The best Ulysses alternatives for Mac
Looking for a Ulysses alternative on Mac? Koi, iA Writer, Scrivener, Bear, Typora and Obsidian compared on price, platforms, files, publishing and voice.
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What iA Writer does well
iA Writer is a quiet writing app built around one idea: you write plain text with Markdown, and nothing gets in the way. Focus Mode fades everything but the sentence or paragraph you're on. Style Check flags clichés, filler and clutter, on your device. Authorship shows your own typing in black or white and AI or pasted text in colour, so you always know which words are yours.
Texts are Markdown files in a folder on your Mac, or in iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive. It exports Word and PDF, draws LaTeX equations with KaTeX, and publishes to WordPress, Ghost, Medium and Micro.blog from Mac and iOS (its features page).
You buy it once per platform, on iA's store: $49.99 on Mac, $49.99 on iPhone and iPad, $29.99 on Windows. Mac and Windows have a 7-day trial with no card, and education buyers get 20% off. We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from its own site or App Store page, checked October 21, 2026. We didn't run tests.
Stay
Stay on iA Writer if
Stay on iA Writer if
- You want plain .md files you can open anywhere. Koi keeps pages in its own history and writes .md files only on export.
- You write on iPhone, iPad or Windows too. Koi is one Mac, with no sync.
- You want a tool that never writes for you. Koi has an AI assistant, even if you never call it.
- You publish to WordPress, Ghost, Medium or Micro.blog.
- You'd rather pay $49.99 once than $20 a month.
Why people look
Why people look for an iA Writer alternative
The usual reasons are the flip side of its strengths. It's spare on purpose, so people who want rich pages, with pictures laid out, coloured tables or charts, find it bare. You write Markdown and look at a separate Preview, which some love and some don't. Each platform is a separate purchase, so Mac plus iPhone is about $100. And it won't write for you, which is the point, but not what everyone wants.
The list
6 iA Writer alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Talking a first draft out, then shaping it in a rich editor, on one Mac
iA Writer is built for typing. Koi is built for talking as much as typing. Tap Fn + ⌥ and Koi types what you say, on your Mac, offline, in any of 100 languages, in Koi or in iA Writer itself. It drops the ums, keeps “4” when you say “3, no, 4”, and spells a word your way once you've fixed it. More on voice to text on Mac.
The editor is rich rather than plain: headings, colour, pictures, to-dos, tables with spreadsheet formulas, 11 chart types drawn from a table, LaTeX equations and flashcards. Pages export to Word or PDF on A4 or US Letter. Tap Fn + ⌃ to record an interview into a page, transcribed on your Mac. Tap Fn + ⌘ and ask Koi to tighten a paragraph; that uses Koi's AI, which is online, and only when you ask.
What you give up: plain files day to day, Focus Mode, Style Check, Authorship, publishing, and every device but one Mac. Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial, or Lifetime from $59 once.
2. Ulysses
Best for: A writing app with a library, goals and publishing, on Apple devices
Ulysses keeps every text in one library synced by iCloud, with export styles for PDF, Word and ePub and publishing to WordPress, Ghost, Medium and Micro.blog. It has tables and LaTeX equations. It's $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year, on Mac, iPad and iPhone. More in our Ulysses alternatives page.
3. Typora
Best for: Markdown that formats as you type, with no separate preview
Typora is the answer if iA Writer's preview pane is the problem: the Markdown turns into formatting as you type. It numbers equations, draws Mermaid diagrams and exports to Word, PDF, ePub and LaTeX. It's $14.99 once for 3 devices on Mac, Windows and Linux, after a 15-day trial, with no phone app.
4. Bear
Best for: Beautiful Markdown notes on Mac, iPhone and iPad, for less
Bear formats Markdown as you type and adds tags and links between notes. Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with iCloud sync and export to Word, PDF, ePub and more. Notes live in Bear's library, not as files you open elsewhere.
5. Scrivener
Best for: Books and long projects, paid once
When a text outgrows one file, Scrivener splits it into scenes and chapters with research beside them, and compiles to Word, PDF, ePub and more. It's $59.99 on the Mac App Store, with a 30-day trial from Literature & Latte. The opposite of minimal.
6. Obsidian
Best for: Free Markdown files with links between them
Obsidian also works on plain Markdown files in a folder, so you could open your iA Writer folder in it as is. It's free, with backlinks, a graph and plugins; Sync is $4 a month billed yearly. See our Obsidian alternatives too.
