Raycast's AI and cloud sync connect to the cloud. Locseek is safer: no internet connection, no file contents read.
Raycast does a lot: it opens apps, installs extensions, manages windows, runs AI, and syncs between Macs.
More features also mean more places it connects to. To know which data leaves this Mac, you have to read its privacy policy and check the settings one by one.
Locseek saves you that worry. It only finds files, and it never needs an internet connection.
Illustration: where each app keeps your data. Sources below.
Its file index stays on your Mac, and that part is done well. But once you turn on features like AI or cloud sync, data leaves this Mac.
SourceRaycast's privacy policy says that features such as AI and cloud sync send data to its cloud; its manual says the file index is kept on the Mac and is not synced or uploaded.
No cloud, no AI, no account, no analytics. What you search for and which files you have are known only to this Mac.
SourceLocseek is installed from the Mac App Store and runs in the system sandbox without requesting network access. Search and indexing happen on your Mac; query terms and file lists are not uploaded.
The index holds only names, paths, sizes and dates. What is written inside a file, Locseek does not know and does not need to know.
SourceLocseek indexes file and folder names only and builds no full-text index. This is its publicly stated product boundary.
"5.5 ms" and "about 1 second" come from an internal test of version 1.6.0 on an Intel MacBook Pro 2018: 30 minutes, 1,800 create, rename and delete operations. The first is the time of the query itself, the second the time from a file change to it being searchable. Both vary with hardware and file count. How each number was measured →
| Locseek | Raycast | |
|---|---|---|
| What it searches | File and folder names only; never file contents | File names by default; optional content search uses Spotlight |
| Where results come from | Its own name index, updated as files change | Its own file index, kept on the Mac |
| External drives, USB sticks, NAS | ✓ Add once and search; names stay searchable after unplugging (Pro) | Settings to index removable and network drives and keep files from removed drives |
| Internet connection | No internet connection; no account | The file index is not uploaded; AI and cloud sync use its cloud |
| Price | Free tier; Pro yearly or one-time | Free for personal use; AI and cloud sync are paid |
Written by the developer of Locseek. Facts about Raycast come from the Raycast website, the File Search page of its manual, its pricing page, its privacy policy, its page on the new version, checked 10 November 2026. We have not timed the two side by side, so this page makes no speed ranking. Raycast changes quickly; check its website for current features and requirements. Raycast is a product of its own company; Locseek is not affiliated with it.
Yes. Raycast opens apps and runs shortcuts; Locseek finds files by name.
A full result list you can filter, sort, search with regex and act on in bulk. Locseek also needs no internet connection and runs on macOS 12 or later, Intel and Apple silicon; according to its website, Raycast 2 requires macOS Tahoe and Apple silicon.
No. Locseek searches file and folder names only, needs no internet connection and never reads file contents.
Faster · More precise · Covers more · Easier · Safer
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