Ulysses: how long does a perpetual licence last?

“Dictionary, define perpetual”:

Answer: Lasting forever; never-ending.

This term is commonly used by developers. It means forever.

The other term commonly used by developers is lifetime. This can be construed to mean your lifetime, the app’s lifetime or a particular version of that app’s lifetime. Take your pick and roll the dice.

Ulysses app is trying some underhand stuff by limiting you to a particular version of the app rather than the app per se.

There has been a lot of chatter on the Ulyssesapp’s unofficial subreddit about its developers reneging on users’ agreements. Many who bought ‘Perpetual’ licences were now being forced onto the app’s subscription model.

Many other apps, such as Alfred, continue to honour such agreements. I know, because I have owned Alfred since 2010.

For all it’s a good markdown editor, Ulysses has expected to pull the wool over our eyes and get away with it. I know from experience. When I bought Ulysses in 2014 or 2015, subscriptions were unheard of, or at the least only emerging as a new way for developers to make money, year in and year out. Then in 2016, Ulysses moved to a subscription model. I let my subscription roll for a few months, before I found other apps to help me cope with my markdown addiction.

Ulysses’ website says the cost is $39.99 for a one year subscription, which is said to buy you “Frequent improvements, feature additions, bug fixes, updates to new operation systems & devices”. On the App Store, it adds a Perpetual licence, priced at $199. But some users have been reporting they have been kicked off the perpetual licence and asked to subscribe.

So, I asked Ulysses’ developers: “Is there a perpetual licence? If, yes, how long does it last?”

Ulysses’ response:

Thank you for your message! We will try to get back to you as soon as possible.”

That was just the automated response. After all, it was the weekend when I asked my questions. This was their Monday morning response (week beginning 28 September 2026):

Yes, we offer a perpetual license that gives you access to Ulysses as it is currently offered on the App Store. Because Ulysses is a universal app, one license covers the supported Mac, iPhone, and iPad versions.

All updates to the current App Store app are included, such as bug fixes, improvements, and new features released as part of those updates. We are actively working on further improvements and plan to release them when they are ready, for example, support for the iPhone Duo. However, we cannot guarantee specific features, release dates, or compatibility with future devices.

They didn’t answer the second question, so I asked it again. “How long does a Perpetual licence last?”

Ulysses’ response:

A perpetual license does not expire; it lasts indefinitely. Once purchased, you own the license for that version of the app for a lifetime, with no recurring renewal fees or expiration date. The only practical limitation is future hardware and OS compatibility down the road, but as far as the license itself goes, it is yours to use indefinitely.

“Version of the app” being the crucial words. You are not entitled to updates beyond that version and, if OS compatibility becomes an issue, you can’t update that either without losing access to Ulysses.

We are not suggesting Ulysses has broken the law in anyway. What we are saying is that they have carefully chosen their words to hoodwink you into believing you have bought access to the app for its lifetime. But, in fact, by buying a perpetual licence you have only bought access to the particular version of that app available at the time.

As a result, I have decided to remove Ulysses from my table of recommended markdown editors, linked below. There are plenty of other markdown editors out there, many of them covered by previous posts on this site.

If we can take anything from this, it’s always read the terms of the licence.

Haven’t found what you’re looking for? Try this site’s list of recommended markdown editors.