Comparison

Ulysses vs Chalk Draw

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

Head to head
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

About

Chalk Draw

Transform your device into a digital chalkboard for writing and drawing with colored chalk. Ideal for educational purposes, professional explanations, or casual games.

Highlights
  • Digital chalkboard simulation
  • Colored chalk drawing
  • Writing functionality
  • Educational tool
  • Drawing tool
  • Game board
Features
Read full description

Chalk Draw is a new application that turns your iPhone/ iPad into a genuine chalkboard! The application lets you write and draw everything you want on the board, using colored chalks.This application is very useful in many situations: teach your child math, explain graphs to your colleagues, or simply play tic-tac-toe. Let your children play with Chalk Draw and teach them how to draw their first butterfly. Thank you for taking the time to report any bugs or to request an enhancement to Chalk Draw application. Feedback is very important to us. We will do our best to answer queries. Email us at drawerfree@gmail.com

Screenshots

Ulysses4 screens
Chalk Draw1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Chalk Draw at free with in-app purchases against Ulysses's subscription. Chalk Draw also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). Ulysses's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Ulysses sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Chalk Draw sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Ulysses against 4.5 for Chalk Draw. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.1K and 3.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Ulysses's written reviews are positive against 59% of Chalk Draw's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, Chalk Draw every 5 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Ulysses versus Chalk Draw: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUlyssesChalk Draw
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.1K ratings) — better4.5 (3.6K ratings)
Positive reviews67.1% of reviews — better59.3% of reviews
Number of ratings2.1K3.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size274 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUlysses GmbH & Co. KGAn Banh

Customer experience

Ulysses

All ratings2,111 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews1,262 reviews
Positive67.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative25.8%

Chalk Draw

All ratings3,607 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral6.8%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral6.8%
Negative33.9%

User reviews

Ulysses

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 💰 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

Chalk Draw

From 3.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Realistic chalkboard experience
  • 💡 Useful for online teaching and communication
  • 🚀 Simple and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent ads disrupting usage
  • 💡 Limited color options
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with Apple Pencil

Bugs and 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

Chalk Draw

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashing on restart
  • Drawing not registering accurately with Apple Pencil

Requested features

4 requests
  • More color options
  • Gallery/history of drawings
  • Sound effects for a more immersive experience
  • Undo/redo functionality

In-app purchases

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
1 purchases

Chalk Draw

One-time1
  • Upgrade PRO version$1.99

Questions

Is Ulysses free?
Ulysses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chalk Draw free?
Chalk Draw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ulysses or Chalk Draw?
Ulysses is rated higher. Ulysses averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Chalk Draw averages 4.5 from 3.6K ratings.
Do Ulysses or Chalk Draw have ads?
Chalk Draw shows ads; Ulysses does not.
Which is updated more often, Ulysses or Chalk Draw?
Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chalk Draw every 5 months. Most recently, Ulysses was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chalk Draw on September 24, 2026.

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