Compare · updated July 2026
Orbital vs Raycast
Raycast is the keyboard-first command palette with an enormous extension ecosystem. Orbital is the mouse-first radial dial. They solve overlapping problems with opposite hands — which is exactly why people who love their mouse bounce off Raycast, and keyboard devotees bounce off pie menus.
Pick Raycast if
- You live on the keyboard and think in typed commands
- You want 2,000+ extensions, AI chat, notes, and cloud sync
- The free tier already covers you
Pick Orbital if
- Your hand is on the mouse all day — CAD, design, browsing, spreadsheets
- You want everything at the cursor in one gesture, no typing
- You prefer €9.99 once over a subscription for the full feature set
Side by side
| Orbital | Raycast | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €9.99 one-time · 2 Macs | Free tier · Pro $10/mo ($8/mo annual) |
| Free trial | 7 days, every feature, no card | Free tier (Pro features gated) |
| Trigger | Middle click (default) or ⌥ Space | Keyboard hotkey (⌥ Space default) |
| Opens at the cursor | Yes — radial dial at the cursor | No — centered command palette |
| Middle-click support | Yes — default, any mouse | No |
| Scope | Apps · Windows · Clipboard · Workspaces · Actions | Launcher · Files · Clipboard · Snippets · AI · 2,000+ extensions |
| Platform | macOS 15+ (Apple silicon & Intel) | macOS 13+ · also Windows & iOS |
Raycast details from www.raycast.com and public listings, last checked July 2026. Spotted something outdated? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Where Raycast shines
Raycast's breadth is unmatched: a fast launcher, file search, clipboard history, snippets, window commands, AI, and a huge extension store — much of it free. It's the default recommendation in most launcher roundups for a reason.
Where Orbital differs
Orbital isn't trying to out-palette Raycast — it moves the whole interaction to the mouse. Middle click opens a dial at the cursor with your apps, every open window, clipboard history, workspaces, and system actions; you flick, you're done. No typing, no account, no subscription: €9.99 once, two Macs, all 1.x updates.
Common questions
- Is Orbital a Raycast replacement?
- For keyboard-driven workflows, no — Raycast is the stronger command palette. For mouse-driven workflows it's the other way around: Orbital puts launching, window switching, clipboard, workspaces, and actions on a middle click at the cursor, which Raycast doesn't offer.
- Is Raycast free?
- Raycast has a generous free tier including the launcher and limited clipboard history; Pro is $10/month (or $8/month billed annually) as of July 2026. Orbital is €9.99 one-time with everything included after a 7-day trial.
- Can Raycast open at the cursor or with a mouse button?
- No — Raycast opens as a centered window via keyboard hotkey. A radial menu at the cursor triggered by middle click is Orbital's core interaction.
Try the middle-click dial.
Every feature free for 7 days — no card, no account.
Download Orbital 0.2.6