Disclosure up front: Purplelink, which publishes this site, makes one app on this list, Summonly, a launcher and file search app sold as a free 7-day trial and then $9.99 once. It is new, it does less than Alfred and Raycast in several ways, and where another app is the better choice I say so.
I did not install or test Alfred, Raycast, LaunchBar, Quicksilver or Keyboard Maestro for this guide. Everything about them is read from the vendors' own pages on October 12, 2026, and where a page did not say something I write "not stated" instead of guessing. Prices and features change, so check the vendor page before you buy. Summonly is described from its own product page, not from a test against the others.
The short answer
If you want workflows and a large library of add-ons, stay with Alfred or try Raycast. If you want something plainer, Quicksilver is free, LaunchBar has a trial and Summonly has a one-time price and focuses on file search. If your real goal is macros that press keys and run steps for you, that is Keyboard Maestro, which is a different job from a launcher. Spotlight, already on your Mac, now covers launching, a calculator, unit conversion and clipboard history, so check it before paying for anything.
The first table compares price model and platform. The second compares the apps job by job.
Price model and platform side by side
"Not stated" means the vendor page I read did not say. Alfred's prices are shown in pounds because that is how the page lists them.
| App | Price model | Free tier | Platform | Notable limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred | Free core; Powerpack at £34 (Single License) or £59 (Mega Supporter, free lifetime upgrades) per its page | Yes, "free forever" core | macOS 10.14 or later, Intel and Apple silicon | Clipboard history, snippets and workflows need the Powerpack |
| Raycast | Free; Pro $10 a month or $96 a year; higher tiers above that | Yes, with clipboard history limited to 3 months and no AI | macOS; the site also has Windows and iOS pages | AI, cloud sync and unlimited clipboard history are Pro |
| LaunchBar | Buy link on the page, no amount shown; 30-day trial | After the trial it keeps working, with occasional prompts to take a break, per the page | Not stated | I could not read a price on the page |
| Quicksilver | Free and open source | Everything is free | macOS; no minimum version stated | Features come from plugins |
| Keyboard Maestro | US$36 once for version 11, no subscription | Free trial; length not stated | macOS 10.13 or later | An automation tool, not a launcher first |
| Spotlight | Built into macOS | Included | macOS | No workflows or extensions described on Apple's page |
| Summonly (mine) | $9.99 once, updates included | 7-day trial of the full app, no account | macOS 14 or later | No workflows or extensions; new |
Which app does which job
One row per job. Where a cell says "Yes", the vendor page lists it; "Not stated" means it was not on the pages I read, which is not the same as "no". For Alfred, the Powerpack is noted where its pages say a feature needs it.
| Job | Alfred | Raycast | LaunchBar | Spotlight | Quicksilver | Keyboard Maestro | Summonly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch apps | Yes | Yes | Not stated on the page I read | Yes | Yes | Yes, as one action among many | Yes, with abbreviations such as vsc |
| File search | Yes; File Filters need the Powerpack | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Opens files; search depth not stated | Not its job | Yes, in folders you choose, with operators |
| Clipboard history | Yes; Powerpack | Yes; 3 months on Free, unlimited on Pro | Yes | Yes, per Apple's page for macOS 27 | Yes, as a plugin | Yes | Yes, off until you turn it on |
| Snippets | Yes; Powerpack | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated on the page I read | Yes, copied for you to paste |
| Calculator | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, with unit and currency conversion | Yes, as a plugin | Not stated | Yes, with unit conversion |
| Web searches by keyword | Yes, default and custom | Not stated on the pages I read | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes, plus a Google button and Claude and ChatGPT rows |
| Workflows or extensions | Workflows, which need the Powerpack | Thousands of extensions; you can write your own | Script-based actions | Not described | Hundreds of plugins | Macros are the whole product | No |
| AI features | Not stated | Yes, on Pro | Not stated | A Siri AI beta, with device, language and region limits | Not stated | Not stated | No built-in AI; rows that open Claude or ChatGPT in your browser |
| Price model | Free core, paid Powerpack | Free, monthly or yearly Pro | Trial, then paid; no amount stated | Included | Free, open source | US$36 once | $9.99 once |
| Free tier | Core, no time limit | Yes | Usable after the trial, per the page | Included | All of it | Trial only | 7-day trial only |
One correction to a common assumption: Spotlight is no longer only a file finder. Apple's page for macOS 27 lists calculations, unit and currency conversion, word definitions and clipboard history. If those were your reasons for leaving it, test the current version first.
