Raycast vs BUSY
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Raycast
This app extends your desktop productivity to your mobile device. It offers AI chat, note-taking, quick links, code snippets, and seamless cloud synchronization. Keep your essential tools and ideas accessible anywhere.
- AI chat with multiple models
- Capture and organize notes
- Save and access Quicklinks
- Store code snippets and templates
- Seamless cloud sync across devices
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Introducing Raycast for iOS: Your all-in-one productivity toolkit with AI, notes, and more – now on mobile as the perfect companion to the macOS app. The app brings your favorite productivity tools from the Mac into your pocket. With Raycast for iOS, you can: • Chat with dozens of AI models from leading providers to get the perfect answers for any task • Capture, organize, and access your thoughts to never lose an important idea again • Save and open Quicklinks for instant access to your most important resources • Store and reuse code snippets and templates to save time on repetitive workflows • Enjoy seamless cloud sync to keep all your content updated across devices Whether you're a long-time Mac user or just discovering Raycast on iOS, you'll have your essential productivity tools always at hand. Raycast for iOS seamlessly extends your desktop workflow to mobile, ensuring you stay productive and organized wherever life takes you. Please note: Raycast for iOS requires a free Raycast account. Premium features available with a Raycast Pro subscription. Terms of Service: https://www.raycast.com/terms-of-service
BUSY
Enhance your productivity by blocking distracting apps and muting notifications. This tool offers customizable focus sessions, including Pomodoro-style workflows, and provides insights into your distraction attempts to help you improve focus.
- Customizable focus sessions (timer, Pomodoro, no time limit)
- Distraction blocking (apps, notifications)
- Accountability features (no skipping sessions)
- Distraction attempt tracking
- Apple Watch integration
- Customizable timer themes
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BUSY — Focus Timer & Distraction Blocker Stay focused. Get more done. Block distracting apps and notifications while adding structure to your day. Choose short focus sessions with regular breaks or switch to deep focus mode. Work without interruptions on iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac. FEATURES: - Instant Focus. Start focusing in one tap. Choose Pomodoro-style sessions with breaks or work without time limits. - BUSY Bar Сontrol. Connect and manage your BUSY Bar from your phone. Start focus sessions, block distractions, update firmware, connect to Wi-Fi, and more. - Music Themes. Choose visual themes with music designed to support deep, focused work. - Block Distractions. Automatically block distracting apps and mute notifications so you stay in control. - Track Your Attempts. See how often you try to open blocked apps and build stronger focus habits. - Structured Focus Sessions. Stay consistent with focus intervals designed to improve productivity. - Apple Watch & Mac Support. Start, stop, or manage sessions from your Apple Watch or Mac. Everything syncs instantly. BUSY helps you stay focused, reduce distractions, and build better work habits — across all your devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Raycast at 4.5 against BUSY's 3.8. Raycast also leads on ratings volume (252 vs 13). BUSY's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Raycast sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. BUSY asks for nothing beyond the download.
Raycast holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Raycast has 252 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Raycast's written reviews are positive against 58% of BUSY's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Raycast ships an update every 11 days, BUSY fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Raycast | BUSY |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (252 ratings) — better | 3.8 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 53.9% of reviews | 58.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 252 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 225 MB | 160 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Raycast Technologies | Flipper - FZCO |
Customer experience
Raycast
BUSY
Bugs and requests
Raycast
Reported bugs
1 issue- Sync feature should be free at least for Raycast notes
Requested features
4 requests- Attach documents via the UI when starting a conversation
- Sync between desktop and iOS chat history
- Create notes quickly from the Share Sheet
- Extensions support
BUSY
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Raycast
- Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Advanced AI$19.991 Month
- Max Plan$49.991 Month
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- Pro14 Days trial$96.001 Year
- Advanced AI$191.991 Year
- Max Plan$479.991 Year
- 500 AI Credits$5.00
- 2,500 AI Credits$23.90
- 5,000 AI Credits$46.49
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- 5,000 Team AI Credits$60.00
- 10,000 Team AI Credits$116.99
BUSY
No in-app purchases
