Raycast

What is Raycast?

Raycast is a keyboard-driven Mac launcher: one search bar opens apps, files, commands and installed extensions. The company sums it up as a collection of productivity tools inside an extendable launcher that aims to be fast, ergonomic and reliable.

Besides searching local apps and files, Raycast also acts as a clipboard manager, text expander, window manager and command palette for other apps. The service is operated by Raycast Technologies Ltd., a private limited company registered in England and Wales. A September 2024 technology-press report described the company as founded in London in 2020 by former Facebook engineers Thomas Paul Mann (CEO) and Petr Nikolaev (CTO).

The launcher itself is free, while Raycast AI, Cloud Sync and Dictation belong to paid plans. Three facts shape most decisions: the current Mac app (v2) needs macOS Tahoe on Apple Silicon, AI use is metered in monthly credits, and the Windows app is still catching up with the Mac feature set.

Core features

Launcher and built-in tools

• Store extensions: You can install extensions for Jira, GitHub and Google Workspace, among others, and control those services without opening a browser.
• Snippets and Quicklinks: A snippet is inserted by typing its keyword, and Quicklinks open saved links or targets from anywhere.
• Clipboard History: Retention can be set from 1 day up to 3 months on any plan; 6 months, 1 year and unlimited are Pro options, and longer retention is not switched on automatically after upgrading.

Raycast AI

Paid plans add Raycast AI, which Raycast positions as a virtual assistant that works through the tools you already use.

• Quick AI and AI Extensions: Quick AI brings the agent to small tasks that come up during the day, while AI Extensions connect everyday tools so the AI can work where you do.
• AI Commands: Saved prompts become keyboard shortcuts for jobs such as fixing grammar, shortening an email or changing tone.
• Automations: Prompts run on a schedule, and the agent works in the background and adds the result to a chat.
• Projects: Related chats share their own memory, and a project can point at a working directory such as an Obsidian vault or an invoices folder on a Mac or PC.
• Screen Awareness: The agent can take context from what is on screen, so you don't have to explain everything first.

Model access depends on the plan. Pro includes models such as Claude Sonnet 5 or GPT-5.6 Terra, while Pro+ adds frontier models such as Fable 5.1 or GPT-6 Astra. You can also connect an existing Claude or ChatGPT subscription, or your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google API keys, without spending AI Credits, and run a local model through Ollama.

Extensions and the browser companion

Extensions are written with React, Node.js and TypeScript and shared through the Raycast Store. The companion browser extension runs in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Chromium browsers such as Arc, Brave, Edge or Vivaldi, and its {browser-tab} placeholder passes the active tab's content into AI Commands.

Guide

Moving from Raycast v1 to v2

1. Update v1 first: Raycast asks for the latest v1, or at least v1.104.16, and v2 replaces v1 on installation.
2. Install v2 and accept the import offered during onboarding.
3. If you skipped it, run Migrate from Raycast v1, which moves your data and shortcuts (disabling those shortcuts in v1) and also brings over Clipboard History, Wrapped and Emoji picker data that a manual import leaves behind.
4. For a manual route, export a .rayconfig file from v1 and run Import Settings and Data.
5. If custom extensions did not come across, run npx @raycast/api@latest dev while v2 is open.

Tracking AI credit use

1. Open Settings → Account to see remaining credits and the next renewal date, or type /usage in the AI Chat composer.
2. Watch for the Low Credits pill above the composer, which appears when the balance runs low.
3. Buy a top-up from Settings → Account if needed: packages hold 500, 2,500, 5,000 or 10,000 credits, prices appear in the purchase dialog, and top-ups are unavailable during the Pro trial.
4. If a response stops because credits ran out, top up or switch models, then choose Try Again.

Raycast use cases and examples

• Cross-app chores: The homepage demo asks the agent to check Linear for tasks assigned to you and create a matching task in Things for each one.
• Recurring routines: Raycast's own team runs Automations that triage an email inbox every morning and, every hour, check open pull requests, rebase stale ones and report which are ready to merge.
• Internal tools for a team: Organizations can publish private extensions to their own store, for example to reach brand assets, log feedback, book time off or search an employee index.
• Shared wording: Shared Snippets can hold canned support replies, code-review templates and standard documentation text for a whole team.
• Reading on the web: With the browser extension, Summarize Webpage returns a page's three main takeaways, and a YouTube command returns a summary with the best quotes.

