Comparison

Ulysses vs Blur Text & Censor

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

Blur Text & Censor

Protect your privacy by redacting sensitive information from screenshots and photos. Easily hide text, blur images, and highlight important details with a variety of markup tools. Save your edited images in high resolution to keep your data secure.

Highlights
  • Redact text on photos and screenshots
  • Blur and mosaic sensitive areas
  • Highlight and underline important information
  • Blend tool for seamless background matching
  • Save edits in high resolution
  • Customizable colors for markup
Features
Read full description

Redact is the essential app for protecting your privacy and ensuring confidential information stays hidden. Whether you need to redact personal details from a screenshot, highlight key points in a document, or blur out confidential information in a photo, our app provides all the tools you need. Key Features: - Redact Text: Easily hide sensitive information on any photo or screenshot. - Highlight & Underline: Draw attention to important information with customizable highlight and underline tools. - Strike Through: Remove sensitive text while keeping the context intact. - Blur & Mosaic: Obscure text and images with our powerful blur and mosaic tools. - Blend Tool: Automatically detect and blend with the background color to seamlessly erase text. - +9 Markup Tools: Access a wide range of tools for versatile editing and redaction needs. - Custom Colors: Personalize your markup with a variety of color options. - High-Quality Saves: Save your edited images in high resolution without compromising quality. - Works on Photos & Screenshots: Compatible with all your images, ensuring no information is left unprotected. Whether you're a professional needing to redact sensitive information from work documents or an individual wanting to secure personal data in photos, Redact is the perfect tool for you. Save your edited images in high resolution to ensure no detail is lost. Download Redact today and take control of your privacy! Privacy Policy: https://redact.ardasen.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://redact.ardasen.com/terms.html

Screenshots

Ulysses4 screens
Blur Text & Censor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Blur Text & Censor at free with in-app purchases against Ulysses's subscription. Blur Text & Censor also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Ulysses's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 4). 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. Ulysses sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Blur Text & Censor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. 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 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ulysses has 2.2K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, Blur Text & Censor every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ulysses versus Blur Text & Censor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUlyssesBlur Text & Censor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.2K ratings) — better4.3 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews67.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.2K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size272 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUlysses GmbH & Co. KGArda Sen

Customer experience

Ulysses

All ratings2,145 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews1,283 reviews
Positive67.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative26.0%

Blur Text & Censor

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Blur Text & Censor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
2 purchases

Blur Text & Censor

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Subscription3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Yearly Subscription$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Ulysses free?
Ulysses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blur Text & Censor free?
Blur Text & Censor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ulysses or Blur Text & Censor?
Ulysses is rated higher. Ulysses averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Blur Text & Censor averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Ulysses or Blur Text & Censor have ads?
Neither Ulysses nor Blur Text & Censor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ulysses or Blur Text & Censor?
Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, and Blur Text & Censor every 12 months. Most recently, Ulysses was updated on October 29, 2026 and Blur Text & Censor on October 24, 2026.

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