Tero vs Raycast: selection actions or a launcher?
Tero is a Raycast alternative for work that starts with selected text or files, but it is not a replacement for Raycast’s broader launcher and extension ecosystem. Raycast may already cover your history and commands. Test the specific correction, file or planning workflow you would move before changing your setup.
Checked
| Workflow | Tero | Raycast |
|---|---|---|
| History | Local 7-day unpinned history; 100 entries / 30 MB | Free 3-month history; Pro unlimited |
| Starting point | Selected text/file or saved copy | Launcher command, hotkey or extension |
| File conversion | Supported images/documents | Depends on command or extension |
| Text actions | Selection actions with daily/Pro AI limits | AI capabilities depend on plan/setup |
| Reminders | Reviewed Apple Reminders actions | Check the required command/extension |
| Price | Free; Pro €8.99/month or €89.90/year | Free core; paid Pro tiers, official pricing |
What Raycast does well
Raycast organizes work around a command launcher with built-in tools and extensions. Its Free plan includes clipboard history, quicklinks, snippets and other core utilities. If opening a launcher is already your habitual way to find a command, its clipboard view can be a convenient part of that existing routine.
A launcher is useful when the command itself is the thing you know. You may want to open a link, find a saved snippet or trigger a workflow by name. In that situation, a stable command and shortcut can be more predictable than a changing list of suggestions. Evaluate the route you already remember rather than assuming a new panel will always remove a step.
Raycast’s extension ecosystem matters in a fair comparison. A task absent from a built-in menu may still be served by an extension or custom command. Check the extension’s input, permissions and maintenance separately. Counting every extension as a native feature is inaccurate, but ignoring available extensions can also produce a misleading comparison.
Paid Raycast plans add AI and other capabilities. Its current pricing distinguishes Free clipboard retention from unlimited history on Pro. Verify the plan and features you intend to use on the official page, because a demonstration of a paid AI command does not prove it is part of Free. Cost and limits belong beside the task you are evaluating.
Keep a short list of the commands you use daily before considering a switch. A clipboard action is only one part of a launcher-based setup. Replacing that one action does not require removing the launcher, and moving all commands at once makes it harder to tell whether the new route actually helped your most frequent task.
Where Raycast stops
Raycast’s boundary depends on the built-in command, plan and extensions in the setup you test. It would be misleading to state that it cannot correct text or perform a file workflow merely because those tasks are outside a default clipboard view. The useful question is how you reach the task and what configuration it requires on your Mac.
For a selected paragraph, evaluate the whole route from selection to reviewed result. Include opening the command, supplying input, choosing an option and returning the result to the target field. A command with a configured hotkey may be very short. A multi-step custom setup can still be worthwhile when the task is frequent and well defined.
For a selected document, identify the actual engine doing the conversion. An extension that invokes another app is different from a built-in converter, and its dependencies affect installation and reliability. Verify the accepted source format and output rather than concluding that a launcher can convert any file merely because an extension is called a converter.
Privacy and cost also follow the chosen command. Free clipboard history, cloud synchronization and an AI action are separate capabilities. Review the settings and plan for the particular action before sharing confidential content. A familiar launcher interface does not mean every extension uses the same processor or stores data in the same place.
Do not switch because a comparison table has more checkmarks in one column. Write down the task and the step you hope to remove. If your existing command already performs it reliably, keep that result as the baseline. A fair test should compare usable workflows, not a carefully configured tool against another tool’s unconfigured first launch.
Where Tero differs
Tero begins with the thing you selected. Select a supported passage or downloaded file, open the panel with Command-Backslash, and choose an available action. Suggestions use the selection and available application context. You can search for an action too, so using a suggestion is not the only route through the panel.
For writing, Tero provides correction, translation, rewriting and other documented actions. A supported editable field can receive a checked replacement; other reading surfaces get a card you can read or copy. That review step is important when a draft includes a date, name or commitment. Sending a message remains your decision rather than an automatic consequence of running a correction.
Tero’s Clipboard surface supplies local history with a seven-day unpinned window, 100-entry and 30 MB budget, and up to 20 pins. It does not sync history to your account. These limits may fit recent working copies but should not be compared with unlimited archival retention. See the clipboard feature section for the precise constraints.
Selected-file work covers particular image and document operations. Office conversion requires local LibreOffice. Calendar and Reminders actions turn selected plans into items you review before saving. Audio and video transcoding are not part of the current beta. Tero does not replace a launcher’s full extension catalog, app navigation or all-purpose command environment.
Tero Free includes local actions and separate daily allowances of three AI recommendation requests and three AI actions. Pro provides a larger shared allowance at €8.99 monthly or €89.90 yearly including tax. Online actions send the content required for processing. Use the Quick Actions guide to separate Apple’s native menus from third-party selection tools, and the features page to check Tero’s current support. You can keep Raycast for commands and test Tero for a repeated selection task without making an all-or-nothing switch.
Questions about Tero vs Raycast: selection actions or a launcher
Can Tero replace every Raycast command?
No. Tero focuses on selected content and supported actions, while Raycast has a broader launcher and extension ecosystem.
Does Raycast Free include clipboard history?
Yes. Its current pricing includes Clipboard History in Free, with a three-month window; paid Pro offers unlimited history.
Should I uninstall Raycast to test Tero?
A workflow test does not require replacing every command. Compare one repeated selection task and check shortcuts so the tools do not conflict.