Short version. Ulysses is a genuinely lovely writing tool on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. If you write articles, essays, and novels all in one place and live in the Apple world, it is a strong choice. Penflow is built specifically for novels, has a Codex for your characters and places, stores files as plain local folders, and has a free plan. If the novel is your main project and you want plain local files with a free way to start, Penflow is worth a look.
| At a glance | Penflow | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | Novels specifically, with scenes, chapters, and a Codex | General writing, essays, articles, books, all in one library |
| Platforms | Mac | Mac, iPad, and iPhone only |
| Where your writing lives | Plain Markdown files in a folder on your computer | A private library, synced through iCloud |
| Price | Free for one novel, $4 a month for unlimited plus AI | Subscription, around $6 a month or about $40 a year |
| Characters and places | A built-in Codex beside your scenes | No character or world-tracking tools |
| AI help | Optional reader on your own API key | None built in |
| File ownership | Open in any editor, nothing locked in | Stored in Ulysses' own library format |
Ulysses has a loyal following, and for good reason. It is one of the most polished writing apps on the Mac. But if you are writing a novel and you have started wondering whether Ulysses is the right fit, you are probably bumping into a few of the same walls as everyone else.
Why writers look for a Ulysses alternative
The biggest one is scope. Ulysses is a general writing tool. It handles blog posts, essays, journal entries, and novels all in the same library of sheets. That flexibility is the point for some writers. For others, it means the tool has no real awareness that a novel is a different kind of project. There is no structure for chapters and scenes, no way to track your characters and the places in your world, no Codex sitting beside your draft while you write.
The second thing is where your writing lives. Your sheets sit in a private library synced through iCloud, not as plain files in a folder you control. To get a novel out, you export it rather than just opening the folder.
The third thing, for some people, is the subscription. Ulysses is not expensive, but it never stops. You pay to keep writing in the app, and your writing lives in Ulysses’ own library rather than as plain files on your drive.
What Penflow does differently
Penflow is built for novels specifically. The whole structure reflects that. You have an outline of chapters and scenes on one side and your writing in the middle. Beside your draft is a Codex, a simple database of characters, places, and whatever else you need to track. You can check a character’s eye color or a city’s history without leaving the page.
Your book is stored as a plain folder of Markdown files on your computer. Not in a library synced through iCloud, not on a company’s server. A folder you can open in Obsidian, back up to a hard drive, push to GitHub, or move anywhere you want. The files are readable without Penflow ever installed.
There is a free plan. You can write your first novel from first word to last with no time limit and no credit card. The Supporter plan at $4 a month adds AI tools and unlimited books, but nothing stops you from writing without it.
The AI, when you do use it, is an optional reader that knows your story. It answers questions about your own manuscript. You bring your own API key and pay for tokens at cost. Your novel does not leave your machine.
Penflow is a Mac desktop app, built to do one thing well: help you write a novel.
Where Ulysses still wins
This should be honest, so here it is plainly: Ulysses is a beautiful app. If you are deep in the Apple ecosystem and you write many different things, essays one week, blog posts another, a chapter of your novel when the mood strikes, Ulysses handles that variety gracefully. The iCloud sync across Mac, iPad, and iPhone is smooth if that flow matters to you. Penflow has no mobile app and no iPad support at all.
Ulysses also has a mature, polished feel that comes from years of development and a large user base. The app has been refined many times over. Penflow is newer and simpler. If you want a rich, complete Apple writing environment, Ulysses earns its subscription.
Moving from Ulysses to Penflow
The good news is that both tools speak Markdown. Export your sheets from Ulysses as plain text or Markdown and you have your scenes ready to bring in. The formatting moves cleanly. You lose the Ulysses library structure, but Penflow replaces it with a scene-and-chapter layout built for the same long-form work.
For a sense of how other writers have handled switching to a local-first setup, the guide on free novel writing software covers the options and what the tradeoffs actually look like in practice.
If you are partway through a novel in Ulysses and want to try Penflow without committing, start a new project and write a few scenes. The files sit on your drive either way.
Who each one is for
Choose Penflow if
you are writing a novel and want a tool built around scenes, chapters, and a Codex for your characters and places. You want your files stored locally as plain folders, not in someone else's library, and you want a free plan to start.
Stay with Ulysses if
you write across many formats, live in the Apple ecosystem, want a polished app on Mac and iPhone, and do not mind a subscription for that experience. Ulysses is excellent for general writing across Apple devices.
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to Ulysses?
Yes. Penflow is free to write your first novel with no time limit and no trial expiry. The optional Supporter plan is $4 a month and adds AI tools and unlimited books. Ulysses requires a subscription to use at all, with no free tier after the initial trial.
What platforms does Ulysses run on?
Ulysses runs on Mac, iPad, and iPhone, with no browser version. Penflow is a Mac desktop app, built specifically for novels, with your work stored as plain local files and a free plan to start.
Can I move my writing from Ulysses to Penflow?
Yes, and it is straightforward. Both tools use Markdown, so you can export your sheets from Ulysses as plain text or Markdown files and drop them into Penflow as scenes. Formatting carries over cleanly. The main thing you lose is the Ulysses library structure, but Penflow replaces that with its own scene and chapter layout.
Does Penflow work for general writing, or just novels?
Penflow is built specifically for novels. The whole structure, scenes, chapters, and the Codex, is aimed at long-form fiction. If you write a mix of blog posts, essays, and short pieces alongside your book, Ulysses handles that variety better. Penflow is the focused option for writers whose main project is a novel.
