Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Raycast vs Shortwave vs Wispr Flow
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone on a Mac or Windows PC who wants to do more from the keyboard and less with the mouse.
Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.
Pick it if: Anyone who writes a lot during the day and is tired of typing it, including people who brief AI tools constantly.
Overview
| Attribute | Raycast | Shortwave | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A launcher that puts AI, clipboard history and shortcuts one keystroke away. | AI email app for Gmail that searches, sorts, drafts and acts on your inbox for you. | Talk instead of type, anywhere on your computer or phone, and get clean text back. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $10/mo | $18/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Raycast | Shortwave | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.4Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Raycast | Shortwave | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | – | No |
| API access | Yes | – | No |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | – | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | – |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | No |
| Understands images | Yes | – | No |
| Makes images | Yes | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | – | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 14/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Raycast | Shortwave | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Everyone. The launcher, clipboard history and all extensions. | Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox. | Free Free Light users and trying it out. |
Pro $10/mo, or $8/mo billed yearly People who want AI one keystroke away. | ProOur pick $18/mo Individuals who use the AI daily. | ProOur pick $15/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Anyone who talks more than they type. | |
Plus $20/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly Daily AI users who want the top models. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams who share threads and need more AI. | Growth $23/user/mo, or $18/user/mo billed yearly Teams with security or compliance needs. | |
Max $50/mo, or $40/mo billed yearly Heavy AI users who want it all inside Raycast. | Premier $45/seat/mo Heavy users with complex email workflows. | Enterprise Custom Large managed rollouts. | |
Teams Pro $15/user/mo, or $12/user/mo billed yearly Teams sharing snippets, links and commands. | Max $120/seat/mo People who live in email all day. | ||
Enterprise Custom IT-managed rollouts. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Use Free until you catch yourself wishing the AI was there. Then Pro. Plus and Max only make sense if Raycast becomes your main way of talking to AI, and most people already pay for Claude or ChatGPT separately. | Start on Free for a week to see if you like the app. Pro is enough for most individuals; pick Business only if you share threads with a team. Every paid plan has a 14-day free trial. | Free tells you within a day whether talking suits you. If you hit the weekly cap, which most people do fast, Pro on the yearly plan is the one. Growth is only about security paperwork. |
Key features
| Attribute | Raycast | Shortwave | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Raycast | Shortwave | Wispr Flow |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Raycast | Shortwave | Wispr Flow |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Raycast, Shortwave or Wispr Flow?
Wispr Flow scores highest overall in our ratings (Raycast 4.1/5, Shortwave 4.2/5 and Wispr Flow 4.4/5). Raycast is best for launching apps and files and clipboard history. Shortwave is best for finding old emails by describing them and clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly. Wispr Flow is best for dictating emails and messages and long prompts for AI tools.
Which is cheaper, Raycast, Shortwave or Wispr Flow?
Raycast: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo. Shortwave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo. Wispr Flow: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $15/mo.
Which is easier to use, Raycast, Shortwave or Wispr Flow?
Wispr Flow rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who writes a lot during the day and is tired of typing it, including people who brief AI tools constantly.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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