Spud: a Raycast alternative that restores your whole work context
Spud is a macOS menu-bar app that saves and restores your entire desktop layout with one keystroke. This page is for Mac power users looking at Raycast who want their whole work context back, not just a faster way to launch apps. It compares Spud and Raycast honestly, then shows where each one fits.
Key takeaways
- Spud saves and restores complete desktop workspaces with one keystroke, bringing every window back at its exact position, size, and stacking order.
- When Spud restores a workspace, it relaunches apps you had closed and reopens closed browser tabs without creating duplicates.
- Spud re-places your layout proportionally when you dock or undock an external display, so nothing lands off-screen on the laptop.
- Spud covers the everyday Raycast utilities, including searchable clipboard history, snippets, screenshots, and Talk for reading copied text aloud.
The Raycast alternative built around your whole work context
Spud is the Raycast alternative that brings back every window in place instead of just launching apps. You rebuild your desktop by hand after every context switch, dragging windows and reopening tabs to get back to where you were. Spud saves that whole layout and restores it in about a second. It also packs the keyboard-first tools you expect: clipboard history, snippets, screenshots, and Talk. Raycast leans on its command bar and thousands of community extensions; Spud leans on getting your desktop back exactly as you left it.
Download Spud or jump to how it compares.
Is Spud a good Raycast alternative?
Spud is a strong Raycast alternative if your real problem is rebuilding your desktop after every context switch, and a poor fit if you mainly want a launcher and extension platform. It overlaps with Raycast on clipboard history and snippets, then adds saved and restored workspaces that Raycast does not do. Switch to Spud if you juggle several work contexts on one Mac and lose time re-arranging windows. Stay on Raycast if app launching, AI, and its extension store are the features you live in. Spud's free tier lets you test the idea with 2 workspaces at no cost.
Spud vs Raycast at a glance
Spud and Raycast solve different core problems: Spud restores work contexts, Raycast launches and automates. Here is how they line up on the features buyers actually search for.
| Feature | Spud | Raycast |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace save and restore | Yes, one keystroke | No |
| Window position and z-order restore | Yes | Basic window tiling only |
| Reopen closed browser tabs | Yes | No |
| Multi-display proportional remapping | Yes | No |
| Clipboard history | Yes | Yes |
| Snippets | Yes | Yes |
| Screenshot history | Yes, saved files and clipboard captures | Search Screenshots command, saved files only |
| Text-to-speech (Talk) | Yes | No |
| App launching and extensions | Basic app launch | Full launcher and large extension store |
| Price | Free tier; Pro $4.99/month | Free tier; Pro paid subscription |
| Distribution | Direct download, signed and notarized | Direct download |
Where Raycast still wins
Raycast is the stronger tool when you want a launcher platform, and it deserves credit for it.
- It is a full application launcher with fast search and command execution.
- It has a large store of community extensions for tools like GitHub, Notion, and Linear.
- It ships built-in AI features through its Pro plan.
Where Spud wins
Spud wins when the job is restoring a work context, not launching an app.
- It restores each window's exact position, size, and z-order, not just a tiled grid (how it works).
- It reopens closed browser tabs without creating duplicates.
- It re-places layouts proportionally when you dock or undock an external display.
- It switches whole contexts and hides the apps that belong to other ones.
Save and restore your whole workspace
Spud captures your open windows as a named workspace and brings them all back with one keystroke. Save the layout you are in with ⌃⌥ S, then restore it later and every window lands back at its exact position, size, and stacking order. Spud relaunches apps you had closed and reopens the browser tabs that were open, so you do not rebuild anything by hand. Name a layout Deep Work, jump into it, and you are back in context in about a second. This is the part that separates Spud from a launcher: Raycast can open an app, but it does not remember and rebuild your whole arrangement.
Switch contexts with one keystroke
Spud gives you a switcher for your entire work context, not one app at a time. Open it with ⌃⌥ Space, then jump straight to a saved workspace with a number key. When a context comes up, Spud hides the apps that belong to your other contexts so the new one opens clean. It works like ⌘-Tab, except it moves you between full layouts instead of single windows. You can see the full keyboard workflow on eatspud.com.
The Raycast features you'd miss, covered
Spud covers the everyday Raycast utilities, so switching does not mean giving them up. Each one opens from a shortcut and stays out of your way.
- Clipboard history: a searchable record of what you copied, opened with ⌃ Space, so a new copy is never destructive.
- Snippets: the text you type every day, ready to drop in.
- Screenshots: every capture in a searchable grid, including the ones you copy to the clipboard instead of saving.
- Talk: reads copied text aloud with ⌃ T.
You can try all of these on the free tier first.
Keyboard-first, mouse-optional
Spud is built so your hands rarely leave the keyboard. Every core action has a global shortcut you can trigger from anywhere.
- Save a workspace: ⌃⌥ S
- Open the switcher: ⌃⌥ Space
- Open clipboard history: ⌃ Space
- Read copied text aloud: ⌃ T
You can see and customize the shortcuts after install.
Trusted by Mac power users
Spud ships with the trust signals that matter for an app that reads and moves your windows. The app is signed and notarized, with a direct download and a free tier that lasts forever. Because it installs directly from eatspud.com rather than the Mac App Store, it runs without sandbox limits that would block real window management. You keep anything you make during the trial; nothing is taken away when it ends.
Honest pricing
Spud is free forever at its base tier, and Pro is $4.99/month for unlimited use. The free tier gives you 2 workspaces, your last 10 clipboard items, and 5 snippets. Pro removes those limits. The 10-day Pro trial needs no card and no sign-up, and nothing you create during it is taken away when it ends. That is a flat, readable price next to launcher subscriptions that add more behind the paid tier each year.
Start your free Pro trial or download Spud.
Frequently asked questions
Is Spud a free Raycast alternative?
Yes, Spud has a free tier that lasts forever. It includes 2 workspaces, your last 10 clipboard items, and 5 snippets. If you want unlimited use, Pro is $4.99/month with a 10-day trial that needs no card.
Does Spud replace Raycast completely?
Not completely, and it does not try to. Spud overlaps with Raycast on clipboard history and snippets, and it adds saved and restored workspaces that Raycast does not do. It is not a full launcher or extension platform, so if you live in Raycast's command bar and extensions, run both.
Is Spud on the Mac App Store?
No. Spud is a direct download from eatspud.com, signed and notarized. Installing outside the App Store means it runs without the sandbox limits that would block reading and moving other apps' windows, which is exactly what workspace restore needs.
What does Spud need to work?
Spud needs Accessibility permission, because it reads and moves other apps' windows to save and restore your layout. It is a menu-bar app with no Dock icon, so you open it from the menu bar or a shortcut. You grant the permission once during setup.
Which Mac versions does Spud support?
Spud runs on macOS 26 Tahoe and works on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. You can check the current requirements on the download page.