Honest comparison
Skilly vs Raycast AI
Raycast is the best command bar on Mac. Skilly is voice-first and screen-aware. If you already live in Raycast, Skilly fills the gap it does not cover — learning new apps without reading docs or scrubbing tutorials.
You are actually using a Mac app and stuck. You want to ask out loud, hear the answer, and see your cursor move to the right place. Raycast's chat box is the wrong surface for this.
You want a fast keyboard-driven command bar with AI chat bolted on. Calendar shortcuts, file actions, snippet expansion, and a clipboard manager — all great things Skilly does not do.
Honest take: most Mac power users already have Raycast. Skilly is not meant to replace it. Raycast is where you operate your Mac; Skilly is where you learn a new app inside it. Running both is normal.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Skilly | Raycast AI |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Hands-on tutor while you are using an app | Launcher + command bar + AI chat + workflow automation |
| Interaction | Voice-first. Speak, get a voice answer, watch the cursor move. | Keyboard-first. Cmd+Space, type, get results. |
| Screen awareness | Yes — screenshot captured at the moment you speak, guides based on what is visible | Limited — AI chat can see attached context (files, clipboard), not live screen |
| Cursor guidance | Cursor physically moves to the exact UI element | No — text answers in the Raycast window |
| Audio output | Out loud via OpenAI Realtime voice | Text only (can copy to clipboard) |
| Skills / curriculum | Per-app Markdown curriculum (Blender, Figma, Xcode, Photoshop…) | Extensions marketplace for developer/productivity workflows |
| Platform | Native macOS menu bar (14.0+) | Native macOS app, Raycast Pro adds AI |
| Best learning use | Learning a new app (Blender, Figma, etc.) with zero friction | Quick factual Q&A while keeping your hands on the keyboard |
| Open source | Yes — Apache-2.0 (fork of farzaa/clicky, MIT) | Extensions are open, core app is proprietary |
| Pricing | 15 minutes free, then $19/month for 3 hours of tutoring | Free core, Raycast Pro $8/month or $16/month for AI |
Common questions
Can I use Skilly and Raycast AI together?
Yes — they live in different keyboard shortcuts and don't conflict. Most Skilly users keep Raycast for quick text/code prompts (Cmd+Space replacement) and use Skilly's push-to-talk hotkey when they need an actual tutor for an unfamiliar app. Raycast is great as a launcher; Skilly is great as a teacher.
Is Skilly cheaper than Raycast Pro?
Different price points. Skilly is $19 per month after a 15-minute free trial. Raycast Pro (the AI tier) is $10 per month. Raycast core is free. Skilly is also open source under Apache-2.0, so you can run it free with your own OpenAI API key (BYOK option, in beta) — Raycast AI is closed source with no self-hosted option.
Does Raycast AI move my cursor like Skilly?
No. Raycast AI returns text answers in its command bar UI. Skilly physically moves your cursor to the exact UI element you need (a button in Blender, a layer in Figma, a menu in Xcode) while narrating the answer out loud. The cursor-moving behavior is the single biggest functional difference between the two products.
Should I switch from Raycast AI to Skilly?
Probably not — they solve different problems. Keep Raycast for the launcher + quick text. Add Skilly when you find yourself stuck in unfamiliar apps (3D modeling, video editing, design tools) and Raycast's text-only answers aren't enough because you need someone to point at the screen and walk you through it. Most Skilly users came BECAUSE Raycast wasn't built for tutoring, not as a replacement for it.