Who is it for

Raycast suits people who spend the day at a keyboard and want one entry point for apps, text, windows and web services. In a 2024 interview, the CEO said most users are developers, with designers, product managers, journalists and others who work at a computer all day increasingly joining.

• Companies: The Free and Team plans may be used for personal and organizational work, including in corporate environments.
• IT-managed organizations: The Enterprise tier adds SAML and SCIM, MDM sign-in enforcement, IP and extension allow-lists, and an AI provider allow-list.
• Students: Verified students get 50% off, but only on the Pro plan.
• Extension builders: Developers with web skills can build their own commands with the extension API.

Less suited:

• People on Linux or Android, or on Macs that cannot run macOS Tahoe on Apple Silicon.
• Anyone who wants paid features without AI: every Pro plan includes AI, although AI can be switched off completely in Settings.

Platforms

• macOS: Raycast v2 requires macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon, and anyone still on Sequoia or earlier has to upgrade macOS before installing it.
• Windows: Raycast for Windows was listed at version 2.6.2.0 on the download page as captured on October 5, 2026, with support for Windows 10 21H2 or later and Windows 11. It ships through the Microsoft Store, but Store access is not required, and winget install raycast also works.
• iOS and iPadOS: The US App Store lookup lists the app as free, with iOS 18.0 as the minimum version and a 4+ content rating. The app adds a custom keyboard and Home Screen widgets, and syncing AI chats, Notes, Snippets and Quicklinks across devices requires Raycast Pro. As captured on October 5, 2026, the same lookup returned an average rating of about 4.49 from 247 ratings.
• Extensions across systems: Extensions that need no native code run on both macOS and Windows, and porting the rest relies on the developer community.
• Not available: Raycast is only offered for macOS, Windows, iOS and iPadOS, with Android mentioned only as a possible future option. The general FAQ adds that there are currently no plans for Linux.
• Regions: Raycast is available globally except Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and the Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.

Pages describe the Windows build differently. The general FAQ says Raycast is available on Windows in public beta, while the Windows download page shows a version number and system requirements without a beta label. Likewise, the Pro page lists Cloud Sync between Mac, Windows and iOS devices, but the Windows FAQ still names Cloud Sync among upcoming Windows features.

Pricing

Raycast's paid tiers differ mainly in AI credits and model access. Prices are in US dollars.

Raycast Free covers Clipboard History, Quicklinks, Calculator, Snippets, Emoji Picker, Window Management, five Raycast Notes and access to the iOS app, but AI features are not included. Every paid plan adds Cloud Sync, Dictation, Translator, unlimited Notes and Clipboard History, Custom Window Management and Custom Themes on top of AI. The Pro page itself shows Pro at $8 per month, with $120 struck through beside $96 billed annually.

The free Teams plan does not expire, but it is limited to 30 shared Snippets, 30 shared Quicklinks and 5 Commands across your extensions. Team credits are per member and are not pooled, and there is no minimum or maximum number of seats. Enterprise runs on dedicated terms and SLAs with custom pricing billed annually, and it cannot be bought on the website.

Trials, credits and billing rules

• Only Pro has a free trial: 7 days with 500 AI credits and Pro-level models, while Pro+ and Max start billing right away.
• Unused monthly credits roll over for one extra billing cycle, so each grant expires 60 days after it is issued; top-up credits last 12 months but only work with an active paid subscription.
• Since September 10, 2026, plans have been usage-based rather than rate-limited, with subscription prices unchanged.
• Cancelling keeps plan benefits until the renewal date before the account returns to Free; upgrades apply immediately and downgrades at the next renewal.
• Payments are non-refundable, with no refunds or credits for partly used periods, apart from consumer cooling-off rights. UK and EU consumers can cancel within 14 days of a subscription starting, but may still be charged for the time the service was supplied.
• One subscription covers macOS, Windows and iOS when you sign in with the same account. Subscriptions bought inside the iOS app must be managed on the iOS device, and Raycast cannot cancel or change them.
• Bringing your own AI subscription, API key, custom provider or local model still requires a paid Raycast plan.

