Ulysses costs around $39.99 a year. That's fair if you live in it daily. But if you wrote four blog posts last year, you paid roughly $10 per post for the privilege of a pretty library. The subscription question is really a usage question — and a lot of writers are doing the math and looking for the exit.
What you'd actually be giving up
Be honest about Ulysses' strengths before switching: the unified library, iCloud sync across devices, writing goals, and one-click publishing to WordPress and Medium. If those four things run your workflow, the subscription may be worth it. The alternatives below each replace a slice of that — none replaces all of it.
One-time purchase alternatives
iA Writer — closest overall experience
$49.99 once on Mac. Clean Markdown editing, focus mode, decent file organization. The most direct "Ulysses minus subscription" trade.
Scrivener — for books and long projects
Around $59.99 once. The cork board, research folders, and compile system are unmatched for novels and theses. The interface is dated and the learning curve is real.
Typora — cheapest serious option
Roughly $15 once for a live-rendering Markdown editor. Pair it with files in iCloud Drive and you've rebuilt 70% of Ulysses for a fraction of one year's subscription.
Obsidian — free, if you behave
Free for personal use, files stay on disk. Just know yourself: if plugin-tweaking is your favorite procrastination flavor, Obsidian will feed it.
JustWrite — a different bet entirely
Our app, so judge this pitch with that in mind. JustWrite is $29 once, and it's not trying to be your library — it's trying to be the room where drafts actually get written. Fullscreen kiosk mode you can't Cmd+Tab out of, a timer or word goal, typewriter sounds, and forced breaks for long sessions. We wrote more about the subscription math in Subscription Fatigue.
The realistic combo
Most ex-Ulysses writers end up with two tools: something cheap and calm for editing and storage (Typora, iA Writer, or plain Obsidian), plus something that makes the words appear in the first place. Total cost: less than two years of Ulysses, owned forever.
If the second half is your missing piece, try JustWrite on your next deadline — there's a 14-day refund if it doesn't lock you in.