GiMeSpace QuickMenu vs Raycast

GiMeSpace QuickMenu is a Windows task launcher and switcher that appears at the mouse cursor when you press an assigned mouse or keyboard key. Its upper section lists running tasks, with the most recently used first; its lower section holds programs, files, and shortcuts that you can reorder or remove. You can choose a hotkey, enable click activation, and adjust the number of icon columns. When the cursor is away from the screen edge, QuickMenu can place the previously used task under the cursor to help switch back. The maker says it is designed for Windows XP and later and does not restore the Windows Start menu. It identifies tasks by their icons rather than preview windows. Adding store apps and their icons can be difficult; the maker suggests creating a shortcut first and adding that. Version 2.1.1 comes in high- and low-resolution display versions, with Unicode support listed for the high-resolution version only. The product page lists a free program and a 30-day trial, with pricing from 23 AUD.

Raycast is a set of productivity tools organized around an extendable launcher, where a keyboard-focused interface opens tools and runs workflows. Built-in features include Clipboard History, Calendar, Window Management, Snippets, Quicklinks, Notes, file search and Calculator. Its Store offers community-made extensions, with examples for Linear, Slack, Notion, Google Translate, Spotify, 1Password and Jira. Developers can build integrations with an extension API, and Teams can publish private extensions. Raycast AI includes chat, quick AI actions, agents, commands and extensions, and supports models from multiple providers. The free plan includes core features and thousands of extensions, with Clipboard History limited to three months and Notes to five. Pro costs $10 a month and includes 500 AI credits each month, cloud sync, dictation, custom themes, Translator, and unlimited Clipboard History and Notes. Raycast is available on macOS, Windows, iOS and iPadOS, but not Android. Its browser extension supports Chromium-based browsers, Safari and Firefox. Eligible new accounts can start a seven-day Pro trial; advanced AI models are excluded.