Is there a free alternative to Ulysses?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are novelWriter (open source, GPL-3.0) and Manuskript (open source, GPL-3.0).

How much does Ulysses cost?

Ulysses's Ulysses subscription plan costs $3.33 a month, which is $39.99 a year (yearly or monthly). Source: the official pricing page at ulysses.app, checked Oct 17, 2026.

Which Ulysses alternatives run on Linux?

novelWriter (AUR: novelwriter) and Manuskript (AUR: manuskript; Flathub: ch.theologeek.Manuskript).

Can you self-host a Ulysses alternative?

novelWriter and Manuskript are desktop apps that run on your own machine, so there's nothing to host.

Are these Ulysses alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: novelWriter (GPL-3.0) and Manuskript (GPL-3.0).

Free alternatives to Ulysses

Swap Ulysses for novelWriter or Manuskript and stop paying $39.99/yr.

2open source2run on Linux2in Arch/AUR

Prices and project data checked Oct 17, 2026 · How we check

$39.99/yr Ulysses subscription Verified on ulysses.app, Oct 17, 2026

2 alternatives

novelWriter

Desktop app About novelWriter →

Partly replaces it Active Open source · GPL-3.0 Linux Arch/AUR

saga-soft/novelWriter3.2k★last push Oct 17, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

No Mac download (Mac users set it up through Python), and no iPhone or iPad app or sync.

Imports your data: Ulysses sheets exported as text or Markdown can be imported one file at a time

Install

$ yay -S novelwriter

Manuskript

Desktop app About Manuskript →

Partly replaces it Active Open source · GPL-3.0 Linux Arch/AUR

olivierkes/manuskript2.5k★last push Sep 1, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

No Mac download (on a Mac it runs from source with Python), and no iPhone or iPad app or sync.

Imports your data: imports Markdown, OPML, DOCX and other formats exported from Ulysses

Install

$ yay -S manuskript

$ flatpak install flathub ch.theologeek.Manuskript

At a glance

Free alternatives to Ulysses compared
Alternative	Verdict	License	Linux	AUR	Self-host	Stars
novelWriter	Partly replaces it	GPL-3.0 open source	Yes	Yes	No	3.2k★
Manuskript	Partly replaces it	GPL-3.0 open source	Yes	Yes	No	2.5k★

Ulysses alternatives: questions

Is there a free alternative to Ulysses?: Yes. The 2 free alternatives are novelWriter (open source, GPL-3.0) and Manuskript (open source, GPL-3.0).
How much does Ulysses cost?: Ulysses's Ulysses subscription plan costs $3.33 a month, which is $39.99 a year (yearly or monthly). Source: the official pricing page at ulysses.app, checked Oct 17, 2026.
Which Ulysses alternatives run on Linux?: novelWriter (AUR: novelwriter) and Manuskript (AUR: manuskript; Flathub: ch.theologeek.Manuskript).
Can you self-host a Ulysses alternative?: novelWriter and Manuskript are desktop apps that run on your own machine, so there's nothing to host.
Are these Ulysses alternatives open source?: Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: novelWriter (GPL-3.0) and Manuskript (GPL-3.0).

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