Any host that does cPanel will also be able to generate a “full account backup”, which is just what it sounds like. That backup can actually be used to move everything to a new provider.
Useful to have those done occasionally. 
Ulysses will have the content, yes, but one of the advantages of the WordPress export is that it’s fairly trivial to import your content to another platform/CMS/blogging system.
I’m keen to see how easy this is. I wanted to use Ulysses to post to WP but as I have a business acct, it doesn’t work (effectively) Unless someone here knows something I don’t (which, you will likely know, is 99% possible!) 
what issue are you facing? Posting from Ulysses (at least on personal account) is very straightforward, you just need to know the log in details
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It’s straightforward … until it isn’t.
Ulysses logs in to WordPress using xml-rpc. Some hosting providers block that login channel for security reasons.
Ulysses, MarsEdit, etc. all require your WordPress site to have XML-RPC enabled, and it does out of the box - but a number of security plugins hose that up. You might want to double-check that if you’re having issues posting.
There are good reasons to disable XML-RPC if you’re not using it - but just like everything else in the security realm, you need to balance security with functionality.
Edit: Didn’t see @MitchWagner’s post. I’ve never seen a hosting provider block it, but it would absolutely make sense. Check that and your plugins. 
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My hosting provider did block it. I have had a lot of problems with them in recent years. They were great when I signed up with them, and then they declined, and now they seem to offer no support at all.
This is a warning to folks setting up a website that they would like to keep around for years. The service that is excellent today might be horrible in 10 years.
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at least, currently Dreamhost service is still decent.
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Anyone (@redsweater ?) know the latest with MarsEdit and WP REST API support? I know authentication was the original limitation vs. RPC and MarsEdit wasn’t allowed on the temporary hardcoded whitelist, but at this point there are some pretty popular REST API authentication plugins–plus hopefully the REST API allows basic auth passing or something…
The API hammering Ulysses describes in the blog would be significantly more sustainable if it could get away from XML-RPC.
Yes, personal accounts are fine. I checked in with the Ulysses people who were every nice and provided a workaround … that I couldn’t get to work. I’ll retry. Probably a case of “PICNIC” 
When I enter my credentials in Ulysses, which are correct, I get a “Failed to log in. Please verify your credentials” 
As a coder who had to support the software I coded, I am very familiar with times that I said, “But it works for me!” Persistent users convinced me to look more closely, upon which I would discover and fix the reason it was not working for them. 
Good luck! 
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This is why I recommended against using a self installed Wordpress. Once you install the dance of plugins, configurations, security, etc begins and these can be extremely time consuming and be broken by the next update. Wordpress is a high maintenance platform. If you’re developing in it every day then you’ll be able to take this in your stride. If you’re looking for an install once and then just use—that’s not Wordpress imho.
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I ran into the XMLRPC issue when trying to publish with Ulysess to my Namecheap hosted WordPress blog. Fortuantely I was able to create a support ticket with NameCheap and they were able to make some internal adjustments and now Ulysses functions properly.
Some further thoughts on this topic:
I think the best option for someone looking for a no-hassle personal blog host might be to just blog on Twitter. Or Facebook, but you’re selling your soul to the devil if you use Facebook. I’m very active on Facebook but I don’t feel great about it. If somebody has resisted its gravitational pull until now, I strongly suggest they just stay away.
Also great: Tumblr, with a few things to watch out for:
The Tumblr community is weird. I like it and feel like in my heart I fit right in. I am a weirdo myself, even though my corporeal self is a normie middle-aged corporate dude. However, many people will be uncomfortable with the Tumblr community.
Tumblr has a very sketchy reputation in the wider Internet community. If you’re an adult on Tumblr, you’ll get the side-eye.
Tumblr has had a bumpy corporate history, and at times it seemed to be on the verge of shutting down.
On the other hand, you can get your own domain on Tumblr, and in that way keep the weirdos at arm’s length.
And Tumblr’s sketchy reputation acts as repellent for the grifters and self-promoters. Nobody’s building their personal brand on Tumblr. People are there because they like it.
Automattic acquired Tumblr in 2019 and they seem to be in it for the long haul. They knew it was a fixer-upper when they got it. I’m optimistic we’ll see some changes in Tumblr. We can even hope for an Apple-in-the-2000s-type renaissance for it!
Tumblr is dead easy to use, you don’t have to worry about administering the site and it’s just in general a nice blogging platform, once you get used to a few technical quirks that are easy to get used to.
Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook seem to be my primary blogging platforms nowadays. I do a lot of copy-and-paste between the three places.
My Wordpress blog seems to be fallow at the moment. I keep thinking I’ll post longer, more polished, and thoughtful articles to my Wordpress blog, but it never seems to be a good time to do that.
I regularly change this workflow up. I am perpetually dissatisfied with the state of blogging here in the 2020s.
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My only caution about blogging on someone else’s platform: there are many ways it can vanish. The owner doesn’t have to go out of business. It can just change focus, come out with a shiny new alternative, get bought by a company with other plans…
There was once a blogging platform called, iirc, Posterous. Silly name, but it was great, especially if you just wanted to fire off an email with some photos and get a blog post out of it. Great when traveling. Then it shut down – I think it got bought.
I was able to export my blogs, sure. But then what? I think someone came up with a WordPress import. It still didn’t look right, and my workflow had changed (even with plugins that allowed posting by email). It kinda sucked.
I don’t think the answer is that everyone should run their own web server and hand code artisanal html. But there’s a fair bit of room between that and the big platforms.
You are absolutely right and I don’t know the answer.
You know the expression popular among engineers: Cheap, good, fast—pick two/.
There’s a corollary with blogging platforms and social media: You can have a futureproof platform customized to your needs—but you have to be willing to learn the tools, and spend time as an administrator. And not everybody has time to do that, wants to do it, or should have to do that.
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True.
For my purposes there’s a good middle ground: platforms like blot.im that run off plain text files that exist on your drive already (and so don’t need to be exported to be preserved).
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Looks like WordPress.com has revised their pricing and removed the $4 and $8/month lower tier plans. Then they reduced the cost of the professional plan to $15/month down from $25/month.
Gotta admit that new pricing is tempting.
But I’ve moved to Tumblr and it’s time for me to stop doing the blog shuffle.
Tumblr seems to be undergoing a bit of a renaissance, finally getting some love from its corporate owners.
I want to report back.
After using my own managed WordPress site on a shared hosting service for about 2 months, I am moving my blog to Ghost.org. Cost wise, it may be slightly more ( I am on a tight budget). However, I think it is worthwhile especially I do not have to worry about updating all the plug ins, and may have to pay for premium plug-in to make it suits my needs.
I am on the Ghost Starter Pro plan (again, budgetary constraints). It may not be as customisable as WordPress but I have very basic needs. It comes with the bonus of newsletter and membership management. I may not need all these features for now but good to know they are all included for $9/month
More details of my move are in here
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