Raycast: The Free Launcher That Replaces Spotlight, Alfred, and More

If you use a Mac, you probably press Cmd+Space dozens of times a day. That opens Spotlight. It works. But it is basic.

Raycast does everything Spotlight does — and a lot more. And the core is free forever.

Who is this for? If you are a developer on Mac who wants faster app switching, clipboard history, and integrations with tools like GitHub, Linear, and VS Code — all with a single hotkey — this is for you.

What Is Raycast?

Raycast is a launcher for Mac. Press a hotkey, and a search bar appears. You can open apps, search files, run commands, manage your clipboard, and control your computer.

But that is just the beginning. Raycast has 1,500+ extensions built by the community. You can search GitHub issues, manage Linear tickets, control Vercel deployments, and more — all without opening a browser.

Raycast launched for Windows in late 2025 and is currently in beta there.

The Core Features Are Free

This is the important part. Raycast does not lock basic features behind a paywall.

The free plan includes:

• App launcher — open any app in seconds
• Clipboard history — see everything you copied (last 3 months on free)
• Window management — tile and resize windows with keyboard shortcuts
• Snippets — expand short text into longer templates (supports dynamic placeholders like current date or clipboard content)
• File search — find any file on your Mac
• All 1,500+ community extensions — free to install and use
• Quicklinks — open any URL or app with a keyword

No account needed. Download and start using it.

Extensions Are the Real Power

Raycast extensions are built with React and TypeScript. They look native and feel fast.

Some popular extensions for developers:

• GitHub — search repos, issues, and pull requests
• Linear — create and manage tickets
• VS Code — open recent projects
• Vercel — check deployment status
• Docker — manage containers
• Homebrew — search and install packages
• npm — search packages

You install extensions from the Raycast Store with one click. No configuration files, no manual installs.

Raycast vs Spotlight

Spotlight is built into macOS. It is fast for basic search. But it does not have clipboard history, window management, or extensions.

Raycast replaces Spotlight for most things. You set Raycast to your Cmd+Space hotkey and forget Spotlight exists.

Note: macOS Tahoe added some Spotlight improvements like clipboard history. But Raycast still has far more features and a much larger extension store.

Raycast vs Alfred

Alfred has been around for years. It is powerful and many developers love it.

The main difference: Alfred costs money. The “Powerpack” (needed for workflows and many features) is about $35 as a one-time purchase. Alfred workflows are also harder to build — you need to use their custom format, not web technologies.

Raycast is free for the same core features. Extensions are easier to build because they use React and TypeScript. And Raycast has a bigger extension store.

Alfred wins on: raw speed, lighter resource usage, one-time pricing. Raycast wins on: modern UI, free clipboard history, larger extension ecosystem, built-in AI.

Raycast Pro — Is It Worth It?

Raycast Pro is $8/month billed annually (or $10/month billed monthly). It adds:

• Raycast AI — chat with multiple AI models including GPT-4o and Claude
• Cloud Sync — sync your setup across Macs
• Custom themes — change how Raycast looks
• Unlimited clipboard history (free tier is limited to 3 months)

If you already pay for an AI subscription, Raycast Pro might replace it. You get multiple AI models in one tool.

But the free plan is enough for most developers. Try it free first.

How to Install Raycast

Go to raycast.com and download the app. It is free, no account needed.

After installing:

1. Open Raycast and follow the setup guide
2. Set your hotkey (replace Cmd+Space with Raycast)
3. Browse the Raycast Store and install the extensions you need

You will start using it within minutes.

Raycast vs Spotlight vs Alfred

What’s Next?

More developer tools:

• Bruno: The Open-Source Postman Alternative
• Claude Code Tricks Most Devs Don’t Know