Raycast

Raycast is a keyboard-first macOS launcher that bundles app switching, file search, clipboard history, window management, and an extension ecosystem with built-in access to GPT and Claude models. It appeals most to developers and Mac power users who want to trigger AI and automations without leaving the keyboard, and it keeps a strong free tier while charging for Pro and advanced AI features.

Raycast started as a developer-focused Spotlight replacement and has grown into a full productivity surface for Mac power users. From one hotkey you can launch apps, search files, manage clipboard history, control window layouts, run snippets, and trigger hundreds of community extensions. The design philosophy is that everything should be reachable in a few keystrokes, which makes it especially popular with engineers, founders, and operators who live in the keyboard. The AI layer is what pushed Raycast into the modern AI-tool conversation. Raycast AI puts frontier models like GPT and Claude behind a keyboard shortcut, with context pulled from your clipboard, selected text, and files. You can build custom AI Commands, use AI Chat, and on higher tiers get access to more advanced models. Because it lives at the OS level rather than in a browser tab, it feels more like an ambient assistant than a destination app. Raycast monetizes through Pro and Advanced AI subscriptions plus team plans, while keeping a genuinely useful free tier. That free tier alone replaces several paid Mac utilities, which is a large part of its word-of-mouth growth. The main caveats are platform focus (macOS-first, Windows still maturing) and the fact that the most capable AI models sit behind the pricier tiers.