Comparison

Ulysses vs Virtual Bead Board

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 effective document management, seamless sync, and flexible export options for writers of all kinds. Includes a built-in proofreader and editing assistant.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free editor
  • Unified library for all texts
  • Seamless sync across devices
  • Built-in proofreader and editing assistant
  • Flexible export to PDF, DOCX, HTML
  • Publishing to WordPress, Ghost, Substack
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

Virtual Bead Board

Design and visualize jewelry creations on a virtual bead board. Organize your inventory, preview designs with AR try-on, and enhance product photos with automatic background removal. Sync your work across devices for seamless crafting.

Highlights
  • Virtual bead board design
  • AR try-on preview
  • Inventory management with PDF export
  • Automatic photo background removal
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Drawing canvas with 3D effect
Features
Read full description

Virtual Bead Board - Design Your Perfect Jewelry. Create stunning jewelry designs on your iPhone or iPad with Virtual Bead Board. Whether you are a jewelry maker, crafter, artist, bead store owner, or design student, this app gives you a full set of tools to design, organize, and preview your work, all in one place. DESIGN ON A VIRTUAL BEAD BOARD Drag, drop, and arrange beads, clasps, and findings on a realistic bead board. Choose from multiple board styles and backgrounds. Position and resize elements with precision. Use the drawing canvas to sketch with pen, marker, paint, or eraser, including a 3D effect option. Visualize connection points so your designs are buildable in real life. MANAGE YOUR JEWELRY INVENTORY Add items with photos, names, categories, quantities, and notes. Track costs and see your inventory at a glance. Organize by category such as beads, clasps, pendants, and more. Export inventory reports as PDF for ordering or sharing. SEE DESIGNS IN AR TRY-ON Use your device camera to try on necklaces and jewelry virtually. Preview how a design will look before you make it. Works in portrait and landscape on both iPhone and iPad. PROFESSIONAL PHOTO TOOLS Remove backgrounds from jewelry photos automatically. Save cleaned-up images for inventory or listings. Save designs and images to your photo library. SYNC ACROSS YOUR DEVICES Your designs and inventory sync via iCloud across iPhone and iPad. Pick up where you left off on any device. Your data stays in your control. Perfect for jewelry makers, crafters, bead store owners, jewelry design students, and anyone who loves creating beautiful accessories. No account required to start. Download and begin designing today. Requires iOS 16.2 or later. Works on iPhone and iPad. AR try-on uses the device camera.

Screenshots

Ulysses4 screens
Virtual Bead Board4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ulysses at Free against Virtual Bead Board's $9.99. Ulysses also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 3). Virtual Bead Board's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). On rating, 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

Ulysses is free to download; Virtual Bead Board costs $9.99 up front. Ulysses sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Virtual Bead Board asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Ulysses against 4.7 for Virtual Bead Board. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ulysses has 2.2K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Ulysses's written reviews are positive against 100% of Virtual Bead Board's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, Virtual Bead Board weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Ulysses versus Virtual Bead Board: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUlyssesVirtual Bead Board
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.6 (2.2K ratings)4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size272 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUlysses GmbH & Co. KGKimberly Beeler

Customer experience

Ulysses

All ratings2,159 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral2.2%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews1,288 reviews
Positive67.1%
Neutral7.0%
Negative25.9%

Virtual Bead Board

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
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

Virtual Bead Board

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

Virtual Bead Board

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ulysses free?
Ulysses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Virtual Bead Board free?
Virtual Bead Board costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ulysses or Virtual Bead Board?
Virtual Bead Board is rated higher. Ulysses averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Virtual Bead Board averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Ulysses or Virtual Bead Board have ads?
Neither Ulysses nor Virtual Bead Board shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ulysses or Virtual Bead Board?
Ulysses ships an update every 3 weeks, and Virtual Bead Board weekly. Most recently, Ulysses was updated on November 7, 2026 and Virtual Bead Board on October 31, 2026.

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