Vicinae

Vicinae is a native launcher written in C++ with Qt Widgets, built around a single shortcut that opens app search, file search, clipboard history, an inline calculator, an emoji picker, window and workspace switching, and browser tab search. It ships its own React/TypeScript extension system and a compatibility layer for the Raycast store, so a large share of existing Raycast extensions and script commands run out of the box — no Electron, no browser overhead underneath.

Why it makes the list

It started as a way to bring a Raycast-shaped workflow to Linux, and macOS is now a first-class target alongside it — a genuinely native, GPL-licensed alternative for anyone who wants Raycast's extension ecosystem without an Electron runtime or an account. With close to 10,000 GitHub stars and active releases, it's one of the more credible native rewrites in this space.

Standout features

• Raycast-compatible extensions — runs many existing Raycast extensions and script commands unmodified

• Native C++/Qt UI, no Electron or Chromium runtime

• Clipboard history, calculator, emoji picker, and file search built in

• Window and workspace switching, plus browser tab search

• Theming, snippets, and a browsable extension gallery

• Cross-platform — Linux, macOS, and (soon) Windows, from one codebase

Pricing

Free and open source under GPL-3.0. Installed via Homebrew (brew install --cask vicinae) or a direct .dmg download. Requires macOS Tahoe (26) or later on Apple silicon.