Raycast vs Alfred: pick Raycast, and the free version is enough

Raycast and Alfred are both fast. Both open apps the moment you type two letters. If speed were the only question, you could flip a coin.

The real difference is what you get without paying, and what you’d pay for later.

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Both are fast. The difference is what’s free.

Alfred’s free version is a launcher and file search. The parts that make a launcher worth installing, clipboard history, snippets and workflows, sit behind the Powerpack: £34 once for Alfred 5, as of October 2026.

Raycast gives you those for free: clipboard history (three months of it), snippets, quicklinks and an extension store. It adds window management on top, which Alfred doesn’t have built in at all. You pay for Raycast only when you want AI, unlimited clipboard history or sync between Macs.

For the work in the Setup Kit, the free tier is enough. That settles it.

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What the Setup Kit uses Raycast for

Five jobs, all on the free plan:

• Launch apps without touching the Dock.
• Jump to System Settings panes by name.
• Expand snippets: type a short trigger, get your full email address or postal address.
• Open quicklinks, so your daily websites open like apps.
• Recover something you copied ten minutes ago from clipboard history.

Plus window management. One example of what that looks like: Raycast’s Maximize, bound to Control+Option+Enter, makes the window you’re in fill the screen without the separate space that full screen creates.

Jumping to a settings pane is the move that sells it to most people:

Command+Space→Hot Corners

Type the pane name, press Enter, and you’re in. No sidebar hunting.

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Where Alfred still wins

Alfred is a good app with a loyal following, and some people should stay with it:

• You hate subscriptions. Alfred’s Powerpack is a one-time purchase. Raycast’s paid plans are monthly or yearly.
• You already have workflows you rely on. Alfred has had a workflow ecosystem for well over a decade. Rebuilding years of custom workflows to save £34 makes no sense.
• You want a launcher, not a platform. Alfred has stayed a focused Mac utility with no built-in AI. Raycast keeps adding features, and some of them are paid.

If that’s you, Alfred with the Powerpack is a fine choice. Alfred 6 has been announced, and a Powerpack bought today includes the upgrade.

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What about Spotlight?

Spotlight has grown up. On macOS Tahoe 26 and later it can run actions, trigger them with short quick keys you assign, and search your clipboard history. If you won’t install anything, a better Spotlight beats a launcher you never set up.

But Spotlight still has no snippets, no quicklinks and no window hotkeys. Those are the three things that make Raycast feel fast after the first week.

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Whatever you pick, give it Command-Space

Two launchers means your hand never knows which one it’s talking to.

Pick one and give it Command+Space, the key your hand already reaches for. For Raycast or Alfred, turn off Spotlight’s shortcut first:

System Settings→Keyboard→Keyboard Shortcuts→Spotlight

Turn off Show Spotlight search, then set Command+Space as the hotkey in your launcher’s settings.

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The best launcher is the one that’s free, fast and the only one on your Mac. Today, that’s Raycast.