The research shortlist
Page updated
ZettlrTop pick
A free, open-source publication workbench
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Closest all-round Ulysses substitute: strong writing and publication workflows, native Intel and Apple Silicon macOS downloads, active releases, and a mature open-source community.
A polished Markdown and plain-text workspace for organizing notes, drafting manuscripts, managing citations, and exporting through Pandoc-based workflows.
- 01Markdown and plain-text editing
- 02Project organization, search, links, and outlines
- 03Citation-manager integrations
- 04Export to PDF, DOCX, LaTeX, HTML, and more
- 05Privacy-first local files with no forced cloud sync
- More research- and publication-oriented than Ulysses, so its interface may feel denser.
- Requires macOS 12 or newer for the current release.
Evidence sources (11)
- Official Zettlr GitHub repositorySource available ·
- Zettlr GPL license fileLicense ·
- Official Zettlr homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- Official macOS download pageDocumented macOS path ·
- Official Zettlr releasesRelease ·
- Project-owned Zettlr iconScreenshots ·
- Official Zettlr product screenshotScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- GitHub license metadataLicense ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
- Latest macOS release assetFree at review time ·
novelWriter
A free, open-source workspace for long-form writing
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Best fit for novelists and manuscript-heavy Ulysses users: focused, robust, actively released, and genuinely free/open source, with a documented current macOS install path.
Full review — capabilities, 2 caveats, evidence
A focused Markdown-like editor for novels and larger projects, using plain-text files with hierarchical organization, synopsis notes, comments, and cross-references.
- 01Distraction-light long-form writing
- 02Hierarchical project and document organization
- 03Plain-text, Markdown-like storage
- 04Synopsis, comments, and cross-references
- 05Manuscript export and project backups
- Current macOS releases require a Python environment and pipx; DMG distribution was discontinued from release 2026.1.
- It is specialized for long-form projects and less suited to general-purpose notes or direct blog publishing.
Evidence sources (10)
- Official novelWriter GitHub repositorySource available ·
- novelWriter GPLv3 license fileLicense ·
- Official novelWriter homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- Official macOS installation instructionsDocumented macOS path ·
- Official novelWriter downloads pageFree at review time ·
- Official novelWriter releasesRelease ·
- Project-owned novelWriter iconScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- GitHub license metadataLicense ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
Joplin
An open-source Markdown notes and writing library
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Strongest general-purpose free alternative when Ulysses users value a searchable library, Markdown, sync, and portability more than a dedicated manuscript workflow.
Full review — capabilities, 2 caveats, evidence
A mature cross-platform note library with Markdown editing, notebooks, tags, attachments, search, web clipping, encryption, and flexible synchronization.
- 01Markdown and rich-text editors
- 02Notebooks, tags, search, and linked notes
- 03Attachments and web clipper
- 04End-to-end encrypted sync options
- 05Desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux
- The free core app is available without payment, but Joplin Cloud is an optional paid service.
- It is more note-taking-oriented and less polished for distraction-free manuscript production than Ulysses or novelWriter.
Evidence sources (18)
- Official Joplin GitHub repositorySource available ·
- Joplin AGPL license fileLicense ·
- Official Joplin homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- Official macOS installation documentationDocumented macOS path ·
- Official Joplin desktop download pageFree at review time ·
- Official Joplin releasesRelease ·
- Official Joplin product screenshotScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
- Latest macOS release assetFree at review time ·
- Joplin dev branch commit historySource available ·
- Joplin LICENSELicense ·
- Joplin 3.6.15 macOS downloadFree at review time ·
- Joplin plans and pricingFree at review time ·
- Joplin project iconScreenshots ·
- Joplin multimedia notes product imageScreenshots ·
- Joplin collaboration product imageScreenshots ·
- Joplin web clipper product imageScreenshots ·
Specifications, side by side
| Attribute | 1 · Zettlr | 2 · novelWriter | 3 · Joplin |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0-only | GPL-3.0-only | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Status | Checked | Checked | Checked |
| Version | v4.7.0 | v26.1.2 | v3.6.15 |
| Stars | 13.4k | 3.1k | 56.0k |
| Last push | |||
| Caveats | 2 | 2 | 2 |
About Ulysses
Ulysses — Write and organize content with powerful tools and a clean Mac interface. Best distraction-free tool.
Setapp listing: Write and publish from one app
