ReviewsComparisonMac Productivity

Raycast vs Alfred: The Mac Launcher Battle of 2025

·6 min read

Category: Reviews · Stage: Decision

By Max Beech, Head of Content

Raycast is modern, free, extensible—built-in clipboard history, window management, script commands. Alfred is mature, paid (£34 Powerpack), workflow-focused—15 years of refinement, powerful automation.

After 60 days switching between both: Raycast wins for most users (free, modern features). Alfred wins for power users building complex workflows.

Philosophy Difference

Raycast's approach: Modern productivity hub

"Launcher + clipboard + window manager + extensions. Everything you need, free. Built for 2025."

Alfred's approach: Workflow automation

"Powerful launcher with deep automation via workflows. Worth paying £34 for customisation depth."

The core question: Do you want modern features free (Raycast) or maximum automation power for £34 (Alfred)?

Feature Comparison

| Feature | Raycast | Alfred (Powerpack) | |---------|---------|-------------------| | Price | Free | £34 one-time (Powerpack) | | App launcher | Excellent | Excellent | | File search | Excellent | Excellent | | Clipboard history | Built-in (free) | Requires Powerpack (£34) | | Window management | Built-in (free) | Via extensions/workflows | | Snippets | Built-in (free) | Requires Powerpack (£34) | | Extensions | 1,000+ community (free) | Workflows (custom/community) | | API integrations | GitHub, Jira, Linear, Notion | Custom via workflows | | Appearance | Modern, native macOS | Classic, customisable themes | | Learning curve | Gentle | Steep (for workflows) |

When Raycast Wins

1. You Want Features Without Paying

Raycast includes for free what Alfred charges £34 for:

  • Clipboard history (Raycast free, Alfred Powerpack £34)
  • Snippets (Raycast free, Alfred Powerpack £34)
  • Calculator (both free, but Raycast's is better UX)
  • Window management (Raycast free built-in, Alfred requires paid workflow)

Cost comparison:

  • Raycast Pro (optional): £8/month for AI features, cloud sync
  • Raycast free tier: Fully functional for most users
  • Alfred Powerpack: £34 one-time for essential features

Winner for budget users: Raycast (free tier genuinely excellent)

2. Modern Native Interface

Raycast feels 2025-native:

  • SwiftUI design language
  • Smooth animations
  • Native macOS icons and styling
  • Dark mode perfection

Alfred feels 2010s:

  • Functional but dated UI
  • Customisable themes (but even best themes feel legacy)
  • Not native SwiftUI (Objective-C heritage shows)

User quote: "Alfred works great but looks old. Raycast feels like Apple built it." — Designer, 29

3. Built-in Productivity Features

Raycast includes productivity features without extensions:

  • Clipboard history: Search/paste previous 50 items
  • Window management: Maximise, left half, right half via shortcuts
  • Snippets: Type ;email → expands to your email address
  • Quick calculations: Type 15% of 240 → 36
  • Color picker: Cmd+Shift+C → pick any screen color

Alfred requires Powerpack + custom workflows for equivalent functionality.

4. API Extensions (GitHub, Jira, Linear)

Raycast has official extensions for productivity tools:

  • GitHub: Search repos, PRs, issues
  • Jira: Search tickets, create issues
  • Linear: Search issues, assign tasks
  • Notion: Search pages
  • Google Calendar: View upcoming events

Benefit: Type gh pr → see your open pull requests instantly.

Alfred can do this via workflows, but requires finding/installing/configuring workflows.

Raycast advantage: Official extensions work immediately, no configuration.

When Alfred Wins

1. Workflow Automation Depth

Alfred's workflows are significantly more powerful than Raycast extensions for complex automation.

Example workflow (Alfred):

  • Trigger: Type invoice {client} {amount}
  • Actions:
    1. Generate invoice PDF from template
    2. Save to Dropbox
    3. Email to client
    4. Add to accounting spreadsheet
    5. Create calendar reminder for payment

This level of multi-step automation is Alfred's strength.

Raycast extensions can do simpler tasks but lack workflow complexity.

User quote: "I have 30+ custom Alfred workflows built over years. Can't replicate that automation depth in Raycast." — Developer, 38

2. File Navigation Power

Alfred's file navigation is more sophisticated:

  • ' activates file mode
  • open Documents/ → browse folder
  • File actions (move, copy, tag, compress) all keyboard-driven

Raycast file search is good but less flexible for power file management.

