Launcher · alternatives
The best Raycast alternatives for Mac
Raycast: Free · Pro $8/mo, Mac, Windows, iOS (no clipboard history). Verified 2026-09-04.
Why people switch
Why people look for a Raycast alternative
Raycast is a launcher first, and its clipboard history and snippets are conveniences bundled with it. People look for an alternative for the clipboard specifically when they hit the limits: the free plan keeps three months, unlimited history needs Pro at $96 a year, history never syncs between Macs even on Pro, and a long-running open issue describes copies being silently dropped. Snippets are plain text with no fill-in fields.
What to look for instead
You do not have to give up Raycast to fix this. Most people keep it as the launcher, switch off its clipboard history, and let a dedicated app own copies, OCR captures, and snippets. SnipVault imports Raycast snippet JSON, keeps the whole history without a subscription, saves screen-text captures together with their image, and shows a capture counter so you can see nothing is being dropped. Maccy is the free option if a bigger history is all you need.
Our pick
1. SnipVault
Clipboard history, screenshot OCR, and snippets in one keyboard-first Mac app.
Next to SnipVault, Raycast has no ocr captures kept searchable, pinboards / collections + tags, paste stack, otp / card-number auto-expiry, or one-time purchase available. Full table.
- ✓You want the whole clipboard history kept and searchable without a subscription
- ✓You snip text off the screen often and want those captures saved
- ✓You want pinboards, tags, and a paste stack for form filling
- ✓You want copied OTP codes and card numbers to vanish automatically
Other options
Other launchers worth a look
Still with them?
When Raycast is still the right call
- •You want a launcher, window manager, and extension store, not just a clipboard
- •Three months of clipboard history is enough and you will never pay
- •You already pay for Raycast Pro for AI
FAQ
What is the best Raycast alternative?+
Keep Raycast as your launcher and add a dedicated clipboard app. SnipVault keeps the whole history rather than three months, saves OCR captures with their image, and expands snippets, for $29.99 a year or $79 once.
Is there a free Raycast alternative?+
Maccy is free and open source and keeps an unlimited history. It has no OCR or snippets. SnipVault's 7-day trial is free and needs no card.
How do I switch from Raycast to SnipVault?+
Turn off Raycast's clipboard history so both apps do not record the same item, install SnipVault, and import your Raycast snippets from the Snippets tab. Keep Raycast for launching.
Raycast stays your launcher. SnipVault takes the clipboard, OCR, and snippets.