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Checked October 20, 2026

Raycast Snippets alternative for AI prompts

Switch to TextDeck if your AI prompts need more than three fields, should remember what you typed last time, or have to work on Android. Stay with Raycast if your snippets are short, you live in its launcher, and you rely on keyword expansion or the {clipboard} and {date} placeholders. Running both works fine.

Side by side

Price

TextDeckFree, every feature included

Raycast SnippetsSnippets free; Pro from $8/month billed annually ($96/year) for AI and Cloud Sync[4]

Platforms

TextDeckmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android, Windows

Raycast SnippetsmacOS, Windows (out of beta since Raycast 2.0, August 2026), iOS[7]

Variable model

TextDeckAny number of {{fields}}, with option lists

Raycast SnippetsUp to 3 distinct {argument} fields with name, default and options[1]

Automatic placeholders

TextDeckNone, you fill every field

Raycast Snippets{clipboard}, {date}, {time}, {cursor} and more[1]

Value history

TextDeckLast value per field, one tap to reuse

Raycast SnippetsDefault values; remembering past input is not documented[1]

Trigger

TextDeckGlobal hotkey opens a panel: search, fill, paste

Raycast SnippetsType a keyword to expand, or use Search Snippets[2]

Storage and account

TextDeckOn your device, no account; optional iCloud or your own cloud folder

Raycast SnippetsLocal on the Mac; Cloud Sync needs a signed-in Pro account[5]

Sync between Mac and Windows

TextDeckNo live sync between Apple devices and Windows

Raycast SnippetsYes, with Cloud Sync (Pro)[5]

iPhone

TextDeckNative app

Raycast SnippetsApp with a custom keyboard that includes snippets (since October 2025)[6]

Prompt library

TextDeck135 templates in 14 packs

Raycast SnippetsSnippet ideas to import from ray.so[2]

AI features

TextDeckOptional: on-device Apple Intelligence; own API key on Android and Windows, off by default

Raycast SnippetsRaycast AI with paid plans (Pro: 500 credits/month)[3]

Team sharing

TextDeckNot available

Raycast SnippetsYes; the free Teams plan allows 30 shared snippets[3]

Why people switch

Three arguments per snippet

Raycast's manual is clear: "You can add a maximum of 3 different arguments." A code-review prompt with language, goal, constraints and audience already needs four. A TextDeck template takes as many {{fields}} as the prompt has.

Every run starts from scratch

A Raycast argument can carry a default value. The manual says nothing about remembering what you typed. TextDeck keeps the last value of each field per template and offers it as a one-tap suggestion. A daily prompt with the same audience and tone then needs one new entry, the topic.

Sync is part of Pro

Snippets are free in Raycast. Having the same snippets on a second Mac, a Windows PC or an iPhone runs through Cloud Sync, and the manual states that "Cloud Sync requires a Pro subscription". TextDeck syncs through your own iCloud or a file in your own cloud folder, at no cost.

Prompts are one feature among many

In Raycast, snippets sit next to window management, clipboard history and thousands of extensions. TextDeck only does prompts: it starts you off with 135 templates in 14 packs, and the quick panel shows your library with names you can search.

When to stay

Raycast is an excellent tool, and in these setups it is the better pick.

  • You expand short text by typing a keyword, like ;addr for your address. TextDeck has no typed abbreviations. It works through a hotkey and a panel.
  • Your snippets depend on {clipboard}, {date}, {cursor} or {calculator}. TextDeck has no automatic placeholders: every {{field}} is one you fill in.
  • You pay for Pro already and use Raycast AI, Cloud Sync between Mac and Windows, or shared team snippets. TextDeck has no team sharing and no live sync between Apple devices and Windows.
  • Your prompts need three fields at most and the values change every time. Raycast covers that, and a second app adds little.

Moving your prompts from Raycast to TextDeck

  1. 1

    In Raycast, run Export Snippets. You get a JSON file. Raycast's manual notes that snippet exports are not encrypted, so keep the file somewhere private.

  2. 2

    Pick the snippets you use as AI prompts. Short ones like your address or an email signature can stay in Raycast.

