Raycast AI: What It Costs and Where It Runs.
Is there a free tier?
Raycast AI is an AI layer on Raycast's Mac and Windows launcher; Jarvis (getjarvis.eu) is a standalone desktop AI assistant. Raycast AI adds Quick AI, AI Chat, AI Commands, and AI Extensions to that launcher, on a Pro subscription; Raycast ships no Linux build. Jarvis instead opens a floating bar on macOS, Windows, and Linux, sees your screen on demand, and connects 30+ apps. Raycast is macOS-first; Windows support is generally available since Raycast 2.0 in August 2026, and there is no Linux build. Raycast states AI providers are contractually barred from training on your data, and Bring Your Own Key lets you use personal API keys. It is a keyboard-driven launcher with AI added on, not a screen-aware assistant — its Screen Awareness (Pro only) reads the focused window but cannot take actions inside other apps' UI the way Jarvis does.
Raycast is a macOS launcher (a Spotlight-style command bar) that Raycast has layered AI features on top of. Raycast AI is not a separate product — it's a set of AI features (Quick AI, AI Chat, AI Commands, AI Extensions, Agents, Skills) built into the core Raycast app, unlocked progressively across the Free and Pro tiers [raycast.com/ai]. According to Raycast's own AI page, it "combines leading models with powerful extensions, accessible across your operating system," and is positioned around drafting content, research, and code debugging [raycast.com/ai].
Raycast's own models page lists 30+ AI models across providers, including (not exhaustive): OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, and current-generation GPT-5.x variants including reasoning and mini/nano sizes, plus o1/o3-mini/o4-mini), Anthropic (Claude Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus generations), Google (Gemini 2.5 and 3.x Flash/Pro variants), Perplexity (Sonar, Sonar Pro, Sonar Reasoning Pro), Meta (Llama 3.x via Groq), Mistral (Nemo, Small, Medium, Large, Codestral), xAI (Grok), plus DeepSeek, Qwen, Moonshot AI (Kimi), and Z.ai models [raycast.com/core-features/ai/models]. Raycast's change
We build Jarvis (getjarvis.eu), so we're disclosing the comparison rather than pretending it's neutral. On these specific points, Raycast's own pages describe capabilities Jarvis does not currently match:
Jarvis is a different category of product — a screen-aware desktop assistant, not a launcher with AI bolted on. We're not claiming Jarvis is "the best" here, just stating what it is so the comparison is honest: Jarvis is free at 40 requests/week, Pro is $16/month, it runs on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, and Linux, it stores user data and its database in the EU while its application servers run in the US, and its in-app AI runs on cloud models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google — it does not run offline or process on-device. Jarvis's differentiation is reading and acting on what's on your screen in real time across apps, not replacing a keyboard launcher or an extension marke
No. Raycast's free plan does not include Raycast AI; AI Chat and Dictation require Raycast Pro [raycast.com/pricing].
It's an optional +$8/month (or +$8/user/month on Teams Pro) add-on on top of a paid plan that raises AI rate limits and unlocks access to newer, higher-capability ("frontier") models, per Raycast's pricing page.
Yes. Raycast for Windows is generally available at v2.0.5.0 for Windows 10+, installable via WinGet or the Microsoft Store; Raycast 2.0 exited beta on 21 August 2026, per raycast.com/windows.
Yes — Raycast's Bring Your Own Key feature (added in v1.100.0) lets you supply your own API key for OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, which bypasses Raycast's built-in usage limits, per Raycast's changelog and usage-limits documentation.
Raycast states on its AI page that its contracts with AI providers prohibit those providers from using interactions to train models, and that most of your data is stored locally on your machine. We're presenting that as Raycast's own stated policy, not an independently audited claim.
Verified facts
