Raycast
Free / Pro from ~$8 per mo
Alfred
Free / Powerpack ~$45 one-time (lifetime ~$60)
Raycast is a modern Mac launcher with a rich extension store and built-in AI on a subscription. Alfred is the long-trusted launcher with deep, scriptable workflows and a one-time price. Raycast wins on polish, extensions, and AI; Alfred wins on scriptable power and one-time pricing.
Pick Raycast if you want a modern, polished launcher with a rich extension store and built-in AI, and a subscription is fine.
Pick Alfred if you want a fast, deeply scriptable launcher with powerful Workflows and prefer a one-time purchase.
Raycast and Alfred both replace and extend Spotlight on the Mac, letting you launch apps, run commands, and automate tasks from a single keystroke. Raycast is the modern, polished newcomer: a built-in extension store, native commands, team features, and AI baked in, offered free with a Pro subscription for AI and extras. Alfred is the veteran — rock-solid, fast, and famous for its deeply scriptable Workflows, sold as a free app with a one-time Powerpack purchase that unlocks the power features for life.
On price, Raycast is free with a Pro plan from around $8 a month, while Alfred is free with a one-time Powerpack purchase around $45 (or a lifetime license around $60). The choice is mostly modern polish, extensions, and AI (Raycast) versus scriptable power and one-time pricing (Alfred).
We compare extensions, AI, customization, pricing, and workflows.
| Quick facts | Raycast | Alfred |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free / subscription | Free / one-time purchase |
| Paid price | Pro from ~$8/mo | Powerpack ~$45 one-time |
| Extension / plugin store | Best-in-class | Good (Workflows) |
| Built-in AI | Yes (Pro) | Limited |
| Best for | Modern polish + AI | Scriptable power + one-time price |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | R Raycast | A Alfred |
|---|---|---|
| App launching & quick commands | Yes | Yes |
| Extension / plugin marketplace | Best-in-class | Good |
| Scriptable custom workflows | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Built-in AI assistant | Best-in-class (Pro) | Limited |
| Clipboard history & snippets | Yes | Yes |
| One-time pricing option | No | Yes |
| Modern, polished UI | Best-in-class | Good |
| Mature & battle-tested | Good | Best-in-class |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed June 2026.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Raycast is more modern, with a thriving extension store and AI, but the best features sit behind a recurring Pro subscription.
Alfred is battle-tested and one-time-purchase, with unmatched scriptable Workflows, but it feels less modern and has no real built-in AI.
For polish and AI Raycast wins; for scriptable power and pay-once economics Alfred wins.
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