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If you write on a Mac or on an iPad, Ulysses is one of the most well-rounded and feature-rich distraction-free word processors. It has personally been my choice for years now and one of the reasons I just can't switch to Windows from MacOS. Ulysses has announced that it is now going to a subscription based model.

"As of today, we're switching Ulysses to subscription payment. This is the result of a of a long-lasting discussion about how to put Ulysses’ development, and the future of our company, on a sustainable foundation.

It’s still the same Ulysses, same features, same distribution, we’re just switching to subscription. There are yearly, monthly, and students plans available, and they all unlock Ulysses on all devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad). To encourage existing customers to switch to the new model, we are offering special migration deals," the spokesperson for Ulysses said.

The current version of Ulysses for Mac was released in 2013. A version for iPad was added in 2015, with the iPhone following in 2016. Since its original release, the app was constantly improved and has received nine big feature updates. The apps were single, upfront purchases, and all updates were delivered for free. Co-founder Max Seelemann about the new subscription model: “This step was necessary to put Ulysses’ future development on a solid foundation. We weighed several alternatives – paid updates among them – and concluded that the subscription model, as it is available with the App Store since 2016, is best suited to meet both our customers’ needs and our needs as developers.”

Pricing and Availability

Ulysses can be downloaded for free on the App Store and the Mac App Store. After a 14-day trial period, a subscription is required to unlock the app on all devices.

Monthly subscription: $4.99  Yearly subscription: $39.99

Students can use Ulysses at a discount price of $10.99 per six months. The discount is granted from within the app.