Raycast

Overview Raycast is a keyboard-first launcher for macOS that brings a collection of productivity tools into one extendable app. You use it to launch apps, run commands, control windows, search files, manage clipboard history, expand snippets, and trigger AI actions without leaving the keyboard. It positions itself against launchers like Spotlight and Alfred by offering a richer feature set, deeper native integrations with third-party services, and a command-line inspired interface. Raycast is free for personal use, and thousands of extensions in its Store connect to tools such as Linear, Jira, Slack, Notion, and Spotify. Key Benefits Free for personal use, covering all built-in extensions and community extensions. Fast operation measured in milliseconds with a 99.8% crash-free rate. Clipboard History stores copied content so you never lose what you copied. A public extension API lets anyone with web development skills build and publish extensions for macOS and Windows. Raycast AI adds Quick AI, AI Chat, Agents, and AI Commands for on-OS automation. Cloud Sync, Dictation, and Custom Themes come with paid Pro and Teams plans. How It Works You press the Raycast shortcut to open the launcher, type to filter apps, commands, and files, then press Return to run an action or Command-K to open the Action Panel. You install extensions from the Store for services like Jira or Slack, add snippets and quicklinks, and assign hotkeys or aliases to any command to speed up the workflow. Use Cases Software engineers create and search issues in Linear and Jira without leaving the keyboard. Designers trigger CleanShot X screen captures and compress selected images in Finder with TinyPNG. Writers expand snippets, define words with the dictionary, and translate text through Google Translate. Project managers check Slack unread messages, set presence, and create Todoist tasks. Students get a 50% discount on the Pro plan through the verified student program. Team administrators use SAML, SCIM, domain capture, and AI provider allow-lists in Teams Pro. Why Choose This Product Raycast suits professionals who want a fast launcher that combines search, clipboard management, window management, snippets, and AI in one place. It is free for personal use, while paid Pro and Teams plans add AI, Cloud Sync, Dictation, and admin controls. The Mac version requires macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon, there are no Linux plans, and the Pro plan is only offered with AI included.