What these apps do, and what they do not
A launcher is a box you open with a shortcut, type into, and press Return. The differences that matter are these.
- How much you can extend it. Alfred has workflows, Raycast has a store of extensions, Quicksilver has plugins, LaunchBar has script actions. Summonly has none of these.
- What you pay for, and when. A free core with a paid upgrade, a subscription for the extras, a one-time price, or free.
- How it finds files. Some tools use Spotlight's index and some keep their own; the vendor pages I read mostly did not say. Summonly keeps its own index of the folders you choose.
- Whether it is a launcher at all. Keyboard Maestro runs macros; it overlaps with launchers but solves another problem.
The shortlist
- Alfred: free core, paid Powerpack for workflows, clipboard history and snippets.
- Raycast: free, with a store of extensions and a paid Pro tier that adds AI.
- LaunchBar: the long-running paid launcher, with a trial and script actions.
- Spotlight: already installed, and wider than it was.
- Quicksilver: free, open source, plugin based.
- Keyboard Maestro: macros, US$36 once.
Summonly is not on the shortlist because I make it; it has its own section below. Then how to choose and a short FAQ.
Alfred
Cost: the core is free, and the page says it is free to use forever. The Powerpack page lists £34 for a Single License and £59 for a Mega Supporter license with free lifetime upgrades, and says a purchase includes a free upgrade to Alfred 6. Platform: the home page lists macOS 10.14 or later, Intel and Apple silicon.
Alfred launches apps and finds files from the keyboard. Its home page lists clipboard history for text, images, file paths and color codes, snippets that expand anywhere, a calculator, and web searches with default and custom keywords. Its clipboard and snippet help pages say those features are part of the Powerpack, and the file search page names File Filters as a Powerpack feature. The page describes the Powerpack as adding workflows and themes.
Where Alfred is stronger than Summonly: workflows. You can build or import them to chain steps together, and Summonly has nothing like that. Alfred also has custom themes. What I did not find: a stated AI feature, or a stated price in dollars. Pick it if you want to automate small tasks from the search box and do not mind buying the Powerpack.
Raycast
Cost: the pricing page lists Free at $0 and Pro at $10 a month or $96 a year, with Plus and Max tiers above Pro. Platform: a macOS download, and the site also has Windows and iOS pages.
Raycast describes itself as an extendable launcher. The home page lists file search, clipboard history, snippets, a calculator, window management, and a Store with thousands of extensions that developers can add to. Free includes core features and extensions, and clipboard history for 3 months. Pro lists unlimited clipboard history, Raycast AI with monthly credits, cloud sync, dictation, custom themes and a translator. Its clipboard page says the content never leaves your computer and is encrypted on your local drive.
Its file search page says searching external drives needs Full Disk Access.
Where Raycast is stronger than Summonly: extensions, AI, and a free tier. Those are the clearest gaps between it and Summonly. What I did not find: keyword web searches on the pages I read, so check before you rely on them. Pick it if you want extensions or AI built into the launcher, or you also work on Windows.
LaunchBar
Cost: the product page shows Buy and Free Download links and no amount. It offers a 30-day trial, and says that afterward LaunchBar can be used for free with no time limit, though it occasionally suggests taking a short break. Platform: not stated on that page.
