Obsidian
Ulysses
| Feature | Obsidian | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $4/mo | From $5.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | researchers, writers, developers, knowledge-workers | authors, bloggers, journalists, apple-users |
| Founded | 2020 | 2013 |
| Markdown | ✓ | ✗ |
| Backlinks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Graph View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plugins | ✓ | ✗ |
| Themes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Canvas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Markdown Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Library Organization | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goals And Deadlines | ✗ | ✓ |
| Publishing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Icloud Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
| Split View | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Obsidian Pros
- 100% offline
- Local-first
- Plugin ecosystem
- Graph view
- Free for personal use
✗ Obsidian Cons
- No real-time collaboration
- Steep learning curve
- Mobile app is basic
✓ Ulysses Pros
- Beautiful distraction-free writing
- Excellent library management
- Direct publishing to blogs
- iCloud sync across devices
✗ Ulysses Cons
- Apple ecosystem only
- Subscription model controversial
- No Windows support
The Verdict
Obsidian is built for researchers and writers, with a focus on markdown and backlinks. Ulysses targets authors and bloggers and leads with markdown-editor and library-organization.
Pricing is close: Obsidian starts at $4/mo versus $5.99/mo for Ulysses — not a deciding factor on its own.
Obsidian has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Ulysses requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.
