Raycast showed me what Command Palette should have been all along

Command Palette is a part of the PowerToys suite, and I find it convenient to use on my Windows PC. The launcher isn't inferior to other offerings like the Flow, and because it integrates with PowerToys tools, it has become a much more sensible choice for my workflow. Command Palette’s main role is centralized file access and search, along with perks like running shell commands, integrating with the native package manager, and a few more features.

I wasn't a Raycast fan as I don't use macOS. But when Raycast arrived for Windows, my interest piqued. I decided to give it a try and realized how different it was from the Command Palette, which made me rethink my decision.

Raycast and Command Palette solve the same problem

But with different approaches

If you find the Windows search and app launch experience lackluster, launcher programs can help improve it. However, apps like Command Palette or Raycast encourage a keyboard-driven workflow. Like the Start menu, these launcher tools become the gateway to apps and files on your system. You can search for files in either of these tools, integrate them with much faster search apps like Everything, or launch apps without opening the related menu or folder.

But the similarities end here. Command Palette focuses on integrating nicely with Windows and adding basic launcher features. You cannot use Command Palette without PowerToys, as Microsoft doesn’t ship a standalone copy of the tool. While PowerToys has an exceptional arsenal of tools, it can feel bloated if you just want to use the launcher.

Raycast doesn’t share this burden and instead focuses on being an all-in-one productivity tool. Most of its features try to automate repetitive tasks and look more polished than the Command Palette. Features like clipboard history, snippets, and Quicklinks are just a few examples of how Raycast tries to be unique.

A simple right-click after a file search shows the difference between the two tools. Command Palette offers options to copy the path, preview the file with PowerToys Peek, view its properties, and open it in the console. If you do the same in Raycast, you’ll find options to rename the file, create a quicklink (an easy alias to find it again), use AI actions, share it, duplicate it, or even delete it, just to name a few. The File Search tool inside Raycast shows your search history and even a side pane with a preview and other file details. It’s kind of a mini File Explorer experience inside a launcher tool, where you get many more options than Command Palette.

Raycast features are well-thought-out

Quicklinks, Snippets, and more

Quicklinks are a simple bookmark-style feature that you can save and reuse. For example, if you visit a few websites daily and want to open them in Raycast when needed, you can do so withQuicklinks. But doesn't Command Palette have bookmarks? Yes, it does, but it's a bare-bones version compared to what Raycast offers. I can customize Quicklink, add a URL, icons, and even an alias to avoid typing the full URL. Command Palette doesn't support aliases, but lets you assign an optional name that will appear in searches. Quicklinks support data placeholders and grant you more power over a specific page of the website. If you want to search for something on YouTube, you can add a data placeholder after the URL while editing the Quicklink.

Clipboard history is already a part of Windows with cross-device sync support. But Raycast’s Clipboard history is better. It can remember and store all the clipboard items and even retain the format. If you copy a Docker compose file's content, Raycast will keep it intact. If you try to do the same with Windows clipboard history, it won't retain all types of items in the original format.

I can also create Snippets of these code blocks, or any other text string, and then create aliases for them. Like Quicklinks, I can assign a name, an alias, and a hotkey to the snippet. Raycast's Run also supports the same level of customization, and I can assign a simple alias like dns for ipconfig /flushdns. Doing so reduces the need to type long commands, and it requires just a one-time setup. Raycast can also display all the control panel applets, environment variables, and PATHs that aren’t available in Command Palette. I can only reuse commands I ran before, and Command Palette needs improvement in this area. There's also a Script Commands feature that can run, save, and manage script execution, just like Run.

AI integration, extensions, and useful utilities

Beyond the basics

Raycast has a complete AI-related feature set, and you can use it to generate images, summarize open browser pages, create and use agents, and more. Currently, the Beta version allows free access to all AI features, which will later be available only to paid users. You can switch between AI models like Claude, GPT, and Gemini, and use custom AI commands, assigning hotkeys and aliases to themas well. It’s nice to use them, and it's useful if you use AI a lot for your daily tasks. If you don’t want the AI integration, you can turn it off with a single toggle.

Raycast also has a free note-taking tool that syncs with your account. It works like Sticky Notes, is searchable, but supports Markdown. It’s a freemium feature you can use to copy useful items and revisit them later. The free version limits you to a maximum of five notes, but I like the idea. Command Palette lags in these two areas and has an evolving extension store that’s no match for Raycast.

Raycast is a better launcher

It’s difficult to ignore that Raycast has better launcher features than Command Palette. PowerToys is a great tool for adding features missing from Windows, but settling on the Command Palette as a launcher is unwise if you crave polished features. I’ve noticed the stark difference between the two tools, their presentation, and I cannot resist Raycast anymore. Command Palette has time to mature, and I might revisit it when it refines the existing tools like search and clipboard history.