PortableApps.com Platform vs Raycast
PortableApps.com Platform
portableapps.com
Raycast
raycast.comSide by side
| Figure | PortableApps.com Platform | Raycast |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 20 |
| Spec score · App Launchers | 8.8 (#5) | 9.5 (#1) |
| Spec score · App launchers | 8.9 (#5) | 9.5 (#1) |
| Spec score · App Launcher Software | 8.3 (#10) | 8.9 (#3) |
| Automatic updates | The platform checks for and installs updates for supported portable applications. | Raycast and Store extensions update automatically, while locally imported development extensions are managed by the developer. |
| Company legal name | Crunchbase identifies the operating legal entity as Rare Ideas, LLC. | Crunchbase lists the legal name as Raycast Technologies Ltd. |
| Company size | LinkedIn lists PortableApps.com as a 2–10 employee partnership. | LinkedIn lists Raycast in the 11–50 employee range. |
| Security | The support page says apps obtained through its app store are checked for malware and viruses and have not been altered since checking. | Enterprise features include SOC 2 compliance, annual penetration testing, GDPR alignment and CCPA readiness. |
| What it does | PortableApps.com Platform organizes, launches, installs and updates portable applications from a menu. | Raycast is a keyboard-first launcher combining apps, files, commands, workflows and productivity tools in one interface. |
Plans
PortableApps.com Platform
- PortableApps.com PlatformFree
- PortableApps.com Platform FreeFree
Raycast
- FreeFree
- Raycast FreeFree
- Raycast Teams FreeFree
- Teams FreeFree
- Pro$10 a month
- Raycast Pro$10 a month
- Raycast Teams Pro$15 a month
- Teams Pro$15 a month
- Pro+$20 a month
- Raycast Pro+$20 a month
In their own words
PortableApps.com Platform
PortableApps.com Platform lets users assemble a portable software suite for a synced cloud folder, local computer, or USB drive. Its built-in app store provides browsing and installation without a download limit. A customizable menu organizes applications with folders, favorites, and search. The updater reports available updates and can install them without changing settings or saved files. Integrated backup and restore are listed, and installation works in synced folders such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box. Apps from the store are checked for malware and viruses and are not altered after checking, according to the support information. The platform is free and open source under GPL, with some MIT and CC components. The listed download is 7MB and installed size 19MB. Windows is listed directly; Linux, Unix, and BSD use Wine, while Mac OS X uses compatibility software. Support comes through online pages, forums, and live chat.
Raycast
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.