What is Raycast?
Raycast is a launcher and productivity app with a search bar for apps, files, clipboard history, snippets, quicklinks, notes and window management, plus extensions and an AI layer (chat, quick questions, AI Commands, MCP). The vendor's pages list it for Mac and Windows, with a companion iOS app that needs a free Raycast account.
Who it's for
Individuals who want a keyboard-driven launcher with optional AI, and teams that want shared commands, quicklinks and snippets; the vendor sells per-member Teams plans and an Enterprise tier with admin controls. People who do not want a paid AI plan can stay on the Free plan, which the vendor says has no AI.
Pros & cons
Strengths
- The pricing page lists a Free plan with core features, 3-month clipboard history and 5 notes, and says it includes no AI.
- The manual says Raycast AI covers AI Chat, Quick AI, AI Commands, AI Extensions and MCP servers, plus Dictation, Screen Awareness, Projects, Automations, Agents and Skills, on Mac, Windows and iOS.
- The manual says you can bring your own key (Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, OpenRouter), connect a Claude or ChatGPT subscription, use any OpenAI-compatible provider, or run local models.
- The privacy page says user data is not used to train Raycast's AI models, that model providers are contractually barred from training on Raycast-provided interactions, and that Raycast does not log or keep user prompts (it stores basic metadata such as token counts).
- The pricing page lists Teams plans with unlimited members on Teams Free (up to 5 shared Commands, 30 Quicklinks, 30 Snippets) and an Enterprise tier with SAML/SCIM, domain capture, 2FA enforcement, an AI Control Center and extension and IP allow-lists.
- The billing manual says you can cancel anytime in Account Settings and keep benefits until the renewal date, and that verified students get 50% off the Pro plan.
Limitations
- AI is metered in credits: the manual lists 500 a month on Pro, 3,000 on Pro+ and 7,500 on Max, and says the spend rate depends on model, text length, attachments, tool calls and regenerated messages. When credits run out, Raycast AI stops until new credits arrive or you top up.
- Only Pro+ and Max include the top-tier models, per the usage-limits page. Credits apply only to Raycast-provided models, not to your own subscription, key or local model, and the vendor's September 2026 post says bring-your-own-key, custom providers and local models now require a paid plan.
- Monthly credits expire 60 days after they are granted, top-up credits expire 12 months after purchase, and trial credits expire after 7 days. Top-ups are not available during the Pro trial; packages are 500, 2,500, 5,000 or 10,000 credits.
- The Pro trial is 7 days, one per account, and Pro+ and Max have no trial and bill immediately; resubscribing after ending starts billing at once. The pages read do not describe a refund policy; the manual points to billing@raycast.com.
- The vendor's pages disagree on naming and wording: the pricing table says Plus while the manual and blog say Pro+, and the pricing page's column layout is unclear about which tiers include top-tier models. Some third-party pages still show older prices (for example a Pro price of $8 a month and a 50-message free AI allowance), which do not match the current official pages.
Plans and pricing
- Free: $0. Core launcher features, 3-month clipboard history, 5 notes, no AI.
- Pro: $10 a month, or $96 a year. Unlimited clipboard history and notes, Cloud Sync, Dictation, Translator, custom themes, and 500 AI credits a month. 7-day trial for new accounts. 50% student discount.
- Pro+: $20 a month, or $192 a year. Everything in Pro with 3,000 AI credits a month and top-tier models. Listed as Plus on the pricing table.
- Max: $50 a month, or $480 a year. Everything in Pro with 7,500 AI credits a month and top-tier models.
- Teams Free: $0. Unlimited members, up to 5 shared Commands, 30 Quicklinks and 30 Snippets, no AI and no Private Store.
- Teams Pro / Plus / Max: $15 / $25 / $65 per member a month, or $144 / $240 / $624 per member a year. Unlimited shared items and Private Store; 500 / 3,000 / 7,500 credits per member a month, not pooled across the team.
- Enterprise: Custom, annual only. Contact sales. Adds AI Control Center, SAML/SCIM, domain capture, 2FA enforcement and allow-lists.
Prices were read from the official pricing page, the billing manual and the vendor's September 10, 2026 pricing post. Annual figures are listed per year (Pro $96 a year is $8 a month); billing is in dollars and the pages do not say how tax is handled. The iOS App Store listing shows in-app purchases at $9.99 and $96.00 (Pro), so App Store prices may differ slightly from the web. Confirm on the live pricing page.
Details checked October 2026 against the vendor's own pages. Prices and limits change, so confirm before you buy. Official pricing page ↗
Sources
This profile was compiled from these public pages. We have not run hands-on tests.
Raycast — at a glance
Raycast is a launcher and productivity app with a search bar for apps, files, clipboard history, snippets, quicklinks, notes and window management, plus extensions and an AI layer (chat, quick questions, AI Commands, MCP). The vendor's pages list it for Mac and Windows, with a companion iOS app that needs a free Raycast account.
Try Raycast →