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Productivity Software Comparison Center

Raycast, Alfred, and Spotlight. The cards show platform, use, price, and the main limit. The buttons below open Platforms, Features, AI, Automation, and Pricing.

Product facts on this page were checked against publisher documentation on . Software changes. Confirm important details with the publisher before you rely on them.

Platforms

Raycast
macOS, Windows, and a narrower iOS app. Current Mac v2 needs macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon. Windows 10 version 21H2 or later, and Windows 11. The FAQ says Linux is not planned.
Alfred
Alfred's help describes a Mac app. The pages reviewed do not describe Windows or iOS.
Spotlight
Built into macOS. Apple's help does not make it a Windows product.

Features

Raycast
Apps, files, clipboard, snippets, windows, and a store. File contents use Spotlight on Mac or Windows Search on Windows. Longer clipboard history is marked Pro.
Alfred
Free search and system commands. Clipboard history, snippets, and workflows need the Powerpack.
Spotlight
Apps, files, calculations, and clipboard history up to 7 days. No third-party store in the help reviewed.

AI

Raycast
Quick AI, chat, and saved commands are not on the Free plan. Credits depend on Pro, Pro+, or Max. Your own key or a local model still needs Pro on v2.
Alfred
The pages reviewed do not describe a first-party AI credit plan.
Spotlight
Optional Siri AI where Apple marks that beta as available. It is not Raycast's credit catalog.

Automation

Raycast
Script commands, Quicklinks, snippets, and Focus. Scheduled AI prompts and custom window layouts are paid.
Alfred
Powerpack workflows and Automation Tasks. The free app does not include workflows.
Spotlight
Quick actions and shortcuts. Not a user-built workflow editor in the help reviewed.

