Raycast vs. Alfred: Choosing the Best Productivity Launcher for Mac Users in 2025

Key Highlights:

1. Raycast offers a sleek, modern UI with powerful built-in tools and seamless extension support.
2. Alfred delivers unmatched speed, deeper customization, and a reliable one-time payment model.
3. Choose Raycast for visuals and integrations, or Alfred for raw performance and control.

It’s likely that if you’ve been using a Mac for a while, you’ve heard of or used programs like Raycast or Alfred. These apps transform how you use your computer and are more than just search bars. Having a tool that helps automate, organize, and streamline your digital life is now essential in 2025 due to the growing demands on our time and attention.

It is necessary. I’ve been using Raycast for quite some time, since 2024, and like many others, I swear by its dependability and speed. But I made the decision to go all in when Alfred, all shiny and developer-loved, entered the scene.

For more than a year, I followed every routine I had developed on Raycast by using Alfred for both my personal and professional tasks. This isn’t just another typical, generic comparison article. It’s a story, gains in productivity, annoyances, and, in the end, an unbiased conclusion.

Let’s compare Raycast and Alfred and determine which productivity launcher is best for Mac users in 2025.

Raycast vs. Alfred: Table of Comparison

Raycast Vs. Alfred: A Detailed Comparison for Productivity Nerds in 2025

Raycast

Additional Integrated Tools Right Out of the Box

To put it simply into your mind, Raycast is similar to purchasing a smartphone that has all of your preferred apps already installed. Many of the features that Alfred would require third-party tools or plugins for, such as window management, clipboard history, and quick links, are already included in Raycast. For instance, I used to rely on Rectangle to control Alfred’s window layout. Raycast simply did it in an efficient way, quicker and cleaner.

An Extension Playground

Raycast’s extension store is what makes it so addictive. It has a ton of really useful, well-designed tools for everything from ChatGPT integration to Jira tickets and GitHub issues. Everything is available with a few clicks, so I didn’t have to download doubtful files or write scripts. For casual users who might not want to experiment with automation scripts, this ecosystem lowers the barrier.

The Calculator You Were Aware You Needed

Raycast’s calculator is a minor but unexpected tool. It can handle formatted numbers (such as 12,000) without breaking and even saves the most recent calculation, which is very useful when crunching data or creating a budget. In contrast, Alfred’s calculator occasionally seemed to be from a different decade.

A Stylish and Reliable Design

The user interface of Raycast is smooth, simple, and feels natural on macOS Ventura and later. It appears to be appropriate for 2025. Consistent typography, icons, and spacing all contribute to the overall experience because everything has a single design language. Although it still works well, Alfred may seem a bit haphazard in comparison.

Alfred

Quicker File Search

Alfred continues to crush it here. The file search is very quick, with recommendations popping up practically as you type. More significantly, it appears to understand your preferences by intelligently prioritizing results according to fuzzy matches and historical data. Although good, Raycast’s search frequently fell short or seemed a little slower.

Authentic Clipboard History

The clipboard management is what really hooked me on Alfred. I frequently copy logs, JSON payloads, and lengthy text blocks. Larger data sets were difficult for Raycast to handle, and it frequently failed to store them smoothly. Alfred? Perfect every time. Alfred will not disappoint you if keeping track of clipboard history is a part of your everyday routine.

Quick Snippets and Effective Keystrokes
Speed refers to how quickly your workflows operate, not just how quickly an app launches. Alfred expands its snippet almost instantly. No delay, no lag. Even with the responsiveness setting adjusted, Raycast experienced a minor glitch in this instance. Additionally, Alfred frequently prevails in actions, requiring fewer keystrokes to accomplish the same objective. That might not seem like much, but over a day, a week, or a month? It builds up.

Comparing Things Nuancedly: It’s Not Always Black and White

Pricing and Value

Alfred allows customers to purchase Powerpacks only once. You only need to make one payment. Raycast is free at first, but it has moved many of its best features, like syncing, AI, and theming, to a premium Pro plan. Alfred provides comfort if, like me, you detest subscriptions. However, Raycast Pro might be worth the monthly cost if you’re a power user who wants the newest integrations.

Customization vs. Design

Out of the box, Raycast looks better. Alfred, however, is a beast of customization. Alfred gives you more options when it comes to fonts, colors, and layout if you want your launcher to look your way. Themes were recently added by Raycast, but only for Pro users.

Wrapping It Up

So, here’s my honest opinion after using Alfred for about 6 months and going back to Raycast: it depends on the type of user you are.

Raycast will feel like a productivity paradise if you appreciate polished visuals, simple extension access, and are comfortable with a subscription. However, Alfred is still the best option if you value unadulterated performance, more control, and a one-time investment.

Individually? I’m back at Raycast. Alfred is seriously great in a lot of ways, not because it’s bad. However, Raycast’s simple visuals, ease of use, accuracy, speed, with somewhat good clipboard stability are more important for my everyday tasks. Nevertheless, Alfred is developing quickly, and I’m closely monitoring its future.