Writing and content decision
Ulysses
A competent developer can build a useful distraction-free editor with export and blog publishing in about a week, but reproducing Ulysses’ deep Apple integrations, polished native UX, iCloud sync and integrated Apple Intelligence proofreading is not realistic for one person.
Visit website↗Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need — the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship.
What a replacement has to do
- Open a focused editor -> write/organize sheets in a library -> export or publish to a blog
What it still won’t have
- 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
What remains hard
- Product polish and ongoing maintenance
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 5 seats.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a cross-device writing app using Electron (macOS desktop) or SwiftUI (preferred for Apple-native) + a lightweight Node.js backend for optional syncing: implement a markdown/ulss-like editor with sheet/chunk model, a library view (projects/groups/filters/keywords), exports to PDF/DOCX/EPUB/HTML with a style/template system, publishing adapters for WordPress/Ghost/Medium via their REST APIs, and a grammar/style check integration using an external NLP API. Out of scope: App Store distribution, family-sharing, and a full CloudKit/iCloud sync implementation (provide simple encrypted user-scoped sync via the Node backend instead). Include error handling for network/API failures, input validation, and automated tests for editor rendering, export output, and publishing flows.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Partly verdict base52
- An open-source build was found+5
- 5 cited sources+3
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- 3/3 assessment runs agreed+4
- Evidence score67
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time — so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 5
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productUlysses official product page
- official pricingUlysses pricing
- official docsUlysses release notes
- open sourcemarktext/marktext
- open sourcevnotex/vnote
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
