Tap Control twice. Ask anything.
Tap Control twice in any app and Koi's chat box drops out of the notch. It sees your screen and selected text, and takes pictures, PDFs and documents.
Start here
What Alfred does, and what it costs
Alfred is a Mac launcher you drive with a hotkey and keywords. It finds apps and files and searches the web, free forever. The Powerpack adds clipboard history, snippets and text expansion, and workflows: little automations you build or install from its Gallery.
The Powerpack is £34 for a single licence or £59 as Mega Supporter, with free upgrades for life, and buying Alfred 5 now includes Alfred 6. Alfred 5.8.1 runs on macOS 10.14 or later.
Alfred 5 has no AI chat of its own. Its Gallery has an official AI workflow that needs the Powerpack and your own OpenAI API key, opened with a keyword. Alfred 6, announced for this autumn, promises an optional AI integration where you choose the model and use your own key.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site, checked October 26, 2026.
The picks
The best Alfred alternatives for AI on Mac in 2026
1. Koi
Best for: An AI chat one key away, with no API key to set up
Tap Control twice in any app and Koi's chat box drops out of the notch. Type, and Koi answers in writing. It sees your screen and the text you selected, “/” sends a saved prompt, and you attach pictures, PDFs and documents with +, a drop or a paste. Tap two keys and you can talk to Koi out loud instead.
Where Alfred is better, plainly: it's a launcher first, with file search, clipboard history, snippets and a huge library of workflows, all paid once. Koi isn't a launcher. Koi is $20 a month or Lifetime, paid once, and its AI is included rather than paid with your own key.
2. Raycast
Best for: A launcher with AI built in
Raycast is a free launcher, and its AI is on paid plans: Quick AI from the search bar, a full AI Chat, saved AI Commands, attachments, and Screen Awareness on Pro. Pro is $10 a month or $96 a year. Raycast 2 needs macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon. More in our Raycast AI alternatives.
3. Alfred's own AI workflow
Best for: Staying on Alfred
If you love Alfred, its official Gallery workflow puts AI one keyword away. You need the Powerpack and your own API key, and you pay the AI provider for what you use.
Comparison
Alfred vs the alternatives, for AI
From each app's own site. “Not listed” means the site doesn't mention it.
| AI chat | Attach files | Sees the screen | macOS | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred 5 | Workflow, your own key | Not listed | Not listed | 10.14+ | Free; Powerpack £34 once |
| Koi | Control twice | Yes | Yes | 14+ | $20 a month, or Lifetime, $199 once |
| Raycast | Quick AI, AI Chat | Yes | Yes, on Pro | Tahoe for Raycast 2 | AI from $10 a month |
Honest take
When Alfred is still the better pick
Stay on Alfred if
- You want a launcher, clipboard history and snippets, paid once.
- You build your own workflows.
- You'd rather pay an AI provider directly with your own key.
- Your Mac runs macOS older than 14.
Choosing
Which one should you pick?
- A launcher, and AI only now and then? Alfred with its workflow.
- A launcher with AI built in? Raycast.
- An AI chat one key away that sees your screen and takes files, plus voice? Koi, beside Alfred if you like.
See Koi's chat box, or the plans on the pricing page.
Keep exploring
The best Raycast AI alternatives for Mac
Raycast AI alternatives for Mac: Koi, Alter, BoltAI, HeyClicky, VoiceOS and Siri AI. Who you can talk to, who takes your own keys, and what each costs.
The best BoltAI alternatives for Mac
BoltAI alternatives for Mac: Koi, Raycast AI, Msty Studio, Jan and Alter. Who includes the AI, who takes your own keys or local models, and what each costs.
The best AI voice assistants for Mac in 2026
The best AI voice assistants for Mac: Koi, HeyClicky, VoiceOS, Siri AI, Raycast, Highlight, Guidy and more, compared on screen, actions and price.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Not built into Alfred 5. Its Gallery has an official AI workflow that needs the Powerpack and your own API key. Alfred 6 promises an optional AI integration.
£34 for a single licence, or £59 as Mega Supporter with free upgrades for life. Alfred itself is free.
No. Koi's chat box answers questions; it doesn't launch apps or search your files by name. You can use both.