Menew vs Raycast: a free, open source Raycast alternative for Mac
Raycast is a polished launcher with a huge extension store. Menew covers the everyday part of it (command palette, clipboard history, snippets, window snapping, script commands) and adds a system monitor, screenshots and meeting minutes, all free, open source and with AI that runs on your Mac.
Side by side
| Feature | Menew | Raycast |
|---|---|---|
| Command palette for apps, actions, math and conversions | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Clipboard history with search and pins | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Snippets that expand as you type | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Window snapping with keyboard shortcuts | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Your own script commandsMenew runs Raycast-style script commands | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Extension storeRaycast's community extensions are its biggest strength | — No | ✓ Yes |
| AIMenew uses Apple's on-device model, free; Raycast AI is mostly part of the paid Pro plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| System monitor in the menu barRaycast through extensions | ✓ Yes | ◐ Partly |
| Screenshots with annotations | ✓ Yes | — No |
| Meeting recordings with minutes | ✓ Yes | — No |
| Cloud sync between MacsRaycast Pro | — No | ✓ Yes |
| Open sourceMenew is GPL-3.0 | ✓ Yes | — No |
Which one fits you
Choose Raycast if
- You rely on extensions for Jira, GitHub, Notion, Spotify and other services.
- You want settings and snippets synced across several Macs.
- You prefer chatting with cloud AI models.
Menew is enough if
- You want the everyday launcher features plus clipboard, windows, system monitor and screenshots in one free app.
- You want AI that never leaves your Mac and no account.
- You want an open source app you can read and change.
Try Menew
Free and open source (GPL-3.0), native for macOS 14 or later, no account and no telemetry. AI features run on your Mac with Apple Intelligence.
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Names are trademarks of their owners and appear only for comparison; Menew isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them. Comparisons reflect each app's publicly described features and may change; corrections are welcome on GitHub.