Raycast
Retool
| Feature | Raycast | Retool |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $8/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.8 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | mac-developers, power-users, productivity-enthusiasts, keyboard-driven-workflows | engineering-teams, operations, data-teams, startups, enterprise |
| Founded | 2020 | 2017 |
| Launcher | ✓ | ✗ |
| Extensions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Window Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Clipboard History | ✓ | ✗ |
| Snippets | ✓ | ✗ |
| Quicklinks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Drag Drop Ui | ✗ | ✓ |
| Database Connectors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rbac | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Raycast Pros
- Incredibly fast keyboard-driven launcher
- Rich extension store with 1000+ community extensions
- Built-in AI chat with multiple models (GPT-4, Claude)
- Window management and clipboard history included
✗ Raycast Cons
- macOS only (no Windows or Linux support)
- AI features require Pro subscription
- Some extensions less polished than native apps
✓ Retool Pros
- Fastest way to build internal tools
- Connects to any database or API
- Self-hostable for security
- Pre-built components save hours
✗ Retool Cons
- Only for internal tools — not customer-facing
- Can get expensive for large teams
- Learning curve for complex queries
The Verdict
Raycast is built for mac developers and power users, with a focus on launcher and extensions. Retool targets engineering teams and operations and leads with drag-drop-ui and database-connectors.
Pricing is close: Raycast starts at $8/mo versus $10/mo for Retool — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Raycast has a slight overall edge — but if fastest way to build internal tools matters most to you, Retool may still be the right call.