Ulysses Gains Permanently Visible Writing Stat Counter and Optimized Publishing Flow

Ulysses today reached version 26, and this update brings a few more welcome feature additions and improvements to the popular writing app for Mac and iOS.

For almost as long as it's existed, Ulysses has included a Dashboard sidebar that can be revealed to show, amongst other things, writing progress statistics for the current sheet in the editor, such as average reading time and character and word count.

ulysses 261
However, the developers have recognized that sometimes it's very useful to be able to have a particular stat permanently in view as you're writing, without having to have the Dashboard open with its mine of information taking up valuable editing space. As such, in the latest version of Ulysses for Mac, a single stat can now be displayed right within the editor, in the top-right corner of the window.

Clicking on the new "Editor counter" allows users to select which statistic they want to see updated in real time as they write, with options for reading time and counters for words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences, average words per sentence, paragraphs, lines, and pages.

ulysses 262
Elsewhere in version 26 for Mac and iOS, the developers have optimized the publishing flow by adding dedicated buttons for quick access to publishing and separating out the publishing preview. In addition, there's added support for more blogs, and the setup process for Wordpress accounts has been simplified using the modern REST API.

This update also fixes a crash when sharing a sheet from Ulysses and a potential delay when opening the editor, as well as a crash that occurred when sharing a sheet from Mac to iPad when using Universal Control.

ulysses 263
Ulysses can be downloaded for free on the App Store, with version 26 rolling out to existing users today. After a 14-day trial period, a subscription is required to unlock the app on all devices. A monthly subscription costs $5.99, while a yearly subscription is $49.99.

Students can use Ulysses at a discounted price of $10.99 per six months. The discount is granted from within the app. Ulysses is also included in Setapp, the subscription-based service for Mac applications created by MacPaw.

Tag: Ulysses

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

johnnytravels Avatar
41 months ago
Please stop advertising this total money grab of an app. Sure it’s polished but it’s objectively overpriced. So many features that have been requested for years are still missing. Most updates (as evident from your ‘article’) only offer features that are more or less cosmetic in nature, or add OS features that every other dev just implements without a lot of fuss.

I wholeheartedly recommend Typora if you’re looking for a great Markdown experience on Mac. And if you really want a subscription and are looking to support a dev that deserves your money, go for Craft for about the amount that Ulysses costs. It has tons of features, but you can also just use it for writing without any of the stuff getting in your way.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gruber Avatar
41 months ago
I was a happy Ulysses user until they switched to the subscription model. I feel very uncomfortable using an app that extorts a monthly fee from me so I can continue using my files. It feels like ransom to me.
I wish there was a way to buy instead of renting Ulysses.
Meanwhile, I would recommend Typora.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aggedor Avatar
41 months ago

I hated Ulysses because it only supports markup. It would be a great app if it supports formatted text and normal editing.
Yeah, this, and the subscription model, are my two problems with what actually looks like a good app otherwise.

I'm a professional writer, so I'm always on the lookout for new tool, and I try a lot of stuff. However, I write prose fiction, which means mark-up is hugely distracting (which seems to go against the minimalist, distraction-free philosophy of the app). Several other apps are also mark-up-based (IA Writer, for example). I just... don't get it. Mark-up is fine for some things, but why not have the option of turning it off and allowing regular formatting?

Having said that, the subscription model means this is a non-starter for me anyway. $50 a year for a very basic word processor? I use Scrivener, which is a one-off licence, is not mark-up based, and has a fully customisable interface, so you can just make it look exactly like Ulysses anyway, if you want that super-minimal, distraction-free UI. And then once that is set-up, you've got a whole extra suite of tools and stats to use, if you want.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Steve121178 Avatar
41 months ago
They lost me as a customer with the subscription model. I'd have been more than happy to pay a one-off cost for the App to get the latest updates but I don't need yet another subscription for a writing app that in all honesty isn't that great anyway.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacHiavelli Avatar
41 months ago
More powerful than Ulysses, Scrivener and Typora combined, try Obsidian ('https://obsidian.md/download'). And completely FREE for personal use. And on zillions of platforms.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5aga Avatar
41 months ago
A subscription model for a simple authoring app?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)