functionality
- Expand timeline options beyond just years/months/days


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ulysses free?

Ulysses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Story Plotter free?

Story Plotter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ulysses or Story Plotter?

Ulysses is rated higher. Ulysses averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Story Plotter averages 4.4 from 193 ratings.

### Do Ulysses or Story Plotter have ads?

Neither Ulysses nor Story Plotter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ulysses or Story Plotter?

Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, and Story Plotter every 2 weeks. Most recently, Ulysses was updated on October 15, 2026 and Story Plotter on October 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*