Ulysses is about as simple as word processors get, and that’s the point.
There are no format bars, inspectors, margins or borders – just your text. All your work is saved in one library. To keep yourself on track, you can set character, word and page goals for each document. But otherwise, just write away.
Ulysses isn’t only for novels, essays and blog posts. It’s also great for technical documents. Drop code snippets into a document and they’ll be beautifully formatted on export.
The app employs Markdown, a formatting method that uses symbols and characters to set styles, freeing you to focus on words rather than their appearance. For example, to bold text, enclose it between two asterisks, or use one asterisk to italicise.
Ulysses is even more powerful on iPad. You can import text and images from other apps with drag-and-drop, and iPadOS lets you open multiple document windows at once and use gestures to cut, copy and paste. The app also works beautifully with Apple Pencil.
Sample Ulysses with a free trial; a monthly or yearly subscription unlocks full access so you can continue your distraction-free writing journey.