{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "scrivener",
            "name": "Scrivener",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/scrivener",
            "tagline": "Writing software for long projects, with corkboard and compile tools",
            "summary": "Scrivener is a writing program for book-length projects, made by Literature & Latte. It keeps research, notes and chapters in one project, with a corkboard and outliner for reordering sections. It compiles finished drafts to Word, PDF and other formats.",
            "developer": "Literature & Latte",
            "platforms": [
                "macos",
                "windows",
                "ios"
            ],
            "pricing": "one-time",
            "price_note": "One-time license per platform; 30-day free trial; iOS app sold separately",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Corkboard and outliner for restructuring sections",
                "Compiles drafts to Word, PDF and plain text",
                "One-time license with a 30-day free trial"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Many panels and settings take time to learn",
                "Print layout is less polished than book-design tools"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Scrivener organizes a manuscript as a set of documents in a binder that you can reorder at any time. A corkboard shows each section as a card, and an outliner lists the structure in rows. Research files and notes sit in the same project as the draft, and a split editor keeps a reference open beside the text.\n\nThe Compile feature assembles the project into one document for printing or self-publishing, and it exports to Word, PDF, Final Draft and plain text. Writing targets track progress. Scrivener is sold as a one-time license for macOS and Windows, with a separate iOS and iPadOS app that uses Dropbox for sync, and a 30-day free trial is available. Its interface has many panels to learn, and its print layout is less polished than dedicated book-design software."
        },
        {
            "slug": "ulysses",
            "name": "Ulysses",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://ulysses.app/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/ulysses",
            "tagline": "Writing app for Apple devices with project organization and export",
            "summary": "Ulysses is a writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone from Ulysses GmbH & Co. KG. It keeps drafts in projects, syncs them through iCloud and exports to PDF, Word and ebook formats. It is sold as an annual or monthly subscription.",
            "developer": "Ulysses GmbH & Co. KG",
            "platforms": [
                "macos",
                "ios",
                "ipados"
            ],
            "pricing": "subscription",
            "price_note": "$39.99 a year or $5.99 a month in the US; free trial on all devices",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Syncs across Mac, iPad and iPhone through iCloud",
                "Exports to PDF, Word and ebook formats",
                "Family Sharing for up to five other members"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Apple devices only, with no Windows or Android app",
                "Subscription only, with no one-time purchase listed"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Ulysses keeps drafts in projects and syncs them across Apple devices through iCloud. Its editor is built for long texts, with styles and themes you can switch after the writing is done. Goals let you set a character limit for a piece or a daily writing target and track it over time.\n\nExport covers the usual manuscript outputs. Ulysses turns text into PDFs, Word documents and ebooks, and it can publish to WordPress, Ghost, Medium and Micro.blog. The app is Apple-only, so Windows and Android users need another tool. It costs $39.99 a year or $5.99 a month in the US, with Apple Family Sharing for up to five other members."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Scrivener runs on Windows.",
        "Scrivener: one-time purchase. Ulysses: subscription."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "novel-and-long-form-writing-apps",
            "name": "Novel and long-form writing apps",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/novel-and-long-form-writing-apps",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "scrivener",
                    "rank": 1,
                    "score": 94.5,
                    "verdict": "Its corkboard, outliner, writing targets and compile tools cover the whole draft. Its panels take longer to learn than Ulysses, and print layout is less polished than Vellum's.",
                    "best_for": "Long manuscripts that need research and structure",
                    "spec": {
                        "planning": "Corkboard and outliner",
                        "export": "Word, PDF, Final Draft, plain text",
                        "storage": "Local project files; Dropbox sync on iOS"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "ulysses",
                    "rank": 3,
                    "score": 90.5,
                    "verdict": "A polished writing app with iCloud sync, goals and exports to PDF, Word and ebook. It runs only on Apple devices and costs a subscription, while Scrivener is a one-time purchase.",
                    "best_for": "Apple users who write daily and export to Word",
                    "spec": {
                        "planning": "Projects with writing goals",
                        "export": "PDF, Word, ebook, blog posts",
                        "storage": "iCloud sync across Apple devices"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "scrivener",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/scrivener-vs-ulysses",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/scrivener-vs-ulysses.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}