WindowSill vs Raycast

Choosing the right productivity tool can transform your Windows workflow. This comparison breaks down Raycast and WindowSill to help you decide which fits your needs.

Summary

Raycast is a keyboard-driven productivity launcher originally built for macOS, now available in Windows public beta. It offers fast app launching, file search, clipboard history, snippets, quicklinks, window management, and access to 80+ AI models through its Pro tier. Raycast has a large extension ecosystem with integrations for tools like GitHub, Notion, Slack, and more. It is free for personal and organizational use, with Pro starting at $8/month.

WindowSill is a Windows desktop command bar that provides AI-powered text assistance (grammar fix, rewriting, translation in 35+ languages, custom prompts) alongside productivity features like media control, clipboard history, meeting management, reminders, and image utilities. WindowSill supports BYOK models like OpenAI or local LLMs. It has a free-tier. Premium features are available via a $4/month subscription or a $48 lifetime license.

Feature comparison

WindowSill Raycast
UX Model Always-visible command bar docked to any screen edge Hotkey-activated launcher that appears and disappears
Media Control Built-in, universal — Spotify, YouTube, Netflix, Apple Music, Deezer, and virtually any media player Spotify only via community extension; no universal media control
Meeting Control Mute, unmute, leave Microsoft Teams meetings directly from the bar Not available
Clipboard History With screenshot protection and password hiding Searchable with type filtering and pinning
AI Writing Text analysis, rewriting, translation (35+ languages), spell check, custom prompts with variables Quick AI, AI Chat, AI Commands, AI Extensions
AI Providers 8 built-in BYOK providers giving access to 300+ models, local LLMs, and any OpenAI-compatible API 80+ built-in models (GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Llama, etc.), local LLM via Ollama (Pro)
Reminders Built-in short-term reminders with full-screen alerts (ADHD-friendly) and toast notifications Available via community extensions
Image & Video Utilities Batch convert, resize, compress via drag-and-drop Available via community extensions (Media Converter)
URL Utilities Shorten URLs and generate QR codes from any app Available via community extensions (URL Shortener)
Calculator Available via community extensions (SimpleCalculator) Built-in calculator with conversions
Unit & Currency Converter Select text in any app to convert instantly; daily exchange rate updates Built-in calculator with conversions
Window Management Not available Position and resize windows via keyboard shortcuts
Snippets & Quicklinks Coming soon! Text snippets with keyword expansion; quicklinks to websites and system links
Notes Coming soon! Raycast Notes (available on macOS; coming to Windows)
Custom Commands / Automation Available via community extensions (Universal Commands) Built-in script commands, hotkeys, and aliases
App Launcher Available via community extensions (App Launcher) Built-in app launcher with search
Pomodoro Timer Available via community extensions (PomodoroTimer) Coming soon via community extension on Windows
Screen Recording Available via community extensions (ScreenRecorder) Coming soon via community extension on Windows
System Monitoring Real-time CPU, RAM, and GPU temperature monitoring via extension (PerfCounter) Not available
Text Search & Replace Literal, regex, spelling similarity, and AI-powered semantic search across any app or dropped Word/PDF files Not available
Developer Utilities DevToys extension — JSON/XML formatting, Base64 decode, HTML/URL text unescaping Developer-focused extensions available
Game Launcher Available via community extensions (App Launcher) Unified game launcher (Steam, Epic, Battle.net, GeForce Now)
Extensions SDK available; growing marketplace Hundreds of community extensions

Platform & Compatibility

WindowSill

  • OS: Windows 10 and 11
  • Architecture: x64 and ARM64
  • Distribution: Microsoft Store + standalone installer (Pro)
  • Multi-monitor: Yes, display on multiple monitors simultaneously
  • Tablet mode: Yes, with custom bar size

Raycast

  • OS: macOS (stable), Windows 10+ (public beta), iOS
  • Architecture: x64 (Windows); Intel & Apple Silicon (macOS)
  • Distribution: Direct download + Microsoft Store
  • Multi-monitor: Yes
  • Cloud sync: Yes, across devices (Pro tier)

Pricing comparison

WindowSill Raycast
Free PlanAll core features + extensions; no AIAll core features + extensions + limited AI
Individual PaidFrom $4/month or $48/year (WindowSill+)$8/month billed annually (Pro)
Advanced AIAll 350+ models included in any paid tier$16/month add-on for advanced models (GPT-5, Claude Opus, etc.)
One-Time License$48 lifetime (BYOK only)Not available — subscription only
EnterpriseFrom $3.60/user/month with graduated volume discounts$12/user/month (Teams Pro)
Free Trial1-week free trial2-weeks free trial

Strengths & Gaps

WindowSill Strengths

  • Always-visible command bar — no hotkey needed
  • Built-in universal media control across all players
  • Built-in Teams meeting control
  • Built-in Image and video converter & compressor
  • Built-in ADHD-friendly full-screen reminders
  • Built-in privacy-first clipboard (screenshot protection, password hiding)
  • BYOK with 8 built-in providers, OpenAI-compatible providers, and local LLMs
  • Lifetime purchase option ($48)
  • Enterprise AI governance (provider allow-lists, usage stats)
  • Built natively for Windows

WindowSill Gaps

  • Windows only (no macOS, iOS, or cross-platform)
  • No cloud sync across devices
  • No window management features
  • No snippets or quicklinks
  • Smaller extension ecosystem (growing)
  • No notes feature

Raycast Strengths

  • Large, mature extension ecosystem (GitHub, Notion, Slack, etc.)
  • Cross-platform (macOS stable, Windows beta, iOS)
  • 80+ built-in AI models with no API key needed
  • Cloud sync for settings, snippets, and notes (Pro)
  • Window management via keyboard shortcuts
  • Snippets with keyword expansion and quicklinks
  • Raycast Notes for quick note-taking
  • Game launcher (Steam, Epic, Battle.net, GeForce Now)
  • Custom themes
  • Enterprise AI governance (provider allow-lists, usage stats)
  • Free for both personal and organizational use

Raycast Gaps

  • Not always visible on screen; need to remember a keyboard shortcut
  • Not reacting to text selection and active app
  • No lifetime purchase option
  • No screen recording protection for clipboard

Which to Choose?

Choose WindowSill if…

  • You want an always-visible bar that reacts to your context, not a hidden launcher.
  • You want AI writing as part of a broader productivity toolkit.
  • You need per-prompt model selection for different tasks.
  • You need universal media control across Spotify, YouTube, Netflix, and more.
  • You benefit from ADHD-friendly full-screen reminders.
  • You need enterprise AI governance (allow-lists, usage stats).
  • You prefer a lifetime purchase over recurring subscriptions.
  • You need privacy features like screen recording protection.

Choose Raycast if…

  • You want a fast, search-first launcher activated by hotkey.
  • You need a large extension ecosystem (Slack, Notion, GitHub, Linear).
  • You also use macOS or iOS and want the same tool everywhere.
  • You need cloud sync for notes, snippets, and settings.
  • You want built-in window management.
  • You value Raycast Notes for quick thought capture.
  • You want access to 80+ AI models without managing API keys.

Ready to boost your productivity?

Start with WindowSill for free and upgrade when you need more.

Download Free
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Rejoining the server...

Rejoin failed... trying again in seconds.

Failed to rejoin.
Please retry or reload the page.

The session has been paused by the server.

Failed to resume the session.
Please retry or reload the page.