Ulysses Alternatives for Windows

Ulysses is not available for Windows but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Windows with similar functionality. The best Windows alternative is Typora. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Zettlr or CherryTree. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Ulysses and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to Ulysses are Microsoft Word, Scrivener, Manuskript and FocusWriter.

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Alternatives list

  1. Typora icon

    Typora

     327 likes

    A minimalist Markdown editor offering cross-platform synchronization, live preview, and seamless export/import in various formats like PDF, DOCX, and LaTeX. Features include distraction-free Focus and Typewriter modes, file management with tree and articles panels, and content organization through an outline panel.

    177 Typora alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Electron
    Typora screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Typora vs Ulysses Comments
    Wonder Warthog
    Positive
    4

    Also features a handy files panel to the left. Display and editing is distraction free and very clean (cleaner than Ulysses).

    • Typora is Paid and ProprietaryUlysses is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Typora is Lightweight, Minimalistic and CustomizableUlysses is not according to our users
  2. Zettlr icon

    Zettlr

     247 likes

    Unified writing platform offering note-taking, easy citations with Zotero integration, LaTeX/Word templates, snippets, themes, dark modes, code highlighting, multi-language support, and knowledge management with Zettelkasten for seamless writing from notes to books.

    184 Zettlr alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    Zettlr Main Window (dark mode)
     
  4. Microsoft Word icon

    Microsoft Word

     931 likes

    Microsoft's leading word processor, enables professional-quality document creation with SmartArt graphics, seamless PDF support, and extensive search capabilities. Compatible across desktop, online, and mobile platforms with necessary subscription or standalone purchase options.

    99 Microsoft Word alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    New document view
     
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  6. Scrivener icon

    Scrivener

     262 likes

    Tailored for extensive writing, this tool offers flexible structure and organization, integrates project outlines, supports various formats, and allows reorganization through drag and drop, ensuring research materials are within reach for efficient work.

    126 Scrivener alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac
    • Wine
    Scrivener screenshot 1
     
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    5
    Scrivener vs Ulysses Comments
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    4

    Ulysses is WYSIWYM, while Scrivener is WYSIWYG. It can be extremely time-consuming to set the font styling right in every dialog box that controls the fonts. Ulysses, on the other hand, has one font setting, then the styles dictate how the editor is displayed. It's much more focused on content than appearance.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Not convenient about keyboard shortcuts on formatting on windows platform

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Scrivener is a terrible alternative to Ulysses. It's not a markdown editor, the interface is cluttered, and there are so many features that are cumbersome and unintuitive that it takes forever to figure them out. With Ulysses, it's more what you see is what you get. You can focus more on writing. You don't have to try to learn the app as much, and it's markdown, so you can focus on content, not formatting.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 5 comments
    • Scrivener is Paid and ProprietaryUlysses is also Paid and Proprietary
  7. CherryTree icon

    CherryTree

     322 likes

    Hierarchical note-taking software that is free, open-source, cross-platform. Features include rich text, syntax highlighting, multi-level lists, embedded files, customizable interface, code execution, PDF export, spell check, images & tables, and comprehensive project management support.

    107 CherryTree alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    CherryTree screenshot 1
     
  8. Manuskript icon

    Manuskript

     169 likes

    Open-source software offering a hierarchical outliner, distraction-free editor, character management, plot tools, Snowflake method support, section multi-organization, customizable writing workflows, cross-platform availability, and export to standard formats.

    123 Manuskript alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Manuskript screenshot 1
     
  10. FocusWriter icon

    FocusWriter

     208 likes

    Simple but configurable and themeable, distraction-free text editor for writers. Open-source and available across desktop platforms.

    102 FocusWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    FocusWriter screenshot 1
     
  11. iA Writer icon

    iA Writer

     96 likes

    The key to good writing is not that magical glass of Bordeaux, the right kind of tobacco or that groovy background music. The key is focus. What you need to write well is a spartan setting that allows you to fully concentrate on your text and nothing but your text.

    120 iA Writer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    iA Writer screenshot 1
     
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    2
    iA Writer vs Ulysses Comments
    hildissent
    Positive
    6

    Solid application. I like the file browser in Ulysses better (tags are cool but can get messy), but iA Writer has some solid features like referencing files (write frequently used text once, update it at the source and be sure it is up to date anywhere it is used in the larger work) and using .csv files for tables. Also, they've avoided the subscription model. As long as there are alternatives, I'm not letting companies ding me for monthly fees.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    I use iA Writer on Mac and mobiles and it is a first-class tool for handling notes and actual writing. In some ways I prefer it to Ulysses -- it's a proper Markdown editor and I can write jumps and anchors on long documents. I have a iA licence for Windows for when I use that platform.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • iA Writer is Paid and ProprietaryUlysses is also Paid and Proprietary
    • iA Writer is Privacy focused and LightweightUlysses is not according to our users
  12. Dendron icon

    Dendron

     71 likes

    Dendron is an open-source, local-first, markdown-based, note-taking tool built on top of VSCode. It supports all the usual features you would expect like tagging, backlinks, a graph view, split panes, and so forth.

    208 Dendron alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code
    Dendron screenshot 1
     
  13. Marknote icon

    Marknote

     21 likes

    Marknote lets you create rich text notes and easily organise them into notebooks. You can personalise your notebooks by choosing an icon and accent color for each one, making it easy to distinguish between them and keep your notes at your fingertips.

    101 Marknote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    Marknote screenshot 1
     
  14. novelWriter icon

    novelWriter

     26 likes

    novelWriter is a Markdown-like text editor designed for writing novels and larger projects of many smaller plain text documents. It uses its own flavor of Markdown that supports a meta data syntax for comments, synopsis and cross-referencing between files.

    68 novelWriter alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Qt
    • Python
    Screenshot of older version
     
  15. Ferrite icon

    Ferrite

     6 likes

    Fast, native text editor supporting Markdown, JSON, YAML, and TOML with live preview, syntax highlighting, Mermaid diagrams, CSV/TSV viewing, collapsible trees, Git integration, regex find/replace, customizable themes, zen mode, and multi-language support.

    51 Ferrite alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Ferrite screenshot 1
     
12 of 58 Ulysses alternatives