Raycast (raycast.com) is a keyboard-driven launcher and collection of productivity tools, positioned as "your shortcut to everything." A single search bar handles launching apps, finding files, browsing clipboard history, arranging windows, and inserting text snippets, while an extension store connects it to thousands of community-built integrations for tools like GitHub, Notion, Slack, and Spotify (homepage, checked 2026-10-02).

It started on macOS in 2020 and is often compared with the veteran launcher Alfred. Two notable shifts in recent years: since 2025 it has moved beyond the Mac with iOS and Windows versions, and AI (Q&A, chat, agent-style tasks) has become the core of its paid subscription. The core feature set is free for personal use; AI and cloud sync require a Pro plan.

Screenshot of the Raycast homepage: hero headline "Your shortcut to everything." above the Mac download button and system requirements

The homepage screenshot above (2026-10-02) emphasizes "fast, keyboard first, personal, reliable"; the download area notes that the current Mac version requires macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon.

At a Glance

Item Details
URL https://www.raycast.com/
Type Launcher / desktop productivity suite (with extension store and AI subscription)
Cost Core features free; Pro 10/monthor10/month or96/year with AI, higher AI tiers at 20/20/50 per month; team plans billed separately (pricing, as of 2026-10-02)
Sign-up Free to download and use; an account is required for Pro, Cloud Sync, and team sharing (pricing FAQ)
Interface language English (no official localized versions observed as of 2026-10-02)
Platforms macOS (2.x requires Apple Silicon + macOS Tahoe), Windows (public beta, Windows 10 21H2+), iOS/iPadOS (iOS 18+); no Android (Windows page, iOS page)
Launched macOS public beta on 2020-10-29 (official blog); iOS on 2025-04-30; Windows public beta on 2025-11-20

Background

  • Founders: Raycast was founded in London in 2020 by former Facebook engineers Thomas Paul Mann (CEO) and Petr Nikolaev (CTO). The operating entity is Raycast Technologies Ltd., registered in England and Wales (company no. 12394678). As of September 2024 the team was around 30 people, three quarters of them engineers, distributed across Europe (TechCrunch, Terms of Service).
  • Funding: a 2.7MseedroundledbyAccel(withYCombinatorandothers)announcedalongsidethepublicbetainOctober2020;a2.7M seed round led by Accel (with Y Combinator and others) announced alongside the public beta in October 2020; a15M Series A co-led by Accel and Coatue in November 2021; and a $30M Series B led by Atomico in September 2024, earmarked for the Windows and iOS versions (seed announcement, Series A, Series B).
  • Scale: the company reported over 100,000 daily users, a 13,000-member community, and 1,000+ extensions in May 2023 (Pro launch post); TechCrunch reported "hundreds of thousands" of daily active users and more than 20,000 extension developers in September 2024. The homepage lists 37k members in its Slack community (as of 2026-10-02).
  • Release cadence: updates ship frequently; macOS v2.6, released 2026-10-02, focuses on reducing memory usage (changelog).

Core Features: Launcher and Built-in Tools

All built-in commands are included in the free plan — this is Raycast's foundation:

  • Launching and search: open apps, search local files and folders, a calculator that understands natural language and unit conversions, system commands, and an emoji/symbol picker.
  • Clipboard History: searchable history of copied text, images, links, and colors; kept for 3 months on the free plan and unlimited on Pro (pricing).
  • Window Management: snap windows into halves, thirds, and other presets via hotkeys; Pro adds custom window commands.
  • Snippets and Quicklinks: insert reusable text with short keywords; Quicklinks turn URLs or system links into one-keystroke shortcuts, replacing some browser bookmarks.
  • Notes and Focus: a built-in quick-notes tool (limited to 5 notes on the free plan) and a focus mode that blocks distracting apps and websites.
  • Automation: global hotkeys and aliases, Script Commands, translation, and a calendar view.

Screenshot of the Raycast Store: a wall of popular extension icons and a search box above the Featured section

Extension Store and Developer Ecosystem

Raycast made its Extensions API and Store generally available in November 2021 (Series A announcement), and the ecosystem has since become its main differentiator: the store hosts thousands of community extensions ("thousands of extensions," per the website) covering Linear, GitHub, Jira, Notion, Todoist, 1Password, Spotify and more, with install counts shown publicly — top extensions reach hundreds of thousands of installs (Store, as of 2026-10-02).

Extensions are built with React and TypeScript using Raycast's UI component library, and the API is cross-platform by design: extensions without native code run on both macOS and Windows, while those depending on platform-specific capabilities are labeled "macOS only" in the store (Windows FAQ). The same API can be used to write private extensions for personal or internal team use.

