Helix vs Raycast: pointing vs typing on your Mac

Last updated November 1, 2026

Raycast and Helix both put your tools one shortcut away, but they work in opposite ways: Raycast is a search bar you type into, and Helix is a ring you point at. Here's what each does best and who should pick which.

What Raycast does well

Finds any app, file or command by name, fast.
Thousands of extensions for services like GitHub, Linear, Jira and Spotify.
A generous free plan, with clipboard history, notes and window management.

Where Helix is different

In Helix you hold ⌥Space, your tools appear in a ring around your pointer, and you flick toward one and let go. There's nothing to remember or spell.

Opening apps: pin up to eight apps and they fan out around Apps on the outer ring.
Music: while Spotify or Apple Music plays, the song and playback sit in the center of the ring.
Clipboard, notes and AI: your last 50 copies, a floating scratchpad, and Claude or GPT with your own API key.

Feature by feature

	Helix	Raycast
How you use it	Point at a tool in a ring	Type into a search bar
Opening apps	Up to 8 pinned apps, one flick away	Any app, by typing its name
Music controls	Song and playback in the ring's center, for Spotify and Apple Music	Through extensions
Clipboard history	Last 50 copies, kept as long as you choose	Free for 3 months; unlimited with Pro
Notes, timers, to-dos	Built in	Notes built in; timers and more through extensions
AI	Claude or GPT with your own API key	Raycast AI with Pro
File search and extensions	No	Yes, thousands of extensions
Price	$4.99₹399 once (early bird, $9.99₹899 regularly)	Free; Pro $10 a month or $96 a year

Choose Helix if

You open the same few apps all day and would rather flick than type their names.
You want your music, clipboard, notes and AI in one place, without setting anything up.
You want AI without a monthly plan, paying only for what you use.

Choose Raycast if

You search for files and apps by name all day.
You rely on extensions for GitHub, Linear, Jira or other services.

They also work well together: Raycast for searching, Helix for the tools you reach for without thinking. For more options, see the best Raycast alternatives. Raycast's prices are from its pricing page in November 2026.

Questions

Is Helix a replacement for Raycast?

For some people. Helix opens your favorite apps, controls your music and keeps your clipboard history, notes and AI one flick away, without typing. It doesn't search files or run extensions, so if you rely on those, Raycast is still the better fit.

Is Raycast free?

Raycast's core is free, including clipboard history (kept for 3 months) and notes. Raycast Pro, with AI and unlimited clipboard history, is $10 a month or $96 a year.

Does Helix have AI like Raycast Pro?

Helix has Ask AI with Claude or GPT, using your own API key from Anthropic or OpenAI. You pay them only for what you use, usually cents per question, instead of a monthly plan.

Can I use Helix and Raycast together?

Yes: type in Raycast to search, and point in Helix for quick tools. Both open with ⌥Space by default, so change one of them. Helix can use any shortcut, or your middle or side mouse button.

Helix is a one-time purchase for macOS 14 or later, with 16 tools in one ring. See how it works.

Get Helix