LaunchBar searches your desktop or the web and shows suggestions from Google, Wikipedia and DuckDuckGo. The page lists a clipboard history, a snippet manager, a calculator and a script runner, and says custom actions can be written in AppleScript, JavaScript, Ruby, Python or PHP.
What I did not find: a price or a macOS requirement. Pick it if you want a long-established launcher with script actions and can try it for 30 days.
Spotlight
Cost: included with macOS. Open it: Command-Space.
Apple's page describes it as finding apps, files, emails, messages and more. It lists calculations, unit and currency conversion, word definitions and a clipboard history, and a Siri AI beta with device, language and region requirements. Results can be previewed with the space bar and opened with Return, and Tab shows quick actions for a result.
Because it is built in, it needs no install and no new permission. It does not offer workflows or extensions on the page I read. Pick it if your needs are launching, quick sums and finding things, and you have not tried the current version for them.
Quicksilver
Cost: free and open source; the page says "free forever". Platform: macOS, with no minimum version on the page.
Quicksilver launches apps, opens files and reaches bookmarks from the keyboard, runs actions such as moving, copying, emailing or compressing files, and learns your habits. The page says hundreds of plugins extend it, and names Calculator and Clipboard and Shelf among them, along with Browsers, Calendar and Reminders, Emojis and Image Manipulation.
What I did not find: a stated macOS requirement. Pick it if you want a free, open source launcher and are happy to assemble features from plugins.
Keyboard Maestro
Cost: the page lists US$36 once for version 11, with no subscription, and a free trial. Platform: macOS 10.13 or later.
This is not an Alfred alternative in the strict sense; it is the tool you add when you want the Mac to do steps for you. The page describes it as automation software that works on applications, web sites, text and images, on command or on a schedule. It can launch apps and arrange their windows, and it lists a clipboard history with several entries.
Pick it if you want macros that press keys and move data for you. You can run it next to a launcher, so it does not have to replace one.
Summonly (Purplelink's)
Cost: free for 7 days, the complete app with no account, then $9.99 once with every update included. One license key works on two of your Macs. Platform: macOS 14 or later. I make it, it is new, and it is described here from its product page, not from a test against the others.
Press Option-Space, type, press Return. Summonly keeps a small index of the folders you choose, on your Mac, and finds files, folders and apps by name. It reads the start of text, code and Markdown files and RTF files, the first pages of PDFs, and the text of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OpenDocument files. Pages and Keynote files are found by name only.
Searches can be precise: quotes for a phrase, a minus sign to leave a word out, OR between words, and filters such as kind:pdf, name:budget and size:>5mb. An optional question search, off until you turn it on, reads inside your documents and answers a question with the file and the passage. It finds the words you use, so a question worded very differently from the document is found less often.
Around that it has the usual launcher extras: a calculator with unit conversions, quick tools for UUIDs, hashes and encodings, system commands such as sleep and screen saver, web search keywords, a Google button, and rows that open a prompt in Claude or ChatGPT in your browser. Snippets fill in the date, the time and the clipboard, and Summonly copies the snippet for you to paste. Clipboard history is off until you turn it on and skips password managers and text that looks like a secret. A tool in Settings explains why a given file is not found.
What it is not: it has no workflows, scripts or extensions in this version, no AI of its own, no Mail, Messages, Contacts or Calendar search, no sync and no Windows or iPhone version. Alfred and Raycast are clearly stronger on workflows, extensions and plugin ecosystems, and Raycast on AI.
Pick Summonly if you want finding, opening, copying and calculating from one box, a single price, and an index that stays on your Mac, and you do not need to automate anything. macOS asks permission before it reads Desktop, Documents and Downloads, and it does not need Full Disk Access.
Also worth knowing
- You may not need to leave Spotlight. Check its calculator, conversions and clipboard history on your version of macOS before you pay.
- A launcher is not always a file search tool. Some tools use Spotlight's index and some keep their own, and the vendor pages I read mostly did not say which. If Spotlight misses files, the guide on finding files on a Mac when Spotlight cannot covers the causes and the tools built for that.