  3. 3

    Rewrite the arguments in a text editor before you paste: {argument name="tone"} becomes {{tone}}. An unnamed {argument} needs a name, for example {{topic}}. Arguments that share a name in Raycast share one field in TextDeck too.

  4. 4

    Decide what to do with {clipboard}, {date} and {cursor}. TextDeck has no equivalent, so either delete them or turn them into normal fields such as {{text}} that you fill yourself.

  5. 5

    In TextDeck, choose New Prompt › From Text with Placeholders, paste one prompt and tap Detect Placeholders. For many short, one-paragraph prompts at once, use Import Prompts: it splits the text at blank lines and turns [tone], {tone} or <TONE> into {{tone}}.

  6. 6

    If a Raycast argument had options="happy, sad, professional", open the {{tone}} field in the TextDeck editor and add the three options. Defaults have no direct counterpart: type the value once, and TextDeck offers it again next time.

  7. 7

    Press ⌃⇧P on the Mac or Ctrl+Alt+P on Windows (both changeable in settings), pick the prompt, fill the fields and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.

Where your prompts are stored

Raycast is careful here. Its FAQ says "Sensitive data is encrypted and stored locally" and that the Mac app "doesn't require a web account with a login". That changes once you turn on Cloud Sync: the manual says "Synced data is tied to your Raycast account", and the privacy policy says Raycast stores personal data "primarily on servers in the United States". TextDeck has no account and no server of its own. Your prompts stay on your device. If you turn on sync, they go to your private iCloud database on Apple devices, or to a file in a cloud folder you choose on Android and Windows. The optional AI helpers run on-device with Apple Intelligence on Apple devices; on Android and Windows they are off by default and, once enabled, talk directly to the provider you pick, with your own API key.

What TextDeck does not do

  • No typed abbreviations. TextDeck opens with a hotkey and a panel; typing ;sig to expand text is not supported.
  • No direct import of Raycast's JSON export yet. It is on the roadmap. Until then you paste the text as described above.
  • No automatic placeholders for clipboard, date or cursor position.
  • No team sharing and no browser extension.
  • No live sync between Apple devices and Android or Windows. You move prompts with export and import or by sharing .textdeck files.
  • On iPhone, iPad and Android there is no global hotkey. You pick the prompt in the app and copy it.

Questions

Can I import my Raycast snippets into TextDeck?

Not directly yet; a Raycast import is on the roadmap. Today it takes three steps: run Export Snippets in Raycast, rewrite {argument name="x"} as {{x}}, then paste the text into From Text with Placeholders or Import Prompts in TextDeck.

Is there a free Raycast Snippets alternative for AI prompts?

Raycast Snippets themselves are free on the Mac. What costs money is Pro, from $8 a month billed annually, for Cloud Sync and Raycast AI. TextDeck is free with every feature, including sync through your own iCloud or cloud folder.

How many variables can a TextDeck template have?

There is no fixed limit. Every {{name}} in the text becomes a field in the fill-in form. If the same name appears twice, you fill it once and it is used in both places.

Can I use TextDeck and Raycast side by side?

Yes. They use separate hotkeys and do not interfere. A sensible split is short static text in Raycast and long prompts with fields in TextDeck. If TextDeck's default hotkey clashes with one of your Raycast hotkeys, change it in TextDeck's settings.

Does TextDeck run on Windows like Raycast?

Yes. TextDeck for Windows is in the Microsoft Store. It sits in the tray, opens with Ctrl+Alt+P and pastes the prompt into the app you were in. It syncs with Android through your cloud folder. There is no live sync with a Mac.

Sources · Checked October 20, 2026

  1. [1] Raycast Manual: Dynamic Placeholders
  2. [2] Raycast Manual: Snippets
  3. [3] Raycast Pricing
  4. [4] Raycast Pro
  5. [5] Raycast Manual: Cloud Sync
  6. [6] Raycast iOS changelog 1.1.0 (Custom Keyboard)
  7. [7] Raycast for Windows changelog 2.0
  8. [8] Raycast FAQ
  9. [9] Raycast Privacy Policy
  10. [10] Raycast Manual: Import & Export
  11. [11] Raycast Blog: Raycast for iOS

Three keys. Every prompt.

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