AI Capabilities

AI arrived with the Pro subscription in May 2023 (Pro launch post) and is available only on paid plans:

  • Quick AI: type a question in the launcher and press Tab for an instant answer.
  • AI Chat and Agents: a multi-model chat window that can call installed extensions and local tools to complete multi-step tasks; Automations run scheduled tasks in the background, and Projects give ongoing work its own instructions and memory.
  • AI Commands / AI Extensions: transform selected text with natural-language instructions and expose extension capabilities to the AI.
  • Model access: plans include models from multiple providers; you can also connect your own Claude or ChatGPT subscription, API keys, or local models (all requiring a paid plan) (AI pricing post).

Since 2026-09-10, AI usage is metered through credits instead of rate limits: each paid tier includes a monthly allowance (500 / 3,000 / 7,500 credits), models consume credits at different rates, and non-expiring top-up packs are available; subscription prices themselves did not change (AI pricing post).

Platform Support

  • macOS: the primary, most complete platform. Version 2.x requires macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon; the older V1 remains available for download (homepage, as of 2026-10-02).
  • Windows: in public beta since 2025-11-20 (launch post), supporting Windows 10 21H2+ and Windows 11, installable via the Microsoft Store or winget install raycast. Core features (launcher, clipboard history, window management, snippets, file search) are in place and mostly work offline, but the company says AI Chat, Notes and other features are still being ported (Windows page).
  • iOS/iPadOS: launched 2025-04-30 (launch post), requires iOS 18+. It is a companion app rather than a Spotlight replacement: AI chats, Notes, Snippets, and Quicklinks on the go, plus a custom keyboard, widgets, Shortcuts, and Action Button integration; cross-device sync requires Pro. No Android version exists (iOS FAQ).

Pricing (as of 2026-10-02)

Prices from the pricing page (annual billing is shown as 20% cheaper than monthly):

Plan Monthly Annual Notes
Free $0 $0 All built-in features and all public extensions; 3-month clipboard history, 5 notes; no AI
Pro $10/mo $96/yr AI (500 credits/month), Cloud Sync, Dictation, custom themes, unlimited clipboard history and notes
Pro+ $20/mo $192/yr 3,000 credits/month, unlocks top-tier models
Max $50/mo $480/yr 7,500 credits/month for heavy AI use
Teams Free $0 — Unlimited members; 30 shared snippets, 30 shared quicklinks, 5 shared commands
Teams Pro $15/user/mo $144/user/yr Team counterpart of Pro, with Plus and Max tiers; Enterprise is custom (SAML/SCIM, AI controls)

Notes: there is no "Pro without AI" tier, though AI can be disabled entirely in settings; verified students get 50% off Pro (pricing FAQ).

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The pricing page screenshot above (2026-10-02, annual view): Free on the left, individual Pro in the middle (switchable between Pro/Plus/Max), and Teams on the right.

Privacy and Data

Raycast's privacy policy (last updated 2026-06-19) describes a local-first architecture: most features run on-device and data stays local unless you use cloud sync, team sharing, or AI features. AI Memory is on by default but stored locally and encrypted, and can be disabled in settings; the company says it configures AI providers, where possible, so that inputs and outputs are not used for training and are subject to zero data retention. Payments are processed by Stripe, and the policy states personal data is not sold (privacy policy). Users concerned about sensitive clipboard content should review the policy before enabling cloud sync or AI.

Who It's For

  • Keyboard-centric Mac and Windows users who want launching, window switching, lookup, and pasting compressed into one search bar.
  • Developers and product teams who live in GitHub, Linear, Notion, or Jira and want to query issues, create tasks, and search docs without opening a browser.
  • Heavy AI users who want one interface for multiple model providers, with the AI able to act on local files and installed extensions.
  • Teams that want to standardize workflows via shared snippets, quicklinks, and private extensions (Teams plans).

Limitations

  • AI is paywalled: the free plan includes no AI at all, and since September 2026 usage is metered in credits, so heavy use means upgrading tiers or buying top-ups (AI pricing post).
  • Windows is still in beta: the company acknowledges some features (AI Chat, Notes, and others) have not fully caught up with macOS, and some extensions are marked macOS-only (Windows page).
  • iOS is a companion app: system restrictions prevent it from replacing Spotlight, its value depends on syncing with the desktop, and sync requires Pro.
  • No Android (iOS FAQ).
  • English only: no localized interface as of 2026-10-02.
  • Steep system requirements on Mac: 2.x needs macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon; older machines are limited to the feature-frozen V1.

Alternatives

On macOS, the long-standing launcher Alfred (Raycast maintains a Raycast vs Alfred comparison page) still follows a one-time Powerpack purchase model; on Windows, Microsoft's free PowerToys utilities are the common point of comparison. Raycast's main differentiators are its subscription-backed extension ecosystem and built-in AI.

References