- Raycast and Alfred prices are not directly comparable. One lists a subscription in dollars, the other lists a one-time license in pounds. Compare over the years you expect to use it.
- Permissions differ. Raycast's file search page mentions Full Disk Access for external drives; Alfred's clipboard page says it needs Accessibility. Read what each app asks for before you grant it. The permissions guide explains what those allow.
Quick picks
- Want workflows? Alfred with the Powerpack.
- Want extensions or AI? Raycast.
- Want free and open source? Quicksilver, or Spotlight.
- Want a one-time price? Summonly if file search is the point, or LaunchBar if you prefer a long-established app and its trial suits you.
- Want macros? Keyboard Maestro, alongside any of the above.
How to choose
- Write down what you actually open it for. If the list is apps, files and sums, almost everything here works and Spotlight may be enough.
- Decide whether you want to build things. If yes, Alfred, Raycast, Quicksilver or LaunchBar. If no, the simpler apps are enough.
- Pick a price model you will accept. Free core plus paid upgrade, subscription, one-time, or free.
- Check the permissions it asks for. An app that sees your files and clipboard should say what it reads, where it keeps it and what it sends.
- Use the trial. LaunchBar has 30 days, Summonly 7, Keyboard Maestro a free trial of unstated length, and Alfred and Raycast have free tiers. A launcher is a daily habit, so a week shows whether it fits.
- Download from the vendor. Use the vendor's own site, not a search ad.
Frequently asked
What is the best Alfred alternative for Mac?
It depends on what you use Alfred for. For workflows, there is no like-for-like replacement here. For extensions and AI, Raycast, which has a free tier and a Pro plan at $10 a month or $96 a year per its pricing page. For a free, open source launcher, Quicksilver. For a one-time price and file search with no workflows, LaunchBar or Summonly, which I make. I read vendor pages and did not test any of them.
Is Raycast free?
There is a free plan, which Raycast's pricing page lists at $0 with core features, extensions and 3 months of clipboard history. Raycast AI, cloud sync and unlimited clipboard history are on the Pro plan, which the page lists at $10 a month or $96 a year.
How much is Alfred?
The core is free. Alfred's Powerpack page lists £34 for a Single License and £59 for a Mega Supporter license with free lifetime upgrades, in pounds. Clipboard history, snippets and workflows are part of the Powerpack, per Alfred's own pages.
Is Spotlight enough instead of Alfred?
For launching apps, sums, unit conversion and clipboard history it may be. Apple's page for macOS 27 lists calculations, unit and currency conversion, definitions and clipboard history. It does not describe workflows or extensions, which is the main reason to choose Alfred or Raycast.
Is there a one-time-price launcher for Mac?
Yes. LaunchBar has a buy option and a 30-day trial, though I could not read a price on its page. Summonly, which I make, is free for 7 days and then $9.99 once. Keyboard Maestro is US$36 once but is an automation tool. Quicksilver is free.
What does Summonly not do compared with Alfred or Raycast?
It has no workflows, scripts or extensions, no AI of its own, no Mail, Messages, Contacts or Calendar search, and no Windows version. It finds files, apps and clipboard history, answers sums and conversions, and runs web searches from a keyword. Alfred and Raycast are stronger for anything you want to automate or extend.
Is Keyboard Maestro an Alfred alternative?
Only partly. Keyboard Maestro is automation software for building macros, priced at US$36 once on its page. It can launch apps, but it is not built around a search box. It can run alongside a launcher.
Related guides
- Summonly: the Purplelink Mac launcher and file search app described above.
- How to find files on a Mac when Spotlight cannot: why Spotlight misses files and which tools find them.
- Is it safe to allow Full Disk Access, Input Monitoring or Accessibility on a Mac?: what the permissions a launcher asks for allow.
- Best keyboard sound apps for Mac: the same kind of comparison, for another Purplelink app.
- Purplelink's privacy page, all products and all guides.