Standard Notes
Ulysses
| Feature | Standard Notes | Ulysses |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $7.5/mo | From $5.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Best For | privacy-focused-users, journalists, professionals, researchers | authors, bloggers, journalists, apple-users |
| Founded | 2016 | 2013 |
| Encryption | ✓ | ✗ |
| Themes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Editors | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tags | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Attachments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Two Factor Auth | ✓ | ✗ |
| Markdown Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Library Organization | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goals And Deadlines | ✗ | ✓ |
| Publishing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Icloud Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
| Split View | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Standard Notes Pros
- End-to-end encrypted
- 100-year company promise
- Cross-platform
- Open-source
✗ Standard Notes Cons
- Basic free version
- Fewer features than Notion
- Limited formatting
✓ 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
Standard Notes is built for privacy focused users and journalists, with a focus on encryption and themes. Ulysses targets authors and bloggers and leads with markdown-editor and library-organization.
Pricing is close: Ulysses starts at $5.99/mo versus $7.5/mo for Standard Notes — not a deciding factor on its own.
Standard Notes 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.
Both tools are a solid fit for journalists — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Ulysses has a slight overall edge — but if end-to-end encrypted matters most to you, Standard Notes may still be the right call.