Comparison

Ulysses vs MindSafe

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

MindSafe

Features
Read full description

Some ideas arrive before you know what to do with them. MindSafe gives those first thoughts a quiet place to stay. Capture a sentence, a creative spark or something you want to explore later. Keep it in your own words, find it again, and return to it when the time feels right. CAPTURE WITHOUT PRESSURE Write freely and save when you’re ready. Recoverable drafts help you pick up after an interruption. Optional on-device dictation is available on supported devices and languages, so you can review your words before saving. FIND YOUR WORDS Search your saved ideas and keyword tags. Sort your vault, mark ideas to keep for later, and edit a thought as it develops. RETURN WHEN YOU CHOOSE Rediscover one saved idea at a time, or open an optional weekly selection of older ideas. There are no streaks, scheduled notifications or deadlines to keep up with. TAKE YOUR IDEAS WITH YOU Export your saved ideas as JSON, Markdown or PDF through the system share sheet. MAKE IT COMFORTABLE Choose a light or dark appearance, use your preferred text size, and optionally protect access with your device’s authentication. YOUR WORDS STAY YOURS MindSafe does not automatically rewrite your ideas or use AI to interpret them. Keyword tags help you organise and connect saved thoughts. Ideas and drafts are stored on your device. MindSafe has no account, analytics or built-in cloud sync. Device backups may include app data, and exported files create separate copies. Deleting content in MindSafe does not remove earlier exports or backups. MindSafe is a personal idea vault for capturing, keeping and revisiting thoughts at your own pace.

Screenshots

Ulysses4 screens
MindSafe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MindSafe at none against Ulysses's 7. MindSafe also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). Ulysses's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, ads 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. MindSafe asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, MindSafe every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Ulysses versus MindSafe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUlyssesMindSafe
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews67.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size272 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUlysses GmbH & Co. KGNovasoft Technologies Pty Ltd

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

MindSafe

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
None

MindSafe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ulysses free?
Ulysses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MindSafe free?
MindSafe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ulysses or MindSafe have ads?
Neither Ulysses nor MindSafe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ulysses or MindSafe?
Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, and MindSafe every 5 months. Most recently, Ulysses was updated on October 26, 2026 and MindSafe on October 25, 2026.

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