How to read this page
Every claim about PowerToys and Raycast comes from their own documentation, changelogs or issue trackers, and each one is linked at the bottom. We have not run Raycast's layouts ourselves. Claims about Modus are ours. Where nobody has measured something, the table says so instead of guessing.
- Documented in the product's own docs, changelog or issue tracker
- Untested we haven't run it
- Our claim ours, not yet measured against the others
The comparison
Windows 11, as of 15 October 2026: PowerToys 0.101 stable (0.102 in preview) and Raycast for Windows v2.8.
| What you need | PowerToys Workspaces | Raycast for Windows | Modus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free and open source. | Free core. Pro is US$10 a month or US$96 a year. The pricing page doesn't say whether custom layouts need Pro on Windows. Documented | US$29 once, every 1.x update, all your own PCs. 15-day full trial, then a free tier of one workflow. |
| Saves a layout and launches apps with arguments | Yes. Capture in the editor, add arguments per app, pin a desktop shortcut. Documented | Yes. Layouts from your current windows, and launch arguments, arrived on 8 September 2026 (v2.2). Documented | Yes. Capture records every app, window and position. |
| A hotkey for each saved layout | Not built in. The request has been open since 2024 (#34597). The workaround in that thread is a desktop shortcut bound with Keyboard Manager. Documented | Probably. A 14 October 2026 fix mentions hotkeys for missing layouts, which implies layouts get them. Untested | Yes, a global hotkey for every workflow. |
| Chrome profile in its own window | Unreliable. Profile arguments have been reported opening the wrong window or Chrome's profile picker. The report was closed as a duplicate in 2024 and users were still reporting it in late 2025 (#35187). Documented | Partial. Profile fixes shipped on 8 September and 14 October 2026. Documented How reliably a layout gets one window per profile is Untested | Yes. The profile is recorded at capture and reopened with it. Our claim |
| Minimize or close everything else | No. Requested in September 2026 (#50737), no reply yet. Documented | Yes. An option for the other windows shipped in September 2026. Documented | Yes, with a safelist so apps like your music player stay put. |
| Lands without a visible jump | No. Microsoft's FAQ says it launches the app first, then moves it, and you see it happen. Documented | Untested Unknown. | We aim for it. Our claim Untested against Raycast. |
| Survives a monitor replug or DPI change | Weak by report: windows not moved to external monitors after screen numbers change (#48166, open). Documented | A September 2026 fix targets the correct monitor for maximized and minimized windows. Replug and DPI changes Untested | Monitors are tracked by stable identity, not screen number, and positions are saved as fractions of a monitor. Our claim Untested against Raycast. |
| AI agents and automation | No agent interface. A command line was proposed (#49900) and has not shipped. Documented | Raycast can use MCP servers but does not expose its own layouts as one. Documented | modus activate, modus list --json and modus:// links arrive in the next release. An MCP server is planned, not built. |
The test we owe you
The two rows that decide this are the jump and the replug. The plan is one scene, run the same way in Raycast and in Modus: five apps, three monitors, two Chrome profiles, ten runs from cold, ten after a monitor replug and ten after a scale change, filmed, counting visible jumps, windows on the wrong monitor and windows in the wrong profile. When it is done, the results replace this box, whichever way they fall.
When PowerToys Workspaces is enough
PowerToys is free, open source and made by Microsoft, and Workspaces covers the basic shape well: capture the apps you have open, set a position for each, add launch arguments, and open the lot from the editor or from a desktop shortcut that you can pin to the taskbar. Its editor was redesigned in June 2026. It also has a "move existing windows" option, so a window that is already open can be moved instead of launched twice.
If your desk doesn't change, you rarely need a different layout in an instant, and you can live with watching the windows settle, start there. It costs nothing to find out.
The limits Microsoft itself documents: an app can't be told where to open, so Workspaces launches it and then moves it, and apps launched as administrator are a known issue, because they can't be moved into place yet.
When Raycast is the better fit
Raycast for Windows left beta in late August 2026, and layouts are one feature in a launcher that also does search, AI chat and extensions. If you already live in Raycast, its layouts are the obvious first thing to try, because there is nothing new to install. Two Chrome profile fixes in five weeks suggest the team is working on exactly the problem Chrome users care about. Whether layouts sit in the free tier on Windows is not stated on its pricing page, so check inside the app before you plan around them.
When Modus is the better fit
Modus is built around one idea: a hotkey sets up an entire working context. It launches the right apps, puts each window on the right monitor, opens the right Chrome profile in its own window, and minimizes the rest. It makes the most difference if you:
- switch between contexts many times a day and want one key for each,
- keep work and personal Chrome profiles apart,
- change your monitor setup, with a laptop that docks and undocks,
- would rather pay once than subscribe.
What it isn't: it's a newer product from one person, it's Windows only, and today it knows Chrome profiles but not Edge or Firefox ones. After the 15-day trial it keeps working as a free tier of one workflow, with no hotkeys. See how it handles Chrome profiles for the detail on the part it was built for.
Questions people ask
Can I put a hotkey on a PowerToys workspace?
Not directly. A per-workspace shortcut has been requested since 2024. The workaround people use is to save the workspace as a desktop shortcut, then bind that shortcut to a key with PowerToys' Keyboard Manager.
Is Raycast's layout feature free on Windows?
We couldn't tell from its pricing page, which lists a free core and a Pro plan at US$10 a month or US$96 a year without saying where custom layouts sit. Check in the app.
Does any of this work with AI agents?
Not yet in a way you can rely on. Raycast uses MCP servers but doesn't offer its layouts as
one, and PowerToys has no agent interface. Modus gets a command line and modus://
links in its next release, and an MCP server is planned.
How much does Modus cost compared with Raycast Pro?
Modus is US$29 once. Raycast Pro is US$96 a year, and the core app is free. Whether you'd need Pro just for layouts is the open question above.
Related guides
Sources
- PowerToys Workspaces documentation, Microsoft Learn: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/workspaces
- PowerToys issue #34597, a shortcut per workspace: github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/34597
- PowerToys issue #35187, Chrome profile arguments: github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/35187
- PowerToys issue #50737, minimize or close all windows: github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/50737
- PowerToys issue #48166, windows not moved after screen numbers change: github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/48166
- PowerToys issue #49900, a Workspaces command line: github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/49900
- Raycast for Windows changelog: raycast.com/changelog/windows and v2.2 notes: raycast.com/changelog/windows/2-2
- Raycast pricing: raycast.com/pricing
- Raycast MCP manual: manual.raycast.com/model-context-protocol
Spotted something out of date, or a claim about your product that's wrong? Email modus@aeliasz.com and we'll fix it.
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