Open source alternative to Raycast AI, Alfred and LaunchBar
Last verified
Search apps, files, and system settings from a keyboard-first launcher for macOS, Windows, and Linux, with no telemetry and no paid tier.
For engineers who maintain macOS and Linux desktops, Look provides one consistent launcher interface and config file format on both platforms. A single ~/.look/config in a dotfiles repo covers macOS, Arch, Ubuntu, NixOS, and other Linux distributions without separate configurations.
User works exclusively on a single platform where their existing launcher already meets all their needs.
For users who do not want their search history, clipboard contents, or calendar activity reaching remote servers, Look indexes everything locally and uses network only for explicit actions like translation or web search. There is no telemetry, no background sync, and no account.
User is comfortable with cloud sync and needs cross-device clipboard or search history.
For macOS developers currently paying for Raycast Pro, Look provides clipboard history, an inline calculator, command mode, and an extension catalog at no cost. The lookbook catalog covers common developer workflows like Git repos, SSH hosts, and Docker containers.
User relies on Raycast features Look does not cover, such as window management or text snippet expansion.
Developers and power users on macOS reach for Raycast or Spotlight by default, but Raycast's most useful features sit behind a $8-10 per month subscription, and Spotlight has no extension story. On Linux, options like rofi and ulauncher exist but are Linux-only and have limited cross-platform consistency. Alfred offers deep macOS customization but only for Mac, requiring a £34 Powerpack purchase for clipboard history and workflow automation. Users who split time between macOS and Linux desktops end up with two completely different launcher setups, each requiring its own config and muscle memory. Even on a single platform, most launchers require cloud accounts for sync, clipboard history, or AI features, which means private activity and file data leave the machine. The result is scattered tooling with recurring costs and unnecessary privacy trade-offs.
Query prefixes narrow the search scope to a specific category. Type a" to search only installed apps, f" for files, d" for folders, r" for regex, rc" for recent items, c" for clipboard history, and t" for quick translation. Each prefix is a single character and can be browsed with a bare " to see all options.
Type a mathematical expression directly in the launcher and Look pins a Calculator row above the results. Enter copies the value. Supported: 2^10 (powers), 4! (factorial), 200*15% (percentage), sqrt(2) (functions). There is no mode switch; the calculator activates when Look recognizes an expression.
Press Cmd+/ on macOS or Ctrl+/ on Windows and Linux to open command mode. Built-in commands include a pomodoro timer, daily to-do list with streaks, speed test, port-based process kill, shell shortcuts, and system information display. All commands run locally with no network access.
Press c" to browse recently copied text; ci" shows copied images in a separate list. Enter copies a clip back to clipboard; Cmd+I pastes it directly into the app you came from. Delete removes an entry from history. On macOS, clipboard history clears on restart; on Windows and Linux it persists to disk.
Open Settings → Extend and choose Browse lookbook to see a catalog of ready-made sources for Git repos, SSH hosts, Docker containers, tmux sessions, and more. Each card shows whether it works on your machine and what it needs before installing. Custom sources can also be declared in TOML at ~/.look/config.
On macOS, Look requires no Accessibility permission, no Full Disk Access, and no Screen Recording. Network access is used only for explicit actions: translation (t"), dictionary lookup (tw"), and optional web answers that can be disabled with ai_enabled=false in the config file.
Raycast is macOS-only (and in beta on Windows). Look runs on macOS 15.0+, Linux (x86_64), and Windows x64. Raycast's AI, clipboard sync beyond 3 months, and other Pro features require a subscription at $8-10 per month. Look is free with no paid tier: clipboard history, command mode, the lookbook extension catalog, and an inline calculator are all included at no cost.
Both launchers support extension ecosystems. Raycast's extension store is larger and more established. Look's lookbook is newer but growing, and Look also supports custom TOML-declared sources for Git repos, SSH hosts, Docker containers, and similar developer workflows.
Raycast includes window management and text snippet expansion. Look does not have those features, so users who rely on Raycast for window snapping or snippet shortcuts will need to stay with Raycast or add separate tools for those functions.
Raycast is closed source. Look is GPL-3.0: the code is auditable and community-driven.
Alfred is macOS-only. Look runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Alfred's clipboard manager and workflow automation require the Powerpack at £34 (one-time purchase). Look includes clipboard history for text and images at no cost.
Alfred's Workflow editor is a visual tool for building macOS automations. Look has no workflow editor. Teams that have built Alfred Workflows will need other tools for that kind of automation.
Alfred has been available since 2011 and has a large library of community workflows. Look launched in April 2026; its extension catalog is growing but smaller.
LaunchBar is macOS-only. Look runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows. LaunchBar uses a one-time purchase model; Look is free and open source under GPL-3.0.
LaunchBar's instant-send feature for chaining actions is a distinctive capability with no direct equivalent in Look. Command mode covers some similar ground (pomodoro, process management, system info) but is not a full replacement for action chaining.
LaunchBar has years of deep macOS integration. Look is newer (created April 2026, last commit November 12, 2026) and is adding features actively.
Install Look with Homebrew on macOS, or use the platform install script for Linux and Windows.
```bash
brew install --cask look
```No. Look is free with no paid tier, no account, and no cloud sync. Installation is local; all indexes and clipboard history stay on the machine. There is no freemium gating: every feature is available from the first install.
macOS 15.0 and later, Linux (x86_64, with pre-built packages for Arch Linux via the AUR, Ubuntu and Debian via a curl script, any distribution via AppImage, and NixOS via flake), and Windows x64 (installer script or Scoop). ARM Linux builds are not published; Windows on ARM runs the x64 build under emulation. macOS requires 15.0 or later; older macOS releases are not supported.
Yes. Declare custom sources in TOML at ~/.look/config, or install ready-made sources from lookbook in Settings → Extend. Each lookbook card lists what it needs before installing. For apps that want to push their own rows, the connector contract is documented at docs/integrating.md in the repository.
GPL-3.0. You can run, modify, and distribute Look freely. If you distribute a modified version as software, the GPL-3.0 license requires that you release the modified source under the same terms. Running it yourself, including for internal business or team use, does not require releasing source changes.
Look includes a command mode (Cmd+/ on macOS, Ctrl+/ on Windows and Linux) with built-in commands for pomodoro timer, daily to-do with streaks, speed test, port-based process kill, and system info. An AI conversation mode (the > prefix, for calendar actions, file recall, and text operations) is available on macOS only, in beta, and runs on a local model; it is not available on Windows or Linux.
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