Novelcrafter vs Ulysses: Which Is Better in 2026?
A side-by-side comparison of Novelcrafter and Ulysses, two writing & content tools — what each does, who it's best for, and how to choose between them.
Quick verdict
Novelcrafter and Ulysses are both writing & content tools, so it comes down to fit. Pick Novelcrafter if you want Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI… Pick Ulysses if you want A distraction-free writing app for Apple devices with project management, goals and one-click publishing.
Novelcrafter
Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control.
- Category
- Writing & Content
- Rating
- Not yet rated
- Best for
- writing software, novel writing, ai writing
Ulysses
A distraction-free writing app for Apple devices with project management, goals and one-click publishing.
- Category
- Writing & Content
- Rating
- Not yet rated
- Best for
- writing app, distraction-free, markdown
| At a glance | Novelcrafter | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. | A distraction-free writing app for Apple devices with project management, goals and one-click publishing. |
| Category | Writing & Content | Writing & Content |
| Type | Software | Software |
| Best for | writing software, novel writing, ai writing, worldbuilding | writing app, distraction-free, markdown, apple |
What is Novelcrafter?
Writing a novel means juggling a cast of characters, a sprawling world, a plot with a dozen moving parts, and the creeping fear that you contradicted yourself in chapter three. Novelcrafter is writing software built specifically to wrangle all of that — plan, organize and draft your story in one place, across any genre.
The Codex keeps your world straight
Novelcrafter's signature feature is the Codex, a wiki-style world-building tool that automatically tracks your characters, locations and lore and links them throughout your manuscript. Instead of keeping a messy separate document of who's who, your world lives alongside your writing and connects to it — so when a character shows up in chapter twelve, their details are one click away. For series writers especially, that connective tissue is gold.
Plan your way, catch plot holes
The platform offers multiple planning views that help you see your story's structure and spot plot holes and inconsistencies before your readers do. Whether you're a meticulous outliner or a discovery writer who plans loosely, you can arrange your story in the way that matches your brain, then draft with the full picture in front of you.
AI on your terms
Novelcrafter includes AI-powered writing assistance through an integrated chat, but crucially it puts you in control: you can customize the AI prompts and connect to various AI models of your choice rather than being locked to one. That 'bring your own model, shape your own prompts' approach is why so many serious authors trust it — the AI is a tool you steer, not a black box that writes for you.
Write together
You can also collaborate in real time with editors, proofreaders and co-authors, and organize seamlessly across multiple books in a series — so the messy logistics of getting a manuscript polished and shipped stay manageable.
Who it's for
Novelcrafter is built for fiction and non-fiction authors of every experience level — novelists, poets, screenwriters, short-story writers, and even journalists and academics. If your current setup is a chaotic mix of docs, spreadsheets and sticky notes, this consolidates it into a real writing studio.
Pricing
Novelcrafter is subscription-based with plans starting from around $4/month, plus a generous 21-day free trial that requires no credit card. That low entry price and long trial make it easy for any writer to test whether it fits their process.
Bottom line: Novelcrafter is the organized writer's dream — a world-tracking Codex, flexible planning, real-time collaboration, and AI you actually control, all built specifically for writing books.
What is Ulysses?
Serious writing needs two things a generic text editor rarely provides: a calm, focused space to actually write, and the organizational muscle to manage a big project without losing the plot. Ulysses delivers both — billed as 'the ultimate writing app for Mac, iPad and iPhone,' it's a longtime favorite of authors and bloggers.
Distraction-free, but powerful
Ulysses combines a genuinely distraction-free, markup-based editing interface with the productivity features writers actually need. You write in a clean, focused environment, but behind that calm surface sits real capability: managing large writing projects, organizing many pieces of text, and syncing seamlessly across all your Apple devices. That balance — minimal on the surface, powerful underneath — is exactly what long-form writers want. It sits alongside other elegant Apple writing tools like Bear, with a stronger emphasis on managing big projects.
Manage whole books and blogs
Ulysses shines on large projects. You can break a novel or a blog into manageable pieces and keep everything organized in one library, with goal-setting and progress tracking to keep you moving toward a word count or deadline. For anyone writing a book, that combination of focus and project management is the difference between finishing and floundering.
Polish and publish
Ulysses includes a built-in grammar and style checker in over 20 languages, so you can tighten your prose without leaving the app, and it exports to PDF, Word and ebook formats. It even offers one-click publishing to WordPress, Ghost and Medium — so bloggers can go from draft to published without copy-pasting and reformatting. That end-to-end flow, from first word to live post, is a real time-saver.
Craft you can feel
Like the best Apple-native apps, Ulysses is polished and pleasant in a way that makes writing feel good — a subtle but real factor in actually sitting down to do the work.
Who it's for
Ulysses suits writers of all kinds — novelists working on books, bloggers and journalists publishing articles, students handling coursework — anyone who wants a professional yet elegant writing environment across Apple devices.
Pricing
Ulysses is subscription-based with a free trial available on all devices, so you can experience the focused writing environment and project tools before subscribing. The single subscription covers Mac, iPad and iPhone with full sync.
Bottom line: Ulysses is a distraction-free yet powerful writing app for Apple users — focused editing, real project management, goals and one-click publishing — making it a longtime favorite for authors and bloggers tackling serious writing.
Key differences at a glance
- Purpose: Novelcrafter is Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. Ulysses, by contrast, is A distraction-free writing app for Apple devices with project management, goals and one-click publishing.
- Category & type: both sit in Writing & Content, and both are offered as software.
- Best suited for: Novelcrafter leans toward writing software, novel writing, ai writing, whereas Ulysses leans toward writing app, distraction-free, markdown.
- Community rating: Novelcrafter is not yet rated vs Ulysses is not yet rated. Ratings are community-submitted and change over time.
Novelcrafter vs Ulysses: which should you choose?
Novelcrafter and Ulysses both serve the writing & content space, so the best choice depends on your priorities. Choose Novelcrafter if you want Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. Choose Ulysses if you want A distraction-free writing app for Apple devices with project management, goals and one-click publishing.The smartest move is to try each one's free tier or trial on a real task — that's the fastest way to feel the difference and pick the tool you'll actually stick with.
Frequently asked questions
Is Novelcrafter better than Ulysses?
It depends on what you need. Novelcrafter is Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. Ulysses is A distraction-free writing app for Apple devices with project management, goals and one-click publishing. Both are writing & content tools, so the right pick comes down to your specific priorities, budget and workflow.
What's the main difference between Novelcrafter and Ulysses?
Novelcrafter focuses on Novel-writing software to plan, organize and draft your story — with a wiki-style Codex and AI you control. while Ulysses focuses on A distraction-free writing app for Apple devices with project management, goals and one-click publishing. Read the full breakdown above and check each tool's site for current features and pricing.
Can I use both Novelcrafter and Ulysses?
In many cases, yes — teams often use complementary tools together. Whether it makes sense depends on overlap in functionality and your budget. Try the free tier or trial of each to see how they fit your stack before committing.
Which is cheaper, Novelcrafter or Ulysses?
Pricing changes often, so check each tool's pricing page for the latest. Many tools offer a free tier or trial, which is the best way to evaluate value for your specific usage before you pay.