3. Customisation Control

Alfred lets you customize everything:

  • Appearance (colors, fonts, spacing, corner radius)
  • Hotkeys for every feature
  • Keyword triggers (change open to o for speed)
  • Result ordering priority

Raycast: Modern but less customisable. You get Apple-style design; can't deeply modify.

If you want control: Alfred wins

4. Clipboard History Power Features

Both have clipboard history, but Alfred's Powerpack offers:

  • Unlimited history (Raycast: 50 items free, unlimited on Pro)
  • Snippets with dynamic placeholders: {date}, {clipboard}, {cursor}
  • Custom snippet triggers: Type ;sig → expands to signature with today's date

Raycast snippets are simpler (static text replacement).

Real Usage Patterns

My 30-Day Raycast Experience

What I loved:

  • Clipboard history worked immediately (no setup)
  • Window management shortcuts (left half, right half) replaced Rectangle app
  • GitHub extension let me search PRs instantly
  • Free tier had zero limitations for my needs

What felt limited:

  • Snippets lack dynamic placeholders (can't insert current date automatically)
  • Can't build complex multi-step automations
  • File navigation less powerful than Alfred

Verdict: Raycast perfect for 90% of users who want modern launcher + productivity features free.

My 30-Day Alfred Experience (Post-Raycast)

What I appreciated:

  • Workflows enabled complex automation Raycast can't match
  • File navigation more sophisticated
  • Clipboard history's advanced features (snippet placeholders)

What felt dated:

  • Interface looks old vs Raycast's modern design
  • Setup overhead (finding/configuring workflows)
  • £34 Powerpack required for features Raycast includes free

Verdict: Alfred worth paying for IF you build complex workflows. Otherwise, Raycast's free tier is better value.

Pricing Reality Check

Raycast:

  • Free: Full launcher, clipboard history, snippets, window management, extensions
  • Pro (£8/month): AI features, cloud sync, unlimited clipboard history

Alfred:

  • Free: Basic app launcher only
  • Powerpack (£34 one-time): Workflows, clipboard, snippets, file navigation
  • Mega Supporter (£54): Powerpack + lifetime updates

Cost comparison:

Year 1:

  • Raycast Free: £0
  • Raycast Pro: £96
  • Alfred Powerpack: £34

Year 3:

  • Raycast Free: £0
  • Raycast Pro: £288
  • Alfred Powerpack: £34 (one-time payment)

If you need clipboard history:

  • Raycast: Free (50 items) or £96/year (unlimited)
  • Alfred: £34 one-time for unlimited

Long-term value: Alfred's one-time £34 beats Raycast Pro's recurring £96/year IF you don't need AI features.

Migration Experience

Switching Raycast → Alfred:

  • Export Raycast snippets, recreate in Alfred (30 min manual work)
  • Rebuild shortcuts/triggers (Alfred uses different keywords)
  • Find equivalent workflows for Raycast extensions

Switching Alfred → Raycast:

  • Most simple workflows replaceable with Raycast extensions
  • Complex workflows (multi-step automation) can't migrate
  • Snippets easier to recreate in Raycast

Conclusion: Easy to switch if using basic features. Painful if heavily invested in Alfred workflows.

Key Takeaways

  • Raycast = modern, free launcher with built-in clipboard history, snippets, window management, API extensions
  • Alfred = mature, £34 Powerpack for powerful workflows, advanced clipboard, deep customisation
  • Raycast wins: Modern interface, free tier includes premium features, official API extensions (GitHub, Jira), zero setup
  • Alfred wins: Workflow automation depth, advanced file navigation, customisation control, one-time payment vs subscription
  • Choose Raycast if: Want modern launcher free, value built-in features, use productivity APIs (GitHub, Linear, Notion)
  • Choose Alfred if: Build complex workflows, need advanced clipboard/snippets, prefer one-time payment, want full customisation control
  • Price consideration: Raycast free tier excellent; Raycast Pro (£96/year) vs Alfred Powerpack (£34 one-time)—Alfred wins long-term value IF you don't need AI features

Disclosure: I currently use Raycast (free tier meets my needs). Tested Alfred Powerpack genuinely for 60 days.

Try both:

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