Elicit vs Raycast — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Elicit starts at $12/mo. Raycast starts at $10/mo. Raycast is $2/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Elicit.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Elicit (Hybrid) — Elicit is hybrid: a fixed subscription from $12/mo plus metered usage on top. Your real bill moves with volume, not seat count.
- Raycast (Per Seat) — Raycast bills on a fixed plan from $10/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
AI research assistant for analysts — automates literature reviews, extracts data from PDFs, synthesizes findings across dozens of papers. Pricing: Basic Free (5,000 credits), Plus $12/mo (12,000 credits), Pro $49/mo (60,000 credits), Enterprise custom. Popular with academic researchers, policy analysts, and life-science teams that need automated evidence synthesis.
Mac productivity launcher positioned as the alternative to Spotlight and Alfred for power users who want extensibility + a great UX. Distinctive for its extensions store, AI features (Ask Raycast), and clipboard history. Priced free (personal) with Raycast Pro at $10/user/mo (annual) or $16/mo. Series B in 2023. Popular with developers, designers, and knowledge workers who spend their day in a Mac terminal + browser.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Elicit monthly | Elicit annual | Raycast monthly | Raycast annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Basic / Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Plus / Pro | $12 | $12 | $10 | $8 |
| Mid tier | — / Pro+ | — | — | $20 | $16 |
| Pro / power | Pro / Max | $49 | $42 | $50 | — |
| Enterprise | Enterprise / — | Custom | Custom | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Elicit is worth it if… researchers who spend hours reading and synthesizing academic papers — Elicit automates the search + extraction workflow. Plus at $12/mo suits students and solo researchers; Pro at $49/mo suits professional analysts.
Raycast is worth it if… macOS power users (developers, designers, ops) who want Spotlight-on-steroids — launcher + snippets + calculator + AI assistant + 600+ extensions. Free covers core launcher forever; Pro adds cloud sync, unlimited AI, and custom themes; Pro + Advanced AI adds premium models.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Elicit is hybrid, Raycast is per seat.
Choose Elicit over Raycast if…
Choose Elicit if…
- You're fine with a base subscription plus metered usage on top (from $12/mo).
- You match the profile Elicit is built for: researchers who spend hours reading and synthesizing academic papers — Elicit automates the search + extraction workflow.
- You need a general-purpose productivity option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Raycast if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $10/mo).
- You match the profile Raycast is built for: macOS power users (developers, designers, ops) who want Spotlight-on-steroids — launcher + snippets + calculator + AI assistant + 600+ extensions.
- You need a general-purpose productivity option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Elicit | Raycast | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $12/mo | $10/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | No |
| Pricing model | Hybrid | Per Seat |
| Last verified | September 20, 2026 | September 12, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.