What it is
Raycast replaces the system search bar with a fast command launcher for Mac, Windows and iOS. The free version includes clipboard history (kept for three months), snippets, window management, a calculator, five notes and thousands of community extensions for apps like GitHub, Jira and Slack. The Windows app left beta with version 2.0 on 25 August 2026, at which point features that had been free during the beta, including AI Chat and Dictation, moved behind the Pro plan.
Raycast AI is the paid layer: quick questions from anywhere, AI chat, agents, custom AI commands, extensions that act on your apps, memory and models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, xAI and others. You can also bring your own API key, connect an OpenRouter key or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or run local models. Paid plans add cloud sync, dictation, a translator and unlimited notes and clipboard history.
AI use is metered in credits. Pro costs $10 a month or $96 a year with 500 credits; Plus ($20 a month or $192 a year) has 3,000 and Max ($50 or $480) 7,500, and only Plus and Max include the top-tier models. Monthly credits expire after 60 days. Team plans run from $15 per user a month, and Enterprise adds SAML, SCIM and organisation-wide AI controls.
Our review
Raycast's free tier is the real product, and the AI is an optional extra on top of it. Clipboard history, snippets, window management and an extension store replace several small utilities at no cost, and the free plan has no time limit. The catch is small but deliberate: clipboard history is kept for three months and notes are capped at five until you pay.
The AI plans are priced like a chatbot subscription but behave differently. Pro at $10 a month buys 500 credits and no access to the top-tier models; reaching those means Plus at $20, the same price as a direct ChatGPT or Claude subscription. Each model burns credits at its own rate, and unused monthly credits lapse after 60 days. Bring-your-own-key and local models soften this, since requests then go to your own provider account rather than the credit pool.
On data, Raycast's Enterprise page says prompts are not stored, only token counts, and that its provider agreements prohibit training on your interactions. The privacy policy is more careful, promising zero retention only where a provider offers it and the provider's minimum retention elsewhere. Chats stay on the device unless Cloud Sync is on. AI Memory is switched on by default in supported versions, which some readers will want to turn off.
Windows is now a full release, but a young one: version 2.0 shipped in August 2026 and the changelog was still recording large speed fixes in October, including file search up to six times faster in 2.8. For an organisation, the gap between plans matters more than the platform. SAML, SCIM, MDM sign-in enforcement and the AI provider allow-list sit in Enterprise, so a security team that wants to restrict which models staff can call cannot do it on Teams Pro.
Where it earns its place
A backend developer on a MacBook who already pays for Claude
Ask quick questions and rewrite text without switching windows
Free Raycast plus Pro at $96 a year, connected to an existing Claude subscription or Anthropic key, keeps AI one shortcut away. Using your own key avoids the 500-credit cap but bills your provider account directly.
The IT lead at a 50-person engineering firm
Roll out shared snippets, quicklinks and an approved AI setup
Free Teams allows 30 shared snippets and quicklinks; Teams Pro at $144 per user a year removes the limits and adds AI, about $7,200 a year for 50 people. Restricting providers or disabling AI Memory company-wide needs Enterprise, at a custom price.
A Windows-based support engineer
Replace PowerToys Run with something that also searches files and tickets
Raycast 2.x on Windows uses Alt+Space, its own Rust file indexer and the same extension store as the Mac app. The free plan covers this; the Windows app has only been stable since August 2026.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Download the app, bind a hotkey and sign in; signing in starts a 7-day Pro trial with no card required.
- Integrations
- Thousands of extensions in the store (GitHub, Jira, Slack, Linear), an extension API, organisation-managed MCP servers on Enterprise, and an iOS app that syncs on paid plans.
- Data and privacy
- Raycast says it stores no prompts and that provider contracts bar training; chats stay local unless Cloud Sync is on (AES-256 at rest); SOC 2 Type II report on request, with SAML and SCIM on Enterprise.
- Cost at scale
- 50 seats on Teams Pro cost $7,200 a year, or $12,000 on Teams Plus at $240 per user for top-tier models and 3,000 credits each.
- Limits
- Credit burn varies by model and is visible only in Settings; top-up packs work only while subscribed and expire after 12 months.
What's good
- Free tier replaces several Mac and Windows utilities with no time limit
- Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others behind one shortcut
- Bring your own key, OpenRouter, custom endpoints or local models
- Prompts not stored by Raycast, per its Enterprise page
What's not
- Top-tier models start at Plus, $20 a month
- Monthly AI credits expire after 60 days
- SAML, SCIM and AI provider controls are Enterprise-only
- Windows app only left beta in August 2026
Best for
Developers and keyboard-focused Mac and Windows users who want quick AI access everywhere.
Alternatives
Raycast: common questions
- Is Raycast worth it?
- Worth installing for the free launcher alone; the AI subscription only pays off for people who already live on the keyboard. We rate it 4.5 out of 5.
- How much does Raycast cost?
- Free (no AI); Pro $10/month or $96/year (500 AI credits); Plus $20/month or $192/year (3,000 credits, top-tier models); Max $50/month or $480/year (7,500 credits); Teams from $15/user/month ($144/year); Enterprise custom.
- What are the downsides of Raycast?
- Top-tier models start at Plus, $20 a month; monthly AI credits expire after 60 days; sAML, SCIM and AI provider controls are Enterprise-only; windows app only left beta in August 2026.
- Who is Raycast best for?
- Developers and keyboard-focused Mac and Windows users who want quick AI access everywhere.
- How much does Raycast cost for a team or in production?
- 50 seats on Teams Pro cost $7,200 a year, or $12,000 on Teams Plus at $240 per user for top-tier models and 3,000 credits each.
- Is Raycast safe for company data?
- Raycast says it stores no prompts and that provider contracts bar training; chats stay local unless Cloud Sync is on (AES-256 at rest); SOC 2 Type II report on request, with SAML and SCIM on Enterprise.
- What are the best Raycast alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are ChatGPT, Claude and Motion.
Answers checked Oct 22, 2026.
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