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Scrivener vs Ulysses
Last updated: October 21, 2023
Scrivener and Ulysses are two popular writing software applications, but they have key differences in terms of features, organization, and platform compatibility.
1. Features: Scrivener is known for its comprehensive set of features tailored to long-form writing projects such as novels, screenplays, and academic papers. It provides a robust writing environment with tools for outlining, research organization, and document management. Scrivener offers features like corkboard view, customizable metadata, and the ability to split the screen to work on multiple sections simultaneously. Ulysses, on the other hand, focuses on simplicity and a distraction-free writing experience. It offers a clean and minimalistic interface, with features like markdown support, a unified library, and a powerful organization system based on groups and keywords. Ulysses also emphasizes seamless synchronization across devices using its own proprietary cloud service.
2. Organization: Scrivener is designed to support complex writing projects with multiple sections, sub-sections, and research materials. It allows users to organize their writing into a hierarchical structure using folders and subfolders, making it easy to navigate and manage large documents. Scrivener's binder view provides a visual overview of the project's structure. In contrast, Ulysses takes a more streamlined approach to organization. It uses a flat structure with groups and keywords to organize documents, making it suitable for simpler projects or writers who prefer a more minimalist approach. Ulysses encourages a focused writing environment, with a focus on fluid navigation and organization.
3. Platform Compatibility: Scrivener is available for both Mac and Windows platforms, providing a consistent experience across different operating systems. It also offers iOS versions for iPad and iPhone, allowing users to work on their projects on the go. Ulysses, on the other hand, is available exclusively for Apple platforms, including Mac, iPad, and iPhone. This tight integration across Apple devices ensures a seamless writing experience and synchronization through iCloud. However, it limits the accessibility of Ulysses for users who prefer or rely on non-Apple devices.
1. Features: Scrivener is known for its comprehensive set of features tailored to long-form writing projects such as novels, screenplays, and academic papers. It provides a robust writing environment with tools for outlining, research organization, and document management. Scrivener offers features like corkboard view, customizable metadata, and the ability to split the screen to work on multiple sections simultaneously. Ulysses, on the other hand, focuses on simplicity and a distraction-free writing experience. It offers a clean and minimalistic interface, with features like markdown support, a unified library, and a powerful organization system based on groups and keywords. Ulysses also emphasizes seamless synchronization across devices using its own proprietary cloud service.
2. Organization: Scrivener is designed to support complex writing projects with multiple sections, sub-sections, and research materials. It allows users to organize their writing into a hierarchical structure using folders and subfolders, making it easy to navigate and manage large documents. Scrivener's binder view provides a visual overview of the project's structure. In contrast, Ulysses takes a more streamlined approach to organization. It uses a flat structure with groups and keywords to organize documents, making it suitable for simpler projects or writers who prefer a more minimalist approach. Ulysses encourages a focused writing environment, with a focus on fluid navigation and organization.
3. Platform Compatibility: Scrivener is available for both Mac and Windows platforms, providing a consistent experience across different operating systems. It also offers iOS versions for iPad and iPhone, allowing users to work on their projects on the go. Ulysses, on the other hand, is available exclusively for Apple platforms, including Mac, iPad, and iPhone. This tight integration across Apple devices ensures a seamless writing experience and synchronization through iCloud. However, it limits the accessibility of Ulysses for users who prefer or rely on non-Apple devices.
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Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Scrivener won't tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing.
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The Ultimate Writing App for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Powerful features and a pleasant, focused writing experience combined in one tool, made for people who love to write and write a lot
Scrivener vs Ulysses in our news:
2021. Scrivener 3 for Windows gets simple and beautiful interface
The latest version of Scrivener 3 is now available on Windows, bringing with it a variety of new and improved features. The update includes a modernized and simplified interface, a redesigned and more flexible Compile feature, and a full styles system in the text system. Other enhancements include the ability to view index cards on colored threads, improved ebook export, and the addition of Writing History to track daily writing progress. Custom Metadata has also been improved, allowing for checkboxes, dates, and list boxes to be added to the Inspector and outliner. Additional features include enhanced outlining, a new Quick Search tool, progress bars, and a Dark Mode, among others. The Bookmarks feature also replaces Project Notes, References, and Favorites, making it easier to access frequently used documents. Furthermore, the Dialogue Focus feature allows users to easily locate all dialogue within their text.
2019. Scrivener for iOS adds support for many more screen types
The latest version of Scrivener for iOS, version 1.2, is now available to download from the App Store and offers support for iOS 13, improved compatibility with a wider range of screen types, and seamless integration with iOS 13's dark mode. Alongside these enhancements, existing features of the app include the ability to write and organize your manuscript in sections of any size, view all sections as a single text, navigate sections quickly using the binder sidebar, format with fonts and presets, and use comments, footnotes, links, highlights, simple bullets, and lists. Additionally, the app allows you to insert images, resize text with pinch-zoom, use full-screen and typewriter scrolling modes (iPad only), write a screenplay using scriptwriting mode, check live word and character counts, set targets for word and character counts, find and replace text, and customize the keyboard row and shortcuts for external keyboard users.
2018. Scrivener for macOS adds Dark mode and Scriptwriting
Scrivener 3.1 is a major update for macOS that introduces a number of new features and enhancements. One notable addition is full support for dark mode on macOS 10.14, which allows you to take full control over colors and UI in each mode. Scrivener 3.1 also offers scriptwriting improvements, such as support for "MORE" and "CONT'D" when compiling for PDF and printing, dual dialogue support, and an option to not split sentences across pages in scripts. Enhancements to Compile include the ability to include a cover image when compiling to PDF, improved options for compiling for print-on-demand services, and direct formatting for Epub 3 and Kindle KF8 formats. Additionally, a new "focus mode" is available to fade out everything except the current line, sentence, or paragraph as you write.
2017. Scrivener 3 for macOS gets Compile feature
Scrivener 3 is now available for macOS starting at $59.99. Scrivener 3 is a significant update that not only introduces new and exciting features but also enhances and simplifies the existing ones. The update includes several notable improvements such as a modernized interface, a more flexible and easier-to-use Compile feature, and a full styles system in the text system that is more powerful with the new Compile. Additionally, users can view index cards on colored threads to track different storylines and filter Corkboard and outliner. Other enhancements include improved metadata, the ability to track daily writing progress with Writing History, and the new Quick Search tool to find any document quickly. The Bookmarks feature replaces Project Notes, References, and Favorites, allowing users to access frequently used documents easily. Furthermore, users can now use "Dialogue Focus" to locate all dialogue within their text and export rich text to MultiMarkdown or Pandoc. Scrivener 3 also broadens support for technical formats via Markdown output and custom post-processing. The macOS version has extensive Touch Bar support and a rewritten 64-bit codebase that makes Scrivener faster, more stable, and future-ready.