What is Raycast?
I had 6 apps open just to paste an emoji. My dock looked like a digital hoarder’s garage. Raycast collapsed that mess into one search bar.
It has one of the best calculators out there, a notes system that acts as both quick capture and a second brain, and shortcuts for everything from apps to phrases.
It also has a community-driven store with extensions for whatever weird function you need. If you somehow can’t find it, make it.
Why use it?
My reason is simple: it lets me replace five or six tiny apps with one command bar. It covers Alfred-style search, notes, calculator work, clipboard history, AI chat, snippets, and a lot more.
My favorite part is how little it forces on you. If you want to use it as a Spotlight replacement and never touch anything else, you can. If you want to dive in and build your own extension, you can do that too.
Raycast bends to your workflow.
Given Raycast’s ability to do so much, you’d think it would feel bloated or slow. It doesn’t. Raycast is one of the snappiest apps I’ve ever used. I can launch apps, bounce through notes, and dig around in commands without it dragging.
Raycast’s extensions marketplace is where it gets ridiculous. My favorite extension is SVGl, an SVG library and search tool. It lets me find, copy, save, and paste an SVG right from the command bar. That saves me a surprising amount of time when I’m adding logos to a webpage or video.
Raycast is not perfect. The subscription can feel pushy because premium features stay front and center. For me it is worth paying for. If you do not want to pay, the free version still gives you almost everything except the AI features and longer history. It can give WinRAR freeware vibes at times.
The shine from a Raycast
Raycast has become like a second OS to me. A layer on top of macOS that lets me use my Mac the way I want.
Just this month, Raycast for iOS launched, which is the clearest example of why I keep using it. I can grab the same saved snippets, notes, and quick actions on my phone instead of rebuilding that workflow in three other apps.
Also, I forgot to mention the amazing emoji picker.
Not sponsored
I recommend Raycast to anyone trying to replace a pile of tiny workflow apps with one search bar. Update from December 2025: Raycast for iOS and the Windows beta have launched.
If you want to give Raycast a try, they can be found at Raycast.
If you are lucky, here is a free month of Pro. This code changes every so often: Raycast Pro Referral