I returned to Alfred. What I said here was true from late last year:
What I do know for sure is that file searching is still better in Alfred. I don’t know which algorithms each app uses, but Alfred more often displays the results I want/need to see. Searching Apple Notes is better in Alfred too — Raycast only searches the note title whereas Alfred searches the note content. Returning to familiar (simpler) apps
Maybe it has improved in Raycast?
Still on Raycast. I hear Alfred is better but I haven’t been motivated to try it.
Alfred over Raycast.
My biggest reasons:
Similar here. I tried Alfred back before Raycast existed, but uninstalled it and didn’t bother with the power pack because I didn’t find myself using it. I tried and liked Raycast and have continued using it.
Reading this makes like it is time for me to move on from Launchbar, which feels a bit stale.
Y’all should try out Alfred 5.5 which has tons of new features and a way to chat with ChatGPT and similar chatbots
I just think the Alfred team doesn’t do a good enough job in marketing and creating the hype lol, raycast team is good in those aspects for sure. I guess they are a smaller team too.
some other features include gallery view
I have been using Alfred for years, but coincidentally been trying out Raycast this week (and not sure yet what I will use going forward)
As an European user, I wish Alfred would get Raycast’s calculator (proper support for converting currencies and time zones).
It’s old but Launchbar is still the best. Directory traversal and instant send is unbeaten.
I’ve been using the paid version of Alfred (Powerpack) for 10 years now and am a Mega Supporter (perpetual license). I also used Quicksilver back in the day and tried Launchbar. Frankly, Alfred does all I want and then some (like the Snippets feature allowing me to get rid of TextExpander). I can’t imagine switching now.
I’ve been using Alfred since 2016, version 2. My Alfred workflows and muscle memory are so ingrained that switching to Raycast isn’t an option. Additionally, using Raycast would require me to keep running Keyboard Maestro. With Alfred, I have workflows that replicate everything I have in Keyboard Maestro. Alfred has effectively eliminated the need for me to run Keyboard Maestro altogether.
Have you looked at Alfred Gallery?
There are workflows for these features (Calculate Anything will also work for currency conversions and World Clock will work for time zones).
I’ve tried Raycast a few times, but always return to Alfred. It just feels faster to do anything I want to in a way that I suspect is beyond my lack of muscle memory with Raycast (people referring to file search + manipulation seems to confirm I’m not alone).
I kind of hate that Raycast got me, but I’m used to its plugin development now and the keyboard shortcut model. I think Alfred would have been more like that if it’d been developed new in the last few years.
I haven’t found a reason to pay for Raycast and I will probably keep upgrading my Alfred license even if I’m not using it–love that company.
For better Raycast file search, there’s a beta that uses their own index and is fast like Alfred’s find/open. They don’t have anything as good as Alfred’s in search yet. I use opt+space for the main launcher and ctrl+space to go straight to file search.
I think part of the reason Raycast took off is because you get a lot more for free with it than you get with Alfred unless you buy the power pack.
This is exactly why I prefer Alfred. I can just start typing and the fallback results show me files, bookmarks, search URLs, etc.—anything that matches my typed text—without me having to first decide what sort of thing I’m looking for.
That said, I do have a separate shortcut (hyper-g) that opens Alfred in the file browser and the root level of all my client projects so that I can type ahead to navigate the files system from there.
I discovered Calculate Anything yesterday (which I will experiment with) and I have been using TimeZones (instead) for quite some time.
I recently purchased Soulver 3, which integrates with Alfred as well. Maybe I should use that a bit more…
This is why I love and hate this forum. Now I’m off to download Raycast… 
Could you share how to do that? TY!
Sorry for the slow response. It’s a very simple two step workflow:
Just insert whatever key combo and starting file location you want in that first step
This is a great tip for file navigation. Thank you.
I have a few files that I constantly accessed and they are filed in different directories. I use Alfred’s File Buffer to store these files in Alfred and one-click to open them:
My only gripe is I don’t have a keyboard shortcut to access the individual files in the buffer and have to use a mouse.