Raycast alternatives

The closest substitutes differ mostly in platform and payment model.

• Spotlight (built into macOS): Raycast's FAQ describes Spotlight as search for apps, documents and files on a Mac plus contextual information such as news or weather. Coverage of WWDC 2025 in the technology press reported that the new macOS Spotlight shows suggested apps and adds Actions such as creating calendar events, comparing it directly with Raycast. As a Spotlight alternative, Raycast's case therefore rests on its extension store, text tools and AI layer rather than on app search.
• Alfred (Mac): Raycast's FAQ describes Alfred as an app that searches the Mac and the web with hotkeys, keywords and text expansions, extended through Workflows. Its Powerpack is priced as licenses: £34 for a single-user v5 license, or £59 for a Mega Supporter license with free lifetime upgrades.
• PowerToys Command Palette (Windows): Microsoft's tool launches apps, runs commands, searches files and browses the web from one keyboard-first box opened with Win + Alt + Space. Raycast's Windows FAQ contrasts PowerToys' individual utilities with its own unified launcher, AI integration, Cloud Sync and extension ecosystem.

Limitations

• v2 is new: Raycast calls v2 a major update with frequent updates and occasional rough edges, and says a handful of features are still missing.
• Windows lags macOS: Raycast says it is still bringing the macOS feature set to Windows.
• AI needs a connection and credits: Most core features work offline, but Quick AI and AI Chat need an internet connection. When monthly and top-up credits are both used up, Raycast AI stops until the next allowance or a top-up, and buying credits does not lift a provider's rate limit.
• Cancelled credits are frozen: Remaining credits stay on the account after cancelling but can only be used after resubscribing.
• iOS gaps: AI Extensions don't work on iOS for now, though chats can still be read there.
• Extensions follow their own rules: Third-party extensions may use their own AI logic, so their README or source code is the reference.
• Age limits: Under-13s may not use the service, and under-18s need a parent's or guardian's approval.

Privacy and data

• Local first: Raycast AI data is stored on your computer; with Cloud Sync on, AI Chats are saved on Raycast servers, encrypted at rest and in transit.
• Training: Raycast states that, with its provided models, provider agreements prohibit using AI interactions to train models. Its policy adds that dictation audio is never used to train AI models and that audio or transcriptions are not stored on Raycast servers.
• Retention: According to Raycast, its provided models are Zero Data Retention, except Mistral AI and xAI, which keep data for 30 days. The company also says it does not log or retain prompts but keeps basic metadata such as completion-token counts.
• Exceptions: AI attachments are uploaded to Raycast servers whatever model you use, and with AI Memory on, recent chats from any model are processed by a Raycast-hosted model.
• Bring-your-own routing: Your own Anthropic, Google or OpenAI API keys are processed through Raycast's servers, while a connected Claude or ChatGPT subscription routes through Claude Code or the Codex CLI on your computer directly to the provider.
• Telemetry: Some in-app interactions are tracked anonymously, including usage statistics and error reports.
• Output rights: You own your AI input, and Raycast assigns to you whatever copyright ownership it obtains in the output.
• Enterprise assurance: The Enterprise plan card lists SOC2 Type II compliance and annual penetration testing.

FAQ

Q1. Is Raycast free?

Yes for the launcher and built-in tools. Raycast Free includes Clipboard History, Snippets, Quicklinks, Window Management and five Notes, and it may be used at work. AI features need a paid plan, starting with Pro at $10 a month.

Q2. Can I get Raycast Pro without AI?

No. Every Pro plan includes AI, but you can turn AI off completely in Settings, which disables all AI features.

Q3. Can I use my own ChatGPT or Claude subscription?

Yes, on any paid plan. Connected subscriptions and your own API keys don't consume AI Credits, but they still require a paid Raycast plan.

Q4. Does Raycast work offline?

Mostly. Most core features work offline, while Quick AI and AI Chat need an internet connection.

Q5. Can I get a refund?

Payments are generally non-refundable. UK and EU consumers can cancel within 14 days of a subscription starting, though they may still be charged for the time the service was supplied.