Comparison
iA Writer alternatives compared
From each app's own site or App Store page, checked October 21, 2026.
| Editor | Files | Voice | Word export | Price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iA Writer | Markdown, separate preview | Markdown files | No | Yes | $49.99 once (Mac) | Focused writing |
| Koi | Rich editor | In Koi; .md on export | Dictation and recorded calls | Yes | $20 a month, or Lifetime from $59 | Talking drafts out |
| Ulysses | Markup | Its library | No | Yes | $39.99 a year | Writing and publishing |
| Typora | Markdown, formats as you type | Markdown files | No | Yes | $14.99 once | Markdown with no preview pane |
| Bear | Markdown, formats as you type | Its library | No | With Pro | $29.99 a year | Notes on every Apple device |
| Scrivener | Rich text, in a binder | Projects | No | Yes | $59.99 once (Mac) | Books |
| Obsidian | Markdown | Markdown files | No | With plugins | Free | Linked notes |
Head to head
iA Writer vs Koi
- Writing focus: iA Writer, with Focus Mode, Style Check and nothing else on screen.
- Drafting by voice: Koi. Its dictation works in iA Writer too, so you can keep iA Writer and add only that.
- Rich pages: Koi, with pictures, coloured tables, formulas, charts and to-dos. iA Writer has Markdown tables.
- Math: both draw LaTeX. iA Writer uses KaTeX with single $; Koi uses $$ on both sides.
- AI: iA Writer marks AI text so you can tell it apart. Koi's AI writes and edits when you ask out loud, online.
- Files: iA Writer's are plain files everywhere. Koi's are pages on one Mac, exported as Markdown when you want.
- Price: iA Writer is paid once per platform. Koi is a subscription, or Lifetime once.
Moving
Using Koi with your iA Writer files
- Your iA Writer texts are already .md files. Find one in Finder.
- In Koi, choose File, then Import…, and pick it. Koi makes a page of its words, read on your Mac.
- Or keep writing in iA Writer and use only Koi's dictation: click into the text, tap the dictation keys, and talk.
If what you want is spoken drafts, the second way may be all you need. Our list of dictation apps for writers compares Koi with other voice tools.
AI
Writing with AI, or without it
iA Writer's stance is clear: it won't write for you, and Authorship shows which words came from elsewhere. If that's why you chose it, Koi isn't a step backwards so much as a different deal, and you should know exactly what it is.
Koi's dictation turns your own voice into your own words, on your Mac, with no AI service involved. Koi's AI is separate and only runs when you call it with Fn + ⌘ or type to it. With “Let Koi write and edit for me” on, the page open in Koi's window goes along with each question so Koi can change it, and our server keeps none of it. Your documents themselves stay on your Mac either way.
Choosing
Which iA Writer alternative should you pick?
- A library, goals and publishing on Apple devices? Ulysses.
- Markdown that formats as you type, paid once? Typora.
- Cheaper notes with sync? Bear.
- A book? Scrivener.
- Free files with links? Obsidian.
- Drafts you talk out, in a rich editor, with recorded interviews? Koi.
Koi's plans are on the pricing page, and its editor on the documents page.
Keep exploring
The best Typora alternatives for Mac
Looking for a Typora alternative on Mac? Koi, Obsidian, iA Writer, Zettlr, Bear and Ulysses compared on files, equations, charts, phone apps and price.
The best Obsidian alternatives for Mac
Looking for an Obsidian alternative on Mac? Koi, Bear, Apple Notes, Logseq, Joplin and Craft compared on files, sync, plugins, Word export and price.
The best dictation apps for writers on Mac
Dictation apps for writers on Mac, checked October 16, 2026: verbatim apps that keep your voice against AI apps that rewrite it, with prices and offline use.
Support
Frequently asked questions
It's paid once per platform: $49.99 on Mac, $49.99 on iPhone and iPad, and $29.99 on Windows, at the time of writing. Mac and Windows have a 7-day free trial.
It doesn't write for you. Its Authorship feature marks AI-generated or pasted text in colour, apart from what you typed, and Style Check runs on your device.
Yes. iA Writer renders LaTeX math with KaTeX in Preview, and it carries into PDF and Word export.
Yes. Koi's dictation types wherever your cursor is, so you can talk straight into iA Writer, on your Mac and offline.