Raycast: The command palette your OS forgot to ship.
Spotlight finally has a competitor that treats keyboard fluency as a first-class product surface.
The problem it solves
Mac power users live in their launcher. Raycast turned that launcher into an extensible workbench with AI, snippets, and deep app integrations.
Key features
- 01Built-in AI chat and quick commands
- 02Massive extension store
- 03Window management without a second app
- 04Snippets + clipboard history that just work
- 05Cross-device sync via Raycast Pro
Verified pros
Extensions ecosystem is the deepest of any launcher
via RedditAI commands are faster than alt-tabbing to ChatGPT
via XReplaces 4-5 paid apps for most users
via YouTube
Current gaps
macOS-only — Windows version still in beta
via RedditPro tier required for AI features
via G2
Aggregated sentiment
"Replaced Alfred for me overnight."
"Best $10/mo I spend."
"Standard install on every engineer's laptop."
Pricing
| Tier | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Everything except cloud AI |
| Pro | $10/mo | AI + sync + cloud |
Alternatives compared
| Product | Goat Score |
|---|---|
| Alfred | 8.5 |
| Spotlight | 7.2 |
The verdict
Install it, give it a week, and you'll forget what your dock was for.
Affiliate disclosure: Some outbound links may be affiliate links. They never change our score. See our full disclosure.
FAQ
Is the free version usable?+
Yes — most users live happily on free until they want cloud sync or AI.