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What is Raycast?
Raycast replaces Spotlight on the Mac and has become the command centre for many users: it opens apps, manages windows, stores your clipboard, runs text snippets and, with its AI layer, lets you query models like GPT or Claude from anywhere with a keyboard shortcut. Its free tier is genuinely complete and it has more than 1,500 extensions.
Pros
- The free tier is a complete tool, not a demo
- AI one keyboard shortcut away from any application
- More than 1,500 community extensions
- Replaces several separate productivity apps
Cons
- Built for Mac: the Windows version is still in beta
- Advanced AI adds another $8/month on top of Pro
- Getting the most out of it requires setting up shortcuts and extensions
What Raycast is like in practice
Where it stands out
It replaces the system launcher with something that also executes: opens applications, finds files, runs your own scripts and invokes AI without switching windows. Its value lies in what you repeat twenty times a day, which is why it shows immediately for anyone losing minutes hunting for windows and shortcuts.
Where it falls short
It is a Mac tool: if your team works on Windows or Linux, it does not exist for you. And its help depends on you being there: what has to happen on its own when an email or a payment arrives at three in the morning needs something else entirely.
How its pricing works
The free version covers the launcher and much of the extension catalogue, and for many people that is enough indefinitely. The paid plan adds the AI features and sync across machines. Try the free one for a couple of weeks first: if it does not change your habits, the paid one will not either.
Is Raycast right for you?
Yes, if…
You use a Mac and spend the day switching between applications: it replaces Spotlight and several separate tools, and puts AI one shortcut away from anywhere. Its free plan is a complete tool.
No, if…
You work on Windows or Linux: the Windows version is still in beta and there is none for Linux. It is also not worth it if you will not spend time setting up shortcuts and extensions.
Frequently asked questions
Is Raycast free?
Yes, and its free plan is complete: launcher, clipboard history, window management and all extensions, with some AI messages included. Pro costs $8/user/month billed annually.
Does it work on Windows?
There is a Windows version, but it is still in beta. The full experience is on Mac, its original platform.
Which AI models does it include?
The Pro plan gives access to advanced models such as GPT and Claude with unlimited requests, callable from any app with a shortcut.
Compare Raycast head to head
Pricing, features and limits of Raycast against its direct rivals.
Where Raycast appears
Rankings where we have picked this tool.