For AI agents and other automated readers: every page on this site is also published as markdown at its path plus .md (the home page is /index.md, and a folder’s page is its index.md), linked from each page's head as rel="alternate". /llms.txt summarizes the whole site.

smolcast
Compare

Windows launchers, compared

Four keyboard launchers for Windows, from one small app to a full extension platform.

Updated 23 Oct 2026 Checked against each project’s own site. smolcast is ours, so the sources are below.

smolcast

Open source

Free
Open source
7 MB
No account

Best for the essentials, small and private

Raycast for Windows

Raycast

Free + Pro $10/mo
Closed source
Extensions
AI

Best for extensions, AI and a Mac + PC setup

Read the comparison Get Raycast for Windows

PowerToys Command Palette

Microsoft

Free
Open source
Part of PowerToys
Extensions

Best for Windows admin and extensions

Read the comparison Get PowerToys Command Palette

Flow Launcher

Open-source community

Free
Open source
Plugins
Everything search

Best for plugins and deep file search

Read the comparison Get Flow Launcher

Feature by feature

Bold marks where smolcast comes out ahead of all three, and only on published facts.

The basics
	smolcast	Raycast for Windows	PowerToys Command Palette	Flow Launcher
Price	Free	Free; Pro $10/mo	Free	Free
Source	Open source (MIT)	Closed sourceExtensions are open	Open source (MIT)	Open source (MIT)
Runs on	Windows 11	Windows 10 and 11, plus macOS	Windows 10 and 11	Windows 10 and 11
Account	None	Needed for Pro, AI and sync	None	None
Features
Clipboard history	Built inText and images. Encrypted on disk	Built in	Built inRecent entries	Plugin
Snippets	Built inFind by name or keyword. No auto-expand	Built inExpands by keyword	NoBookmarks with {query} instead	No
Emoji picker	Built inEvery emoji, in color	Built in	NoWindows has `Win.`	No
File search	Built inThrough Windows Search	Built in	Built in	Built inNames and contents, via Everything
Calculator	Built inUnits too. Enter pastes	Built in	Built inMath and functions	Built inCopies the result
Extensions	NoScripts and quicklinks instead	Raycast StoreShared with the Mac app	Extension Gallery	Plugin storeC#, Python, JS and more
AI	No	ProQuick AI and AI Chat	No	No
Window management	No	Built in	Window switching	No
Under the hood
Download	7 MB, one .exeNo installer (the better pick)	Microsoft Store or WinGetSize not published	309 MB installerThe whole PowerToys suite	97 MB installer

Tinycast and Alfred are the Mac cousins

Tinycast is free, open source and Mac only, and Alfred is the long-standing Mac favorite. smolcast is the closest thing to either on Windows: smolcast vs Tinycast, smolcast vs Alfred.

Try smolcast

Windows 11, x64
7 MB
Free and open source

Download