Is Streaks or Ulysses better?

Neither clearly leads. Streaks starts at $5.99/one-time and Ulysses at $5.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Streaks or Ulysses?

Streaks starts at $5.99/one-time and Ulysses at $5.99/month.

Does Streaks or Ulysses run on more platforms?

Streaks runs on iOS. Ulysses runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.

What is Streaks best used for?

Streaks is most often used for someone wanting a simple visual habit tracker without recurring subscription fees, a person wanting habits like step count or sleep to auto-complete via apple health data, an apple watch user wanting to log habits without pulling out a phone, someone tracking a mix of daily and weekly recurring to-dos in one place. Of those, someone wanting a simple visual habit tracker without recurring subscription fees and a person wanting habits like step count or sleep to auto-complete via apple health data are not what Ulysses is typically brought in for.

What can Streaks do that Ulysses cannot?

Streaks covers Streak tracking, Apple Health integration, Apple Watch app, Flexible scheduling. Ulysses covers Distraction-free writing, Markdown support, Syntax highlighting, Organization with sheets and groups. Both handle iCloud sync.

Productivity · head to head

Streaks vs Ulysses

Streaks

Productivity

iOS habit tracker sold as a one-time purchase, not a subscription

From: $5.99/one-time
Rated: -

Full review Website

Ulysses

Productivity

Distraction-free writing application for creative professionals

From: $5.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Streaks it is iOS and Apple Watch only, with no Android version, so it is not usable for anyone outside Apple's ecosystem.; Ulysses no free tier available
They diverge on capability: Streaks covers Streak tracking, Ulysses covers Distraction-free writing.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Streaks and Ulysses actually diverge.

Attributes where Streaks and Ulysses differ
Attribute	Streaks	Ulysses
Starting price	$5.99/one-time	$5.99/month
Pricing model	One-time purchase	subscription
Platforms	iOS	MacOS, IOS, IPadOS
Founded	Unknown	2003

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Streaks

Streak tracking
Apple Health integration
Apple Watch app
Flexible scheduling
Widgets

Only in Ulysses

Distraction-free writing
Markdown support
Syntax highlighting
Organization with sheets and groups
Dark and light themes
Full-screen mode
Search and filter

Both cover

iCloud sync

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Streaks

Someone wanting a simple visual habit tracker without recurring subscription feesnot Ulysses
A person wanting habits like step count or sleep to auto-complete via Apple Health datanot Ulysses
An Apple Watch user wanting to log habits without pulling out a phonenot Ulysses
Someone tracking a mix of daily and weekly recurring to-dos in one placenot Ulysses

Ulysses

Writing and editing on Apple devicesnot Streaks
Cross-device document synchronizationnot Streaks
Markdown-based writingnot Streaks

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Streaks

It is iOS and Apple Watch only, with no Android version, so it is not usable for anyone outside Apple's ecosystem.
The base app caps at 24 tracked habits, which is enough for most users but a real limit for anyone wanting to track a larger number of items.
Sync is via iCloud only, so there is no web or cross-platform account, which limits use to Apple devices exclusively.
It has fewer social or accountability features, such as shared habit tracking with friends, compared with some subscription-based competitors.
A single lifetime purchase means no ongoing development revenue tied to the individual user, so it depends on new sales and occasional priced major updates rather than recurring income to fund development.

Ulysses

No free tier available
Only subscription model, no one-time purchase option
Family Sharing limited to 5 additional members (6 total users)

Pricing, plan by plan

Streaks

$5.99/one-time

Streaks$5.99/one-time
- Full app, no subscription
- Up to 24 tracked habits
- Apple Watch app included

Ulysses

$5.99/month

Annual Subscription$39.99/year
- Ulysses on all Macs, iPads, and iPhones
- Full iCloud synchronization
- Frequent improvements and updates
Monthly Subscription$5.99/month
- Ulysses on all Macs, iPads, and iPhones
- Full iCloud synchronization
- Frequent improvements and updates

Which should you pick?

Choose Streaks if

You need streak tracking.
You work on iOS.
You also want apple health integration.

Streaks review

Choose Ulysses if

You need distraction-free writing.
You work on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
You also want markdown support.

Ulysses review

Questions people ask

Is Streaks or Ulysses better?: Neither clearly leads. Streaks starts at $5.99/one-time and Ulysses at $5.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Streaks or Ulysses?: Streaks starts at $5.99/one-time and Ulysses at $5.99/month.
Does Streaks or Ulysses run on more platforms?: Streaks runs on iOS. Ulysses runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
What is Streaks best used for?: Streaks is most often used for someone wanting a simple visual habit tracker without recurring subscription fees, a person wanting habits like step count or sleep to auto-complete via apple health data, an apple watch user wanting to log habits without pulling out a phone, someone tracking a mix of daily and weekly recurring to-dos in one place. Of those, someone wanting a simple visual habit tracker without recurring subscription fees and a person wanting habits like step count or sleep to auto-complete via apple health data are not what Ulysses is typically brought in for.
What can Streaks do that Ulysses cannot?: Streaks covers Streak tracking, Apple Health integration, Apple Watch app, Flexible scheduling. Ulysses covers Distraction-free writing, Markdown support, Syntax highlighting, Organization with sheets and groups. Both handle iCloud sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Streaks: Is Streaks a subscription?

No, it is a one-time App Store purchase, currently priced around 5.99 USD, with no recurring fee.

Ulysses: What are Ulysses pricing options?

Ulysses costs $39.99 per year (annual) or $5.99 per month (monthly). Student discounts are available. Volume licensing is available for businesses through their licensing portal.

Source

Streaks: Does it work on Android?

No, it is iOS and Apple Watch only.

Ulysses: Does Ulysses include Family Sharing?

Yes, both annual and monthly Ulysses subscriptions include Apple Family Sharing, allowing up to five additional family members to use Ulysses on their devices at no extra cost.

Source

Streaks: Does it integrate with Apple Health?

Yes, habits tied to metrics like steps or sleep can auto-complete based on Apple Health data.

Ulysses: Can I get Ulysses through a subscription service?

Yes, Ulysses is available through the Setapp subscription service as an alternative to direct subscription. Volume licensing is also available for businesses and organizations through their licensing portal.

Source

Ulysses: Does Ulysses pricing vary by location?

Prices listed apply to the U.S., and local pricing may differ in other regions. Check your regional App Store for exact pricing.

Source

Streaks vs Ulysses

Streaks

Ulysses

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Streaks

Only in Ulysses

Both cover

What people use each for

Streaks

Ulysses

Where each one falls short

Streaks

Ulysses

Pricing, plan by plan

Streaks

Ulysses

Which should you pick?

Choose Streaks if

Choose Ulysses if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Streaks

More on Ulysses

Keep looking

Other head to heads