What is Raycast?
Raycast is a launcher: you press a hotkey, type, and run something — open an app, run a script, search files, manage windows, or trigger any of thousands of community extensions. The core product is free, including clipboard history, quicklinks, snippets and window management. AI features, cloud sync and unlimited notes sit behind a Pro subscription starting at $8 per month billed annually. The macOS build the developer publishes is Apple Silicon only, so Intel Macs are not served by the official download link.
Verified product facts
- Type
- application launcherEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- Yes
- Pricing
- FreemiumDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- Raycast Technologies LtdDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Current version
- 2.6Developer-stated
- Official website
- raycast.com?via=ae02
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Raycast does at a glance.
Keyboard launcher
With a command palette
Clipboard history with search
Window management commands
Quicklinks and text snippets
Extension store
Plus user-written custom extensions
Optional AI chat, commands and dictation on Pro
What you can use Raycast for
- Launching apps and running commands from a keyboard hotkey
- Managing windows with keyboard commands
- Searching your clipboard history
- Storing and reusing snippets and quicklinks
- Extending the launcher with community or custom extensions
Who is Raycast for?
- Keyboard-driven Mac users who want to run things without leaving the keyboard
- Users who want a free launcher with clipboard history, snippets and window management
- People willing to use or write extensions to assemble their own set of commands
Who is Raycast not for?
- Intel Mac users — the official download serves an Apple Silicon (arm64) build only
- Anyone who needs AI features, cloud sync or unlimited notes without a subscription — those require Pro
Limitations
- The official macOS download is Apple Silicon only; requesting an Intel build returns 404
- The minimum macOS version is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks
Strengths and trade-offs
What Raycast does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- The core launcher is free, including clipboard history, quicklinks, snippets, calculator and window management.Developer-stated
- Extensions are user-writable, so custom commands can be added without waiting on the developer.Developer-stated
- Pro can use an existing AI subscription key instead of Raycast's own credits.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- The download link published on raycast.com serves an Apple Silicon (arm64) build; requesting an Intel build from that endpoint returns 404.
- AI features, cloud sync, dictation and unlimited notes all require the Pro subscription, starting at $8 per month billed annually.
- The free tier caps Raycast Notes at 5 notes and clipboard history at 3 months.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download a .dmg from raycast.com and drag the app to Applications; no account is required to use the free tier.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Raycast asks to replace the Spotlight hotkey during onboarding, which is the first decision it presents.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Optionally takes over the Spotlight keyboard shortcut and runs extensions with macOS permissions granted per-extension.
- Apple Silicon
- Supported
What it does
Raycast is a launcher: press a hotkey, type, and run something. Out of the box that covers opening apps, searching files, calculator, clipboard history, quicklinks, snippets and window management. On top of that sits an extension ecosystem — thousands of community extensions plus custom ones written locally — so the launcher becomes whatever set of commands you assemble.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Raycast Free | $0 | — |
| Pro | $8 / month | billed annually ($96/year) |
| Pro (monthly) | $10 / month | monthly |
| Pro+ | $20 / month | monthly |
| Max | $50 / month | monthly |
| Teams Pro | $12 / user / month | billed annually |
| Enterprise | quoted | annual only |
The free tier is genuinely usable rather than a trial: extensions, clipboard history, snippets and window management are all included. What the paid tiers add is AI, cloud sync across Mac/Windows/iOS, dictation, unlimited notes and custom themes. Raycast Pro also supports bringing your own AI key.
Apple Silicon only
The download link published on raycast.com requests an arm64 build.
Requesting the same endpoint with an Intel architecture returns 404, and the
endpoint rejects a request with no architecture at all. In other words the
official macOS download is Apple Silicon only — worth knowing before
recommending Raycast to someone on an Intel Mac.
What changed in 2.6
Version 2.6 reworked AI model selection into three preferences — Lightweight, Balanced and Flagship — and reports roughly 50% lower memory use in the host process and about 30% lower memory in extension processes.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for Raycast, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
2.6Developer-stated
Reworked AI model selection (Lightweight, Balanced, Flagship) and roughly 50% lower host memory use.
Source: Official website
Questions about Raycast
Is Raycast free?
The core launcher is free, including clipboard history, quicklinks, snippets and window management. AI features, cloud sync, dictation and unlimited notes require Pro, from $8 per month billed annually.
Does Raycast run on Intel Macs?
Not from the official download link. The link published on raycast.com serves an Apple Silicon (arm64) build, and requesting an Intel build from the same endpoint returns 404.
Can I use my own AI subscription with Raycast?
Yes. Pro supports bringing your own key so an existing AI subscription can be used inside Raycast instead of Raycast's included credits.Developer-stated
What is the latest Raycast version?
2.6, released on 2 October 2026.
Alternatives to Raycast
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
RustCast
Free, open-source Rust launcher for macOS, now unmaintained.
Both are keyboard launchers with extensions, file search and clipboard history; Rustcast is a lighter, non-subscription option.
Cerebro
Open-source productivity booster with a brain.
Both extend a search box into a command palette, but Cerebro is open source with no paid tier.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
Alfred
Launcher and automation tool with workflows and snippets.
Both are keyboard launchers for macOS; Alfred's Powerpack is a one-time purchase where Raycast's AI tier is a subscription.
Works well with
Not a replacement — apps commonly used alongside this one.
Ice
Menu bar manager for hiding icons and organizing layouts.
Raycast manages commands and windows while Ice manages menu bar items; they occupy different parts of the same Mac workflow.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
