Do you have a great approximation for an iOS app or a Mac app ? Looking for the right Mac to code it on ? You ’ve come to the correct place . In this clause , we will attend at why a Mac is necessary for iOS development and why a Mac is a great selection for developers . We also give away the minimum Mac you need for coding – including whether a MacBook Air will be sufficient .
Whether you are a seasoned app developer looking to refresh your Mac to something more hearty , or just try your hired man at creating an app for the first time and hoping to happen a low - cost Mac that ’s honest enough for the function , we will help you find the just Mac for your pauperization .
You may be wondering if Apple ’s M1 , M2 or M3 Macs are secure enough for developer or if the M2 / M3 Pro , M2 / M3 Max or M2 Ultra would be better . You may even be wondering if you should choose a Mac with an Intel processor . We ’ll take a flavor at those enquiry below .
If you desire to jump the buying advice , you could leap directly to our recommendation of the best Mac for developers .
Why you need a Mac for iOS & macOS development
To develop an Io or Mac app you will necessitate the followers :
One primal reason to buy a Mac for development is the round-eyed fact that it ’s difficult to be given macOS on anything other than a Mac . You couldbuild a hackintosch , and some the great unwashed do , but there are mass of reasons why we would n’t advocate that as a solution .
We also have aguide to cryptography and scheduling on a Mac .
Can Apple’s M1, M2 or M3 Macs be used by developers?
There is a lot of prescribed to be say about Apple M - series fleck which so far include the M1 - series , the M2 - serial publication ( include the M2 Pro , Max and M2 Ultra ) and the M3 - series ( with the M3 Pro and M3 Max , so far ) . Ever since the introduction of the M1 in November 2020 Apple ’s home - made Arm - based microchip have proved groundbreaking and the benchmark impressive . These new Macs compared very favorably with the older Intel - powered Macs . In fact , even the M3 - powered iMac beats the best - specced iMac Pro from a few years ago . As you could see from the board below .
For an overview of all the M - serial Saratoga chip , so you’re able to see just how powerful they can be , take a look at the bench mark below for a clear icon :
It used to be the case that the Mac was chosen for development because you could lean not only macOS on it , but also Windows and Linux and other operating systems by using virtualization and practical machine software . However , this is n’t as simple as it was . With the innovation of the M - serial chip shot the architecture has changed and it is no longer as round-eyed torun Windows on a Mac . Because Macs no longer use the same X86 platform as Windows if you require to run Windows on your Mac the only choice is to use the Arm interpretation of Windows , if you demand another version of Windows you ask to use an Intel - powered Mac ( or a PC ) .
This move from X86 to Arm may also stand for that the software you use might not be in full supported . However , over the retiring few years , many apps have been updated for the Arm - base buffalo chip . If the app you need is n’t native yet , Apple includes Rosetta which interpret old X86 code so it can run on Arm ( there may be some slowdown if you are having to rely on that though ) . you may check the status here : Apps Ready for M1and we run throughwhich apps sour on M1 Macsin a separate article . Luckily many essential apps do already unravel natively on the M - series chips , including Python , Unity and Chrome .
One critique of the first batch of M1 Macs was that they could only support 16 GB RAM ( or interconnected memory as Apple refers to it ) . Apple rectified that with the M2 Macs and M3 Macs , which support 24 GB interconnected memory . If that still does n’t sense like enough , the M1 Pro and M2 Pro scrap support up to 32 GB retentivity , the M3 Pro endure up to 36 GB memory ( 18 GB as criterion ) , the M1 Max microchip support 64 GB , the M2 Max chips support up to 96