Raycast vs Alfred: Complete Comparison

Compare Raycast and Alfred side-by-side to find the best text expander for your needs.

TL;DR

Raycast is best for developers and power users wanting a modern launcher, while Alfred is better for power users who want an all-in-one productivity suite.

Neither quite right? Consider Retext for AI-powered snippet generation with native Mac performance.

Quick Comparison

Raycast

Modern Mac launcher with built-in snippet expansion and AI capabilities

Pricing:

Free for personal use, Pro $8/month for AI and advanced features

Free tier: Snippet expansion free, AI requires Pro subscription

Best for:

• Developers and power users wanting a modern launcher
• Those who want snippets as part of a larger toolkit
• Users who value modern design and UX

Alfred

Powerful Mac launcher and productivity app with snippet expansion via Powerpack

Pricing:

Free for basic, £34 (~$42) for Powerpack (lifetime), £59 (~$74) Mega Supporter

Free tier: Launcher features free, snippets require Powerpack

Best for:

• Power users who want an all-in-one productivity suite
• Those already using Alfred for launching/workflows
• Users who prefer one-time purchases

Feature Comparison

Feature	Raycast	Alfred
Snippet Expansion
AI Generation		Not available
Variables & Placeholders
Folder Organization
Team Sharing		Not available
Cross-Platform
Native Performance
Privacy & Local Storage
Customization
Ease of Use

Pricing Comparison

Product	Pricing Model	Price	Free Tier
Raycast	Freemium	Free for personal use, Pro $8/month for AI and advanced features	Snippet expansion free, AI requires Pro subscription
Alfred	One-Time	Free for basic, £34 (~$42) for Powerpack (lifetime), £59 (~$74) Mega Supporter	Launcher features free, snippets require Powerpack

Pros and Cons

Raycast

Strengths

Beautiful, modern interface
Free snippet expansion included
Built-in AI assistant (Pro)
Extensive extension ecosystem
Active development and updates

Weaknesses

Snippets are secondary feature to launcher
AI requires Pro subscription
Limited snippet organization compared to dedicated apps
No dedicated snippet editing interface
Variable support less robust than TextExpander

Alfred

Strengths

Powerful all-in-one productivity tool
One-time purchase with lifetime updates
Extensive workflow automation
Clipboard history integration
Highly customizable with workflows

Weaknesses

Snippets require paid Powerpack upgrade
Snippet feature is secondary to launcher
Steep learning curve for advanced features
No AI capabilities
Can be overwhelming for snippet-only users

When to Choose Each

Choose Raycast if you:

•Need developers and power users wanting a modern launcher
•Need those who want snippets as part of a larger toolkit
•Need users who value modern design and ux
•Need mac users already in the raycast ecosystem

Choose Alfred if you:

•Need power users who want an all-in-one productivity suite
•Need those already using alfred for launching/workflows
•Need users who prefer one-time purchases
•Need mac users who want deep system integration

Consider Retext Instead

If neither Raycast nor Alfred is quite right, Retext might be what you're looking for.

✓AI-powered snippet generation - Let AI help create your snippets
✓Native Mac app - Fast, lightweight, no Electron bloat
✓Simple pricing - $19/month or $99/year, no per-seat costs
✓Privacy-first - Your data stays on your device

Retext vs Raycast →Retext vs Alfred →

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Get started with AI-powered text expansion. Free to try with 3 snippets and 5 AI generations per day.

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