A Dedicated Text Expander for Raycast Users
Raycast Snippets is a useful side feature, but it caps out at plain text and basic abbreviations. TypeFire is a dedicated, free expander with rich text, Markdown, AI tokens, scripts, and iCloud Sync. Run it alongside Raycast.
When TypeFire makes more sense than Raycast Snippets
Raycast Snippets is fine for a small library of plain-text expansions. These are the moments it stops being enough.
You want rich text in your snippets
Raycast Snippets are plain text only. If you paste signatures with formatting, support replies with links and bold, or anything beyond ASCII, you need a real editor.
You want AI in your snippets
Drop {{ai:rewrite}}, {{ai:summarize}}, or {{ai:translate}} into any TypeFire snippet. Raycast has AI features in other parts of the app but not inside Snippets themselves.
You want scripts inside snippets
TypeFire snippets can run JavaScript or AppleScript when triggered. Transform clipboard contents, control other apps, or compute dynamic output. Raycast Snippets cannot do this.
You want dynamic data
Use {{date}}, {{time}}, {{clipboard}}, {{cursor}}, and {{snippet:abbr}} inside any snippet. The values resolve at paste time. Raycast Snippets supports a small subset of placeholders.
You want per-snippet global shortcuts
TypeFire lets you bind any snippet to a hotkey like Cmd+Shift+E. Press it from any app and the snippet pastes instantly. Raycast does this only through its main launcher search flow.
Your snippet library is growing
TypeFire has nested collections and tags so you can organize hundreds of snippets without losing track. Raycast Snippets keeps everything in one flat list with basic grouping.
TypeFire vs Raycast Snippets
Honest side-by-side. Raycast wins on launcher and extensions. TypeFire wins on snippet flexibility. Most people use both.
| Feature | TypeFire | Raycast Snippets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | Free (snippets are part of free tier) |
| Plain text expansion | Yes | Yes |
| Rich text expansion | Yes - TipTap editor | No |
| Markdown expansion | Yes - expands as HTML | No |
| AI tokens in snippets | Yes - Apple Intelligence + BYOK | No (AI is a separate feature) |
| JavaScript / AppleScript | Yes - inline scripts | No |
| Dynamic tokens | {{date}}, {{time}}, {{clipboard}}, {{cursor}}, etc. | Limited placeholders |
| Per-snippet global hotkeys | Yes | Through launcher only |
| Spotlight-style snippet search | Yes - Cmd+Shift+P | Yes - through Raycast launcher |
| Collections / folders | Nested collections + tags | Basic groups |
| iCloud Sync across Macs | Yes - via iCloud Drive | Through Raycast account sync |
| App launcher | No | Yes - main feature |
| Extensions ecosystem | No | Yes - hundreds of extensions |
| Snippet file storage | Plain Markdown, no lock-in | Raycast database |
Run them together
The cleanest setup for power users: Raycast for launching and workflow, TypeFire for snippets.
Keep Raycast for
- App launching and switching
- Calculator and unit conversion
- Clipboard history and quick lookups
- Window management
- Extensions for everything else
Add TypeFire for
- Abbreviation expansion (zem, zsig, etc.)
- Rich text and Markdown snippets
- AI-powered rewrite, summarize, translate
- Script-based snippets
- Per-snippet global shortcuts
Tip: if you do this, disable Raycast Snippets to avoid double-triggering on shared abbreviations. Open Raycast Settings, go to Extensions, and turn off the Snippets extension.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from Raycast users evaluating a dedicated text expander.
Get a dedicated text expander
Keep Raycast for everything it does well. Add TypeFire for the snippet workflow Raycast was never designed to be.
Free forever · macOS 12+ · Apple Silicon native