Developer Productivity8 min read
Raycast vs Alfred for developers (2026)
Raycast vs Alfred for developers in 2026: platforms, pricing, AI, extensions, sync and privacy compared from each vendor's docs, and which fits your setup.
Launcher
Alfred
A macOS launcher with a free core and a one-time Powerpack for workflows, clipboard history and snippets.
Visit Alfred →What it is
Alfred is a launcher for macOS from Running with Crayons. Press a hotkey, type, and it finds apps and files, runs web searches, does calculations and looks up words. The core app is free.
The paid Powerpack is a one-time licence. It adds workflows (automations built from connected objects in a visual editor, with scripts in any language via a shebang), clipboard history, snippets with text expansion, Universal Actions, Terminal commands, file navigation, custom themes, 1Password integration and settings sync through a file-syncing service. Ready-made workflows are published on the Alfred Gallery, including an official ChatGPT workflow from the Alfred team.
The current release is Alfred 5 (5.8.1 on 29 October 2026), which supports macOS 10.14+ on Intel and Apple silicon. Alfred is Mac-only. Alfred 6 has been announced for "this autumn" with Alfred UI (a native UI toolkit for workflows) and optional AI that uses your own LLM and API key; the vendor lists macOS 12+ support for it.
For a side-by-side look at platforms, pricing, AI, workflows, sync and privacy against Raycast, which also runs on Windows, see Raycast vs Alfred for developers.
Pricing
| Model | freemium |
|---|---|
| Paid plans from | £34 one-time (Powerpack Single License) |
| Notes | Core app is free. Powerpack Single License £34 (v5 licence; the vendor says buyers get a free upgrade to Alfred 6). Mega Supporter £59 with free lifetime upgrades. One-time licences, no subscription. |
| Checked | November 9, 2026 |