Paste vs Raycast

Paste

• People who copy and reuse text, links and images all day on a Mac
• Moving copied items between a Mac, an iPhone and an iPad
• Setapp subscribers, since the Mac app is included at no extra cost
• Giving AI coding tools access to things you copied earlier

Raycast

• Mac and Windows users who prefer the keyboard to the mouse
• Replacing separate clipboard, snippet and window utilities with one app
• Developers who want to build their own commands and extensions
• Teams that share snippets, quicklinks and internal extensions

Paste

• There is no free version; after the 7-day trial a plan is needed, though your saved history is kept.
• Apple platforms only. The App Store listing requires macOS 14 or later and iOS or iPadOS 26 or later.
• The Family plan is sold only on the App Store, and the Teams plan only on the website at a per-seat price that is not published.
• The pricing page showed only the annual price as text; the monthly, Family and Lifetime prices come from the US App Store listing.

Raycast

• AI is not part of the free plan; Raycast AI, cloud sync and unlimited notes need Pro.
• The free plan keeps 3 months of clipboard history and allows 5 Raycast Notes.
• Top-tier AI models need the Plus or Max tier, at $20 or $50 a month.
• The Windows app does not yet have every macOS feature; Raycast says it is still bringing them across.

Paste

Unlimited clipboard history

Everything you copy is saved with no limit on age or count, and the whole history can be searched.

Pinboards

Pin the snippets, links, colors and templates you use regularly to pinboards. Pinboards can be shared to keep a team in sync.

Sync through iCloud

Clipboard history follows you across Mac, iPhone and iPad. The vendor says the data stays on your devices and in your private iCloud, not on its servers.

Privacy rules

Set rules so that Paste ignores passwords and anything copied in apps you mark as sensitive.

Paste MCP for AI tools

Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Windsurf can search your clipboard history and pinboards after you approve access. The server runs locally on the Mac.

Suggestions with Apple Intelligence

Paste suggests what you are likely to paste next based on what you are working on, processed on the Mac by Apple Intelligence.

Raycast

Launcher with hotkeys and aliases

Open apps, search files and run commands from one keyboard-driven window, and assign hotkeys or aliases to the commands and apps you use most.

Extension store

Thousands of extensions for tools such as Linear, Slack, Notion and Spotify. The extension API lets anyone with web development skills build their own.

Clipboard history, snippets, quicklinks

Built-in utilities included in the free plan. Free keeps clipboard history for 3 months.

Window management

Window management commands are part of the free core features; creating custom window management commands needs Pro.

Raycast AI

Pro adds Quick AI and AI Chat on a monthly credit allowance. A browser extension for Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Chromium browsers passes the active tab to the AI.

Notes and iOS companion app

Raycast Notes captures quick thoughts: 5 notes on Free and unlimited on Pro. The iOS app carries AI, notes, snippets and quicklinks; syncing them across devices needs Pro.

Paste

• Personal (annual)$2.49

  per month, billed annually ($29.99)

  Unlimited clipboard history, pinboards, search and sync across Mac, iPhone and iPad.

• Personal (monthly)$3.99

  per month, billed monthly (US App Store price)

  The same features paid month to month.

• Family$59.99

  per year (US App Store price)

  Paste for up to six people in an Apple Family Sharing group. Sold only through the App Store and billed annually.

• Lifetime$99.99

  one-time purchase (US App Store price)

  Pay once and use Paste on your personal devices with no recurring charge, including future updates.

Raycast

• Free$0

  Core launcher features, thousands of extensions, custom extensions, 3 months of clipboard history and 5 Raycast Notes. No AI.

• Pro$96

  per year, or $10 / month billed monthly

  Raycast AI with 500 credits a month, cloud sync, dictation, translator, custom themes, unlimited notes and custom window management commands.

• Pro (Plus tier)$192

  per year, or $20 / month billed monthly

  Pro features with 3,000 AI credits a month and access to top-tier AI models.

• Pro (Max tier)$480

  per year, or $50 / month billed monthly

  Pro features with 7,500 AI credits a month and access to top-tier AI models.

• Teams Pro$144

  per user / year, or $15 / user / month billed monthly

  Pro for each member plus unlimited shared commands and a private store. Plus and Max tiers cost more; a free Teams plan caps sharing at 30 snippets and 30 quicklinks.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Teams Pro plus an AI Control Center and admin controls such as SAML/SCIM, domain capture, enforced 2FA and extension and IP allow-lists.

Paste

• Annual discount

  Annual plan saves 37%

  The pricing page marks the annual Personal plan, $29.99 a year, as saving 37% compared with paying monthly.

• Education

  30% off the first year for students and educators

  Students and educators get 30% off the first year of an annual plan by contacting Paste before buying through its website.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime plan with future updates

  A one-time Lifetime purchase unlocks Paste for good, including all future updates. The US App Store lists it at $99.99.

• Other savings

  Included with a Setapp subscription

  Paste for Mac is included in a Setapp subscription at no extra cost. Setapp does not offer the Lifetime or Family plans.

Raycast

• Annual discount

  Annual billing saves 20%

  Pro is $96 a year against $10 a month, which is $120 over twelve months. Teams Pro is $144 per user a year against $15 per user a month. Both work out 20% cheaper.

• Education

  50% off Pro for verified students

  Raycast's pricing FAQ says verified students get a 50% discount on the Pro plan through an application form.