CoolDeskRaycast

Raycast and CoolDesk are both keyboard-first launchers: press a hotkey, type a few letters, jump. The difference is what they remember.

Raycast is a command palette — stateless, endlessly extensible, superb at doing things fast. CoolDesk is built around your projects: it knows what you're working on, so one keystroke can bring a whole project back — tabs, apps, notes, everything where you left it.

Searching for a Raycast alternative on Windows? That gap is exactly why CoolDesk exists — the honest comparison below should tell you quickly whether it fits.

01 · The short answer

Skip the reading — which one is for you?

Pick Raycast if…

  • You live on macOS and want a scriptable command palette with a plugin for everything
  • Clipboard history, snippets and window management in one tool matter to you
  • You're happy paying a subscription for AI and cross-device sync

Pick CoolDesk if…

  • You juggle several projects and lose time rebuilding your context every switch
  • You want your browser — tabs, history, bookmarks — searchable, not just your apps
  • You work on Windows (or Windows and Mac) and want everything free and local

02 · The difference

Where CoolDesk pulls ahead

It remembers your projects

Every Raycast search starts from zero. CoolDesk groups tabs, apps, links and notes into workspaces — switch projects and everything comes back exactly where you left it.

It searches inside your browser

Launchers treat the browser as one opaque app. CoolDesk's extension makes your open tabs, history and bookmarks first-class search results — across Chrome, Edge and Brave.

Windows and macOS on equal footing

Raycast grew up on macOS; its Windows version is newer and still catching up. CoolDesk treats both platforms as first-class.

Free, local, no account

CoolDesk stores everything on your device and never asks you to sign in. AI features are optional and run locally or with your own API key.

03 · The scoreboard

Side by side

RaycastCoolDesk
PlatformsmacOS (Windows is newer)Windows + macOS
PriceFree core · Pro subscription for AI & syncFree
Account requiredFor Pro, AI and syncNever
Project workspaces—Core concept
Browser tabs, history & bookmarksLimited, via extensionsBuilt in
Clipboard history & snippetsBuilt inNot yet
Plugin ecosystemThousands of extensions—
Your dataLocal + optional cloud sync100% local

04 · Credit where it's due

What Raycast does brilliantly

A huge extension store — community plugins for almost any tool you use
Clipboard history, snippets and window management built in
Deep macOS polish and scriptable workflows
Raycast AI and cloud sync, if you're on the Pro plan

No point pretending otherwise — if these are what you need, Raycast is excellent at them.

05 · Common questions

Still deciding?

Can I use CoolDesk and Raycast together?

Yes — they bind different hotkeys and do different jobs. Many people keep Raycast for commands and clipboard history, and use CoolDesk for project switching and browser-deep search.

Is CoolDesk really free?

Yes. CoolDesk is free with no account and no subscription. Your data stays on your device; optional AI features run locally or with your own API key.

Does CoolDesk work on Windows?

Yes — CoolDesk runs on Windows and macOS, with a browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers.

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Round over

Try it in two minutes

CoolDesk is free, needs no sign-in, and runs alongside Raycast — nothing to migrate, nothing to lose.

Get CoolDesk Free