Comparison

Zoho Writer vs Ulysses

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

Head to head
About

Zoho Writer

Create and edit documents with a clean, distraction-free interface. Collaborate with others in real-time, import and export various file formats, and access your work across all devices. Your changes are automatically saved and synced.

Highlights
  • Create and edit documents
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Import/export MS Word, PDF, ODT
  • Sync across devices
  • Offline access
  • Automatic saving
Features
Read full description

Simple, slick word processing app to create and edit documents, and collaborate on them with your friends. Sync docs across devices and access them wherever you go.   Writer is carefully designed to create a clean, blank paper-esque writing experience across your smartphone, tablet and computer. And it's free forever! Collaborate with your team - Join discussions, even when you're away from your desk. Add your thoughts to documents, reply to friends' comments, or just appreciate them by clicking "like."   Work with multiple formats - Import and edit your existing Microsoft Word documents. Take stories off your world by exporting it as an MS Word, PDF, ODT, HTML, or TXT file.   Get access to the full-blown web version - One of the best advantages of using Writer is that it features a powerful word processor on the web. It's incredibly easy to jot down notes on the move, and continue working on it on the web when you're back to your desk. Create beautiful looking documents - Format your documents. Add images, tables, and more. Work offline - Apart from a "Make available offline" option, 20 of your most recent documents will available offline by default too!   Forget saving documents - Forget clicking save, and manual back up. Your changes are saved and synced across all your devices as you make them. What's stopping you now? Get started. Write away!

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

Screenshots

Zoho Writer4 screens
Ulysses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ulysses at 4.6 against Zoho Writer's 2.9. Ulysses also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 30%) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 140). Zoho Writer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Zoho Writer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ulysses holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ulysses has 2.1K ratings behind it against 140, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Zoho Writer's written reviews are positive against 67% of Ulysses's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Zoho Writer versus Ulysses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZoho WriterUlysses
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (140 ratings)4.6 (2.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews29.8% of reviews67.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1402.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size132 MB272 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZoho CorporationUlysses GmbH & Co. KG

Customer experience

Zoho Writer

All ratings136 ratings
Positive40.4%
Neutral14.0%
Negative45.6%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive29.8%
Neutral13.2%
Negative57.0%

Ulysses

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

User reviews

Zoho Writer

From 140 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface design
  • 🔒 Privacy-focused alternative to Google Docs
  • 📝 Good font variety and formatting options
  • 💾 Automatic document saving
  • 🌐 Cross-platform functionality (desktop, mobile, web)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
  • ⚠️ Severe data loss issues
  • 🐢 Significant lag and slow typing response
  • ❌ Missing core formatting features on mobile
  • 🔐 Permission and access errors

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

Bugs and requests

Zoho Writer

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • App crashes on document open
  • Cursor jumps randomly in document
  • Keyboard disappears during typing
  • Punctuation disappears after saving
  • Text erased or goes missing
Show 18 more
  • Undo function behaves erratically
  • Diacritics cause app crashes and data loss
  • Apple Pencil input causes immediate crashes
  • Documents fail to load with permission errors
  • Data migration errors on new accounts
  • Offline mode loses documents on sync
  • Lag increases with document size
  • Copy-paste corrupts text formatting
  • App freezes on tutorial screen
  • Documents deleted after app update
  • Sync fails to reflect web version changes
  • Microphone input text disappears
  • App locks up during formatting operations
  • Blank page display in read mode
  • Random extra spaces between words
  • Cursor placement in middle of words
  • Update failure notifications
  • App crashes when using WorkDrive integration

Requested features

18 requests
  • Dark mode for mobile app
  • Text wrapping around images
  • Adjustable image sizing
  • Cover page and page formatting options
  • Document list view (not just icon view)
Show 13 more
  • Search within document contents
  • Ability to save to specific folders
  • Multi-select for batch operations
  • Select all functionality
  • Landscape view support
  • Split-screen iPad support
  • Cloud import from Dropbox/OneDrive
  • Track changes feature
  • Outline navigation on mobile
  • Font size customization
  • Margin adjustment controls
  • Document templates
  • Alphabetical document sorting

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

Zoho Writer

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 Zoho Writer free?
Zoho Writer 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, Zoho Writer or Ulysses?
Ulysses is rated higher. Zoho Writer averages 2.9 out of 5 from 140 ratings, while Ulysses averages 4.6 from 2.1K ratings.
Do Zoho Writer or Ulysses have ads?
Neither Zoho Writer nor Ulysses shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zoho Writer or Ulysses?
Zoho Writer ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ulysses every 3 weeks. Most recently, Zoho Writer was updated on October 23, 2026 and Ulysses on October 27, 2026.

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