Pricing

Raycast
Free examples exclude AI. On 21 October 2026, Pro was $10 a month or $96 a year, Pro+ $20 or $192, and Max $50 or $480. Confirm the live prices with Raycast.
Alfred
Free core. The shop page reviewed showed a one-time Powerpack at £34 for one user, or £59 for Mega Supporter. Prices are in pounds and can change.
Spotlight
Included with macOS. The help reviewed does not describe a Spotlight subscription.
Full comparison
Qualitative comparison from publisher documentation. There is no score column.
CriterionRaycastAlfredSpotlight
Supported operating systemsThe current manual describes Raycast for macOS, Windows, and iOS. Desktop v2 on a Mac requires macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon, according to Raycast's v2 requirements page. Older macOS releases and Intel Macs are pointed at older builds. Windows 10 version 21H2 or later, and Windows 11, are the versions named on the Windows product page. The public FAQ says there are no current plans for Linux. iOS is a narrower app.Alfred's official help describes Alfred as a macOS application. The pages reviewed do not describe a Windows or iOS edition.Spotlight is part of macOS. Apple's Mac Help describes opening it on a Mac. It is not a Windows product. Windows has its own search.
Main use casesLaunch apps, search files, reuse clipboard items, expand snippets, move windows, install extensions, and, on a paid plan, use Raycast AI. The Windows app also documents PC game search and a Run-dialog replacement.Search the Mac and the web, run system commands, and, with the Powerpack, use clipboard history, snippets, file actions, and workflows. Alfred's help presents workflows as the way to extend the app.Find apps, files, and information from apps on the Mac, run calculations and conversions, look up words, take quick actions, and search a limited clipboard history. Apple also documents optional Siri AI in Spotlight where that feature is available.
Search functionalityRoot Search mixes apps, commands, and file-name matches. Content Search is optional and uses Spotlight's index on a Mac or Windows Search on Windows. Ignore files and folder permissions can hide results. The file index is stored locally.The free feature list includes app and file search, contacts, default and custom web searches, a calculator, a dictionary, and system commands. The Powerpack adds file navigation and richer workflow views.Apple describes immediate results for apps, files, messages, and other app content, plus definitions, calculations, and conversions. Browse modes can narrow results to applications, files, actions, or clipboard. Privacy settings can exclude folders.
Keyboard navigationCommands are searchable, and aliases or hotkeys can open them directly. The action panel uses Command-K on macOS and Ctrl-K on Windows. Window, clipboard, notes, and Focus manuals all rely on that model. This site does not publish one default Raycast hotkey.Alfred's help presents hotkeys, keywords, and text expansion as core ideas. Powerpack workflows can add their own hotkeys. Confirm the current default shortcut in Alfred's help rather than assuming it.Apple's Mac Help documents Command-Space as a way to open Spotlight, with arrow keys, Return, and browse-mode shortcuts such as Command-1 for applications. Quick keys for actions are mentioned and can be reset in settings.
ExtensionsA Store offers thousands of extensions and filters to ones compatible with the current operating system. Extensions are built with React and TypeScript. Native-code extensions may not exist on both desktops. Organizations can run a private store, and Enterprise can allow-list extensions.Workflows are the extension model, and they require the Powerpack. Alfred points people to a community forum and shared workflows. The help reviewed does not describe a React extension API.The Apple pages reviewed describe actions and shortcuts inside Spotlight. They do not describe a third-party extension store comparable to the Raycast Store or Alfred workflows.
AutomationScript Commands run local scripts. Quicklinks and snippets can include dynamic placeholders. Paid AI plans can schedule a prompt. Focus can block apps and sites for a session. Custom window layouts can reopen an arrangement on a paid plan.Powerpack workflows and Automation Tasks are Alfred's documented automation layer, including shell commands and rich views. The free app does not include workflows.Apple documents quick actions and shortcuts from Spotlight. That is a different model from a user-built workflow editor. This site did not find a Spotlight equivalent of Alfred's workflow objects or Raycast script commands in the help pages reviewed.
AI capabilitiesQuick AI, AI Chat, AI Commands, agents, scheduled automations, and extension tools are part of Raycast AI. They are not included with Free. Plans differ by monthly credits and by whether top-tier models are included. Local models and bring-your-own keys are documented and, on v2, require Pro even when they do not spend Raycast credits.The official why-choose and Powerpack pages reviewed on 21 October 2026 do not describe a first-party multi-model assistant or an AI credit plan. A workflow could call other software. That is not the same as a built-in AI subscription. Community workflows were not reviewed.Apple's current Mac Help says that when Siri AI is turned on, a person can ask Siri from Spotlight. Availability depends on Apple's requirements and is marked beta in that help. It is not the credit-based model catalog described for Raycast.
Free featuresThe billing manual's Free examples include Clipboard History, Quicklinks, Calculator, Snippets, Emoji Picker, Window Management, five Notes, iOS access, the extension store, and developer tooling. Clipboard retention longer than three months is marked Pro. AI, Cloud Sync, Dictation, Translator, unlimited notes, unlimited clipboard history, custom themes, and custom window management are not in that free set.Alfred's free version includes Mac search, contacts, web searches, custom searches, a calculator, a dictionary, system commands, Quick Look, Large Type, and basic theming. Clipboard history, snippets, and workflows are Powerpack features.Spotlight is included with macOS. There is no separate Spotlight subscription in the help pages reviewed. Clipboard history choices are 30 minutes, 8 hours, or 7 days.
Paid featuresIndividual prices published in the billing manual on the review date were Pro at $10 per month or $96 per year with 500 credits, Pro+ at $20 or $192 with 3,000 credits, and Max at $50 or $480 with 7,500 credits. Top-tier models start at Pro+. Team and Enterprise prices are separate. Raycast tells readers to confirm the latest figures on its pricing page.The Powerpack is a one-time license. The shop page reviewed showed a Single User v5 license at £34 and a Mega Supporter license at £59. Alfred's license page says the Single User license covers one person on two Macs for the current major version, and Mega Supporter includes free updates. Corporate licensing exists. Prices are in pounds and can change.No paid Spotlight tier is described in the Apple help reviewed. Features that require a newer macOS or Siri AI still depend on the Mac you have, not on a Spotlight subscription.
Setup complexityYou install a separate app, choose a hotkey, and may grant file and Accessibility permissions. AI, sync, and billing need a Raycast account. Windows is publicly available, while Raycast's FAQ still said public beta. Feature descriptions on this site refer to the current manual, not to older v1 builds.You install Alfred and can stay on the free feature set. Workflows, snippets, and clipboard history require buying and activating a Powerpack license. The workflow editor is powerful and takes learning. There is no Windows setup because the product documented here is Mac-only.Spotlight is already on the Mac. Setup is mostly privacy, result categories, and clipboard retention. Another launcher may want the same Command-Space shortcut. Someone has to decide which app owns that shortcut.
How these comparisons were made

Alfred is here because Raycast's own FAQ names it. Spotlight is here because it is already on a Mac. PowerToys is on the alternatives page. A sentence stays only when a cited help page supports it.

Stay with Spotlight for Mac search without another app. Look at Alfred for a one-time Mac Powerpack. Look at Raycast when Windows, the store, or the documented AI plans matter. Those are fits, not a ranking.

Sources