Writing and content
Ulysses alternatives
2 open-source projects that already do this job. Free to use - not free to run, which is what the numbers on the right are for.
The projects
marktext/marktext★59,754 GitHub starsMIT licenceA simple, elegant cross-platform Markdown editor with live preview and export.Open on GitHub ↗vnotex/vnote★12,886 GitHub starsLGPL-3.0 licenceNative note-taking app focused on Markdown notebooks, tags, and organizing notes.Open on GitHub ↗
What you give up either way
- Tight Apple platform integrations (Apple Intelligence proofreading)
- Seamless iCloud sync across Apple devices
- Polished macOS/iPad/iPhone native UX and long-term maintenance from vendor
- Automatic App Store updates, family-sharing and volume-licensing infrastructure
An open-source project doing the core job proves a replacement is possible. It does not prove it matches Ulysses, and it does not prove anyone has run it for a month. How we decide.