Summon is a Raycast AI alternative for Mac when the thing you wanted from Raycast was the writing command, not the launcher. Raycast is still the right app for opening windows and running extensions. Its AI features are a paid plan on top.
What is Raycast AI?
Raycast is a Mac launcher. The free personal plan includes the launcher and public extensions. It does not include AI. As of October 27, 2026, Raycast’s pricing page puts Quick AI, AI Chat, Agents, AI Commands, and AI Extensions on Pro and above. The individual Pro price shown is $96 per year. Plus is $192 per year and Max is $480 per year. The same page also lists a higher per-user yearly price, so confirm you are looking at the individual row before you pay. Eligible new accounts can try Pro.
AI credits renew monthly and can roll one extra cycle. You do not bring an OpenAI or Anthropic key for the built-in AI. You spend Raycast’s credits.
Why look for a Raycast AI alternative?
- The launcher was already free. AI is the part that turns Raycast into a subscription. If you only needed “make this shorter” on a selection, the rest of Pro is unused.
- Credits are the meter. A heavy writing day spends the monthly allowance. Your own API key is a different meter, billed by the lab, with no Raycast credit in between.
- AI Commands live inside Raycast. They are good if you already live in the launcher. They are a context switch if you wanted the result inserted and the launcher dismissed.
Summon as a Raycast AI alternative
Keep Raycast for launching. Use Summon for the writing. Select text in the app you are in, press ⌘K, run a command, follow up if the draft is off, and insert it. The command library is the set of writing actions. It is not a window switcher, a clipboard history, or an extension store.
You connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or xAI. The key stays in the macOS Keychain, and the request goes to that provider. Summon does not store the prompt or the result. Optional analytics exclude the text. See the privacy policy. There is no local model and no Raycast-style credit pool.
Raycast AI vs. Summon
| Raycast AI | Summon | |
|---|---|---|
| How you use it | Quick AI, chat, agents, and AI Commands inside the launcher | Select text, press ⌘K, follow up, insert the result |
| What else it does | Launcher, extensions, window management | Writing commands only |
| Models | Raycast’s AI, metered in credits | Your key: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or xAI |
| Free tier | The launcher is free. AI is not | 72-hour trial on weekly and yearly, then a paid plan |
| Price | Pro listed at $96 per year for an individual, checked October 27, 2026 | Weekly $1.99, yearly $29.99, or lifetime $79.99, plus provider tokens |
Raycast wins if you want one subscription for launching and AI. Summon wins if the launcher should stay free and the writing should use a key you control.
Is Raycast AI included in the free plan?
No. The pricing page says the free personal plan does not include AI, and that there is no Pro plan without AI. Summon’s yearly plan is $29.99, and the lifetime plan is $79.99. Neither one includes the model bill.
Which one should you use?
Keep Raycast, and add Pro, if AI Commands are one more extension in an app you already use all day.
Use Summon if you want the writing command without turning the launcher into a subscription. Other writing apps are in the best AI writing apps for Mac.
Facts were checked against raycast.com/pricing on October 27, 2026.