Rithere vs PowerToys Advanced Paste

Both put AI on a shortcut in Windows. One is a free, open-source tool you connect to an AI service yourself. The other works the moment you sign in.

4 min read Checked against official sources, October 2026

Written by Rithere's developer. The small numbers link to the official source for each fact, checked October 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

In short

Advanced Paste is part of Microsoft's free PowerToys. It turns what you copied into plain text or other formats, reads text out of images (OCR), and, if you connect an AI service, rewrites copied text with an instruction.1 Rithere is built around one move: highlight text, press a key, and it's rewritten in place, or answered beside your cursor.2,3

Pick Rithere if you…

  • want AI working as soon as you sign in, with nothing to set up
  • want answers beside your cursor and a chat window too
  • don't want to pay an AI service by usage

Pick Advanced Paste if you…

  • want free, open-source software from Microsoft
  • want to choose your AI, or run one on your own PC
  • mostly need paste as plain text, reading text from images, or file conversion

One rewrite, step by step

Counted the same way for both, from text you've just written.

A saved instruction

A one-off instruction

Side by side

Feature Rithere Advanced Paste
AI works without setup YesNo account key to set up.4 NoOff by default; add an AI service first.1
Uses your highlighted text YesBy default.2 OptionalUses the clipboard unless you change a setting.1
Saved prompts on shortcuts Yes2 YesCustom actions.1
Answer without changing text YesPopup beside your cursor.3 PartlyRead the preview, then close it.1
Floating AI chat Yes5 No
Choose your AI NoGoogle Gemini.4 YesOpenAI, Azure, Gemini, Mistral and more.1,6
AI on your own PC NoNeeds internet.4 YesWith apps that run AI on your PC (Ollama, Foundry Local), or Phi Silica on Copilot+ PCs.1
Read text from images, convert files No YesRuns locally, no AI needed.1
Open source No YesMIT licence.7
Price Free todayDaily fair-use limit. FreeOnline AI services may bill you.1

Pros and cons

Rithere

Pros

  • Nothing to set up: no key, no bill, no model to pick4
  • Ask, chat and a menu of every prompt, not just paste3,5,8
  • Your copied text is put back after each run9

Cons

  • One AI model, and no offline option4
  • Closed source; Google sign-in required4
  • Can't read text from images or convert files

Advanced Paste

Pros

  • Free and open source, from Microsoft7
  • Bring your own AI, or run one locally1
  • Useful with AI off: plain text, other formats, text from images, files1

Cons

  • AI needs setup; online AI needs an account key from an AI company, and may need credit1
  • Clipboard first: by default you copy before every rewrite1
  • No answer popup or chat window

Tick what you need

The count only adds up your own ticks. It isn't a score.

Tick the lines that describe what you need.

Privacy

  • Advanced Paste wins here if you set it up for it. Its non-AI actions run on your PC; with a local model your text never leaves it; with an online one, it goes to the AI service you chose.1
  • Rithere sends your text to Google's Gemini AI on a paid plan. Rithere's servers don't store it; Google keeps it 55 days only to check for abuse and doesn't use it to improve its products. Your History stays on your PC.10

Our take

Comfortable setting up an AI account key, want to pick your model, or need text to stay on your machine? Advanced Paste is a strong free choice, and Rithere can't match it there. Rather skip the setup, and want answers beside your cursor and a chat window too? That's Rithere. They don't clash, so keep both.

For the technically curious
  • Current stable PowerToys is v0.101 (August 2026; 0.102 is in preview). It added Phi Silica, which runs on Copilot+ PCs.11,1 Version 0.96 added Azure OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral, Foundry Local and Ollama alongside OpenAI.6,12
  • Auto-copy of your selection arrived for custom-action shortcuts in v0.98 and now covers every shortcut.13,1 OCR and paste as a file arrived in v0.86.14
  • Admins can block online AI models by Group Policy.15 PowerToys needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11.16
  • Rithere's default shortcuts don't use Win + Shift + V, and it warns you about clashes.9

FAQ

Not any more. You can also use Azure OpenAI, Gemini or Mistral keys, or a local model through Foundry Local or Ollama.6 Phi Silica needs no key but needs a Copilot+ PC.11,1 Online services may need credit in your account.1

No. If open source is a must, Advanced Paste is the better fit.

No. It uses Google Gemini through Rithere's servers, so it needs the internet.4 Advanced Paste can run a model on your PC.1

Sources

Official pages, accessed 16 October 2026.

  1. Advanced Paste, Microsoft Learn
  2. Rithere Prompts
  3. Rithere Ask
  4. Rithere FAQ
  5. Rithere AI Chat
  6. PowerToys v0.96 release notes
  7. PowerToys licence (MIT)
  8. Rithere Right Click Menu
  9. Rithere changelog
  10. Where your text goes (Rithere)
  11. PowerToys v0.101 release notes
  12. PowerToys 0.96 is here, Windows Command Line blog
  13. PowerToys v0.98 release notes
  14. PowerToys v0.86 release notes
  15. PowerToys Group Policy, Microsoft Learn
  16. Install PowerToys, Microsoft Learn

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Try the no-setup version.

Highlight text in any app, press a shortcut, and it's rewritten in place. Free today, nothing to set up.

Download Rithere See how it works