Without purchase, you can't use this at all. Not an app like Word.
We’re sorry for the confusion! To start the free trial, you’ll need to begin a subscription. We chose this approach—a free download with in-app purchases—so we can offer a fully functional trial through the App Store. Unfortunately, there isn’t another way to provide a trial. You can find all available subscription options in the app’s description under “Subscriptions.” The trial itself follows Apple’s standard App Store model and can be canceled up to 24 hours before it ends. Regarding your comparison to Word: that difference is intentional. Ulysses is not a WYSIWYG editor (“what you see is what you get”), where formatting is applied visually as you write. Instead, it’s based on Markdown, a lightweight markup system where you use simple text cues (for example, # for headings) to indicate formatting. This keeps the focus on writing, while formatting is handled separately. Ulysses is designed as a professional writing environment and includes features many writers rely on, such as writing goals, direct publishing to blogging platforms, flexible ways to organize larger projects, and fully customizable export options. You can find a full overview here: ulys.app/features. If you have any questions about subscriptions or how to get the most out of Ulysses, feel free to reach out to us at help@ulysses.app—we’re always happy to help. —Andrea