Comparison

TextEditor vs Ulysses

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

Head to head
About

TextEditor

This app provides a straightforward rich text editor for creating and editing documents on the go. It supports various file formats and offers seamless synchronization with Google Docs. Users can easily manage their saved files and enjoy a clean interface.

Highlights
  • Rich text editing
  • Google Docs synchronization
  • Portrait/Landscape mode
  • Multiple file format support
  • Save and browse files
  • Clean user interface
Features
Read full description

Text Editor By SavySoda™ - Take your notes anywhere - A simple rich text editor with Google Documents synchronization and Portrait / Landscape mode. Edit different formats of documents: - TXT, RTF, RTFD, RTA, HTML View many types of documents including: - PDF - DOC, DOCX, MORE FEATURES - Edit text in landscape and portrait mode - Save multiple files - Browse saved files - Upload / Download from google docs - Beautiful UI - Free Updates iPhone Apps: http://www.savysoda.com

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

Screenshots

TextEditor4 screens
Ulysses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TextEditor at none against Ulysses's 7. TextEditor also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). Ulysses's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 10 months). On price, ratings volume 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. TextEditor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ulysses holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3K and 2.2K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of TextEditor's written reviews are positive against 67% of Ulysses's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TextEditor ships an update every 10 months, Ulysses every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
TextEditor versus Ulysses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextEditorUlysses
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3K ratings)4.6 (2.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.4% of reviews — better67.1% of reviews
Number of ratings3K — better2.2K
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS11.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB272 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperSavy Soda Pty LtdUlysses GmbH & Co. KG

Customer experience

TextEditor

All ratings2,936 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral5.1%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews564 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative16.3%

Ulysses

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

User reviews

TextEditor

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and easy to use
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 💡 Useful for basic text editing
  • 👍 Allows formatting like bold, italic, and underline
  • 🚀 Lightweight and fast

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and data loss
  • 🔍 Difficult to find and manage saved files
  • 🔍 Limited file format support
  • 🔍 Lack of advanced features like search and spell check
  • 💸 Aggressive monetization with ads and in-app purchases

Ulysses

From 2.2K 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

Bugs and requests

TextEditor

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when trying to access cloud storage services
  • Saved files sometimes disappear or become inaccessible
  • Formatting issues when copying and pasting text

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved file management and organization
  • Support for more file formats like .docx and .pdf
  • Addition of search, spell check, and other advanced editing tools
  • Option to disable ads or pay a one-time fee for ad-free usage

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

In-app purchases

None

TextEditor

No 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

Questions

Is TextEditor free?
TextEditor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ulysses free?
Ulysses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TextEditor or Ulysses?
Ulysses is rated higher. TextEditor averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while Ulysses averages 4.6 from 2.2K ratings.
Do TextEditor or Ulysses have ads?
TextEditor shows ads; Ulysses does not.
Which is updated more often, TextEditor or Ulysses?
TextEditor ships an update every 10 months, and Ulysses every 3 weeks. Most recently, TextEditor was updated on November 6, 2026 and Ulysses on November 7, 2026.

Other comparisons