Comparisons, checked 17 October 2026
Onwarder vs Ulysses
A Markdown writing app for Mac, iPhone and iPad, with a shared writing library and export styles.Source [1]Source [7]
Ulysses is a writing library for every kind of text; Onwarder is built for one long novel and the facts behind it, on every platform.Source [1]Source [7]
Side by side.
| Onwarder | Ulysses | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for good, with no account. Cloud is $10 a month or $99 a year. | $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year, or $199.99 once. A 7-day free trial with a subscription.Source [2]Source [3] |
| Runs on | On the web, Mac, Windows and Linux, with iPhone in beta, and Android coming. | Mac, iPhone and iPad only.Source [1] |
| Writing with no connection | Books kept on your device open and save with no connection in the desktop and phone apps. | Yes: the library is local text files.Source [6] |
| Story bible linked to the book | Characters, places, factions and items, a click from the page. | Material sheets, keywords and internal links you keep by hand.Source [7]Source [8] |
| Checks the book against your notes | Built in, no AI: warns when a dead character acts or a lost item turns up again. | Grammar and style checks only; no fact check found.Source [9] |
| Ebook and paperback files | EPUB, Word, Markdown and PDF, and paperback interiors at three trim sizes. | Word, EPUB, PDF and Markdown with export styles.Source [7] |
| AI, and training on your writing | Optional and off for every book. Bring your own. Never used to train AI. | Optional Apple Intelligence writing tools. Ulysses says text sent to these tools is not used to train AI models.Source [10] |
| Getting your work out | Every book exports whole, at any time, on any plan. | Human-readable text files, with iCloud or Dropbox between devices.Source [11]Source [12] |
Which to choose
Where Ulysses is better
- A native Markdown editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad.Source [1]Source [7]Source [9]
- Publishes straight to WordPress, Ghost, Medium and Micro.blog.Source [1]Source [7]Source [9]
- Grammar and style checks in more than 20 languages.Source [1]Source [7]Source [9]
Choose Ulysses if
- You write on Apple devices only and want a focused editor.Source [1]Source [7]
- You also write articles or a newsletter and publish them from the same app.Source [1]Source [7]
Choose Onwarder if
- You want the story bible, recorded story events and a continuity check beside the manuscript, with no AI needed.
- You want everything for writing free, on any computer or phone, with no account and no time limit.
- You want the ebook and the paperback interior from the same place you wrote the book.
Questions.
Can I move my book from Ulysses?
Export it as a Word document and import that into Onwarder; it keeps chapters, headings, bold and italics. Start with a copy of one chapter, and keep your original until you are happy. We do not promise to carry over every other tool's notes, links or formatting.
Do I need AI to use Onwarder?
No. Writing, planning, the continuity check and Finishing all work without AI. If you connect your own AI, it is off for every book until you allow it, and Onwarder never uses your writing to train AI.
What does Onwarder cost?
Free for good, with no account. Cloud is $10 a month or $99 a year.
Sources, all opened 17 October 2026
- Ulysses
- Ulysses pricing
- Ulysses on the App Store
- Subscription options
- Perpetual licence
- App privacy policy
- Export
- Internal links
- Grammar and style check
- Writing tools
- External folders
- Library copies
Competitor prices are as shown on the linked pages, in US dollars where stated, before tax. Product names identify the tools compared and do not imply endorsement.
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