Raycast
Productivity · Freemium
Overview
A launcher that opens with a keystroke and lets you run searches, actions, and small tools from one bar without reaching for the mouse. It is made by Raycast, a London company founded in 2020. It started as a Mac only replacement for Spotlight and the Alfred launcher, then added an extension store so other tools plug in. In late 2025 the company released a Windows version, which is still catching up to the Mac app. Paid tiers add AI features and cloud sync. The core launcher, window management, clipboard history, and snippets are free.
What people use it for
People use it to switch apps, open files, and run web searches with a few keystrokes. It manages window layouts, so you can snap a window to half the screen from the keyboard. It keeps a searchable clipboard history and stores reusable text snippets. Through extensions, users trigger actions in other tools without opening them: create a Linear issue, search Notion, start a Zoom call, check GitHub pull requests, or run a script. Developers use it as a command runner for common tasks. On paid plans, people ask its AI to rewrite text, answer a quick question, or summarize the clipboard from the same bar. Many replace a handful of small menu bar utilities with Raycast alone.
Key capabilities
Raycast provides an app launcher, file search, window management, calculator, clipboard history, and text snippets in the free tier, plus an extension store with community and official extensions covering tools like GitHub, Linear, Notion, Slack, and Jira. Extensions are built in JavaScript and TypeScript. The Pro plan adds Raycast AI, which includes quick answers, an AI chat, AI commands, and access to several models, along with unlimited clipboard history, cloud sync across devices, unlimited notes, and dictation. An Advanced AI add on unlocks more capable models for an extra fee. Teams plans add a shared store for private extensions and shared snippets. Raycast is native on macOS. A Windows version launched in late 2025 and left beta in 2026, with core features working but some Mac only integrations and full feature parity still in progress. There is no Linux version.
Limitations
Raycast is best on macOS. The Windows app is newer and still working toward feature parity, and there is no Linux version. The most useful parts, AI features and cloud sync, sit behind the Pro plan, and the strongest AI models cost an additional add on fee on top of that. New users can lose time tweaking settings, installing extensions, and learning shortcuts before it pays off. Because so much runs through extensions, quality varies and some community extensions break after app updates. Relying on it heavily also means a cloud account and subscription for what used to be simple local utilities, which some people would rather avoid on a core tool.
Insight
Raycast earns its place by replacing the Mac launcher plus a pile of small utilities with one keyboard driven bar. Once the shortcuts are in muscle memory it genuinely saves time every day, and the extension store means it keeps growing without bloating the core app. The trade offs are familiar: it is still a Mac first tool despite the Windows release, the AI and sync features that many people want are paid, and the best models cost more again. There is also a setup phase where tinkering replaces working. For a keyboard first person on a Mac who is willing to invest a week building habits, it is one of the highest value tools you can install. For someone who just wants a better search box, the free tier alone is enough and the rest can be ignored.
Pricing
Freemium
Website
Last checked 2026-08-30