Ulysses

My first choice was Ulysses.

Ulysses comes with a range of advantages:

• It has strong support for Markdown, a format I am familiar with.
• It allows me to focus on the writing by displaying only the necessary parts, reducing distractions (editor screen, word count, reading time, etc.).
• I can easily add images by dragging and dropping or copying and pasting.
• Images are displayed inline within the editor, enhancing the visual aspect of my writing.
• It supports image captions, allowing proper citation when necessary.
• The preview mode closely resembles how content appears on Medium.
• I can publish directly to Medium while maintaining the formatting, with the preview reflecting Medium's display.
• Ulysses is multi-platform—compatible with macOS, iPad, and iPhone—and synchronizes seamlessly via iCloud.
• The application can be used offline, making it convenient when there's no internet access.

However, there are a few drawbacks:

• The subscription fee is relatively steep—$49.99 per year or $5.99 per month. Students can access it for $10.99 for a six-month period.

Despite the cost, I have no major complaints about Ulysses. However, since I don't have a Setapp subscription for my iOS devices, I couldn't use Ulysses on my iPad beyond the trial phase. Therefore, I needed to find an alternative without a subscription requirement.

iA Writer

Although Ulysses has all the features I require, I sought a subscription-free alternative and discovered iA Writer, a direct competitor that offers nearly identical features.

Here’s what I appreciate about iA Writer:

• The interface can be set to a minimal mode, stripping away distractions.
• It also has excellent Markdown support, which I am comfortable using.
• The Focus Mode highlights only the current sentence or paragraph.
• I can color-code different parts of speech to identify typos and structural issues, reminiscent of the Hemingway Editor.
• The app provides a full-window or split-screen preview mode, which is useful on large monitors.
• It displays statistics like word count and reading time.
• I can publish directly to Medium, preserving the format effectively.
• It works offline, allowing me to write without an internet connection.
• The one-time purchase is $29.99 for the Mac version and another $29.99 for the iPhone and iPad versions.

However, the drawbacks include:

• While it’s a one-time payment, the total can add up to $59.98 for both Mac and iOS versions, which might be steep for some users.
• It lacks image captioning, necessitating additional work to add captions after publishing to Medium as a draft.

Despite the price, I find the one-time payment acceptable, but the absence of image captions is a notable limitation.

Hemingway Editor

This editor frequently appears in Medium articles and has received high praise, so I decided to give it a try.

The Hemingway Editor primarily functions as a style checker, aimed at eliminating unnecessary elements from your writing.

Pros:

• It comes with a one-time fee of $19.99 for the desktop version compatible with macOS or Windows.
• The web version is free, but it lacks safeguards for your work in case of a browser crash or restart.
• The desktop version can be used offline.
• It can publish directly to Medium.
• It excels at style checking.

Cons:

• It does not support Markdown and offers limited formatting options (Bold, Italic, Headings, Quotes, Bullets, Numbers, and Links), lacking support for code blocks as well.
• It doesn’t allow for image inclusion.
• The free web version does not have a save feature or protection against browser issues.

While Hemingway may suffice for some, it lacks the features necessary for beginners, particularly those writing about technology or incorporating images.

Medium.com’s Editor

For many, the Medium editor is more than adequate. Being a product of Medium, it provides a WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) interface, allowing straightforward formatting by highlighting text.

Unlike Hemingway, the web-based Medium editor includes safeguards against browser restarts or crashes, with autosave functionality. I tested this and found that it preserved changes even after a forced browser restart.

The primary drawback of the Medium web editor is its lack of offline editing support, which means it isn't accessible without an internet connection.

Grammarly

Grammarly is my top choice for grammar checking. It not only checks grammar but also offers style checking and rephrasing. My writing often tends to be verbose or awkwardly phrased, so Grammarly is immensely helpful.

The main drawback is the cost. While Grammarly is free, it only includes basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation checks.

To access premium features, it costs $12 per month when billed annually or $30 monthly.

The Premium version includes fluency, readability, word choice, plagiarism detection, inclusive language, and formality levels.

Grammarly works seamlessly on macOS, iPhone, and iPad across various applications and browsers without needing a browser extension.

Ginger Writer

Ginger provides similar features to Grammarly but at a more affordable price.

Like Grammarly, it includes syntax checking and rephrasing capabilities. The free version offers limited rephrasing options.

The paid premium version allows unlimited rephrasing, synonyms, AI-powered grammar corrections, and translation into over 40 languages.

I noticed that Ginger is slower than Grammarly when rephrasing sentences.

Ginger's pricing is $7.49 per month if billed annually or $13.99 if billed monthly. Students and teachers can receive a 70% discount, bringing it down to approximately $2.50 per month.

Ginger is also available on iPad and iPhone for $19.99 annually or a $2.99 monthly subscription, making it a competitive option for writers primarily using iPads. However, it lacks the functionality that Grammarly offers as a keyboard for grammar checking across all apps.

ProWriting Aid

I purchased ProWritingAid years ago for around $170 for a lifetime subscription. The current pricing has increased to $299.25 for a lifetime subscription, $59.25 for an annual subscription, or $20 for a monthly subscription.

ProWritingAid is available as a native macOS app and a web version.

It supports various writing styles, catering to numerous writing types, and offers extensive features for professional writers, including sentence structure and rephrasing, although it is less user-friendly than Grammarly.

Conclusion

I began my writing journey just over a month ago, and these are the tools I currently use. I welcome any recommendations you may have.

Consider becoming a paying member of Medium for $5 a month for unlimited access. If you utilize the following link, it would greatly support me as a writer.