Raycast is a macOS application launcher and productivity tool that replaces the built-in Spotlight search. It opens with a keyboard shortcut, accepts natural language commands, and provides access to applications, files, system settings, and a growing ecosystem of extensions that connect to external services.
The extension ecosystem is what elevates Raycast beyond a simple launcher. Extensions for GitHub let you search repositories, create issues, and review pull requests without opening a browser. Extensions for Jira, Linear, Figma, Slack, and dozens of other tools bring their functionality into a single keyboard-driven interface.
For developers on Mac, Raycast is one of those tools that becomes invisible once you are used to it you just expect everything to be accessible from a keyboard shortcut. The GitHub extension alone saves significant time for developers who frequently need to look up issues or check PR status.
The clipboard history feature is underrated. Being able to search through everything you have copied in the past week and paste any item is useful enough on its own to justify installing Raycast. The snippet expansion feature is similarly practical for frequently typed text.
Free tier includes core launcher and most extensions. Pro plan at 8 dollars per month adds AI features, cloud sync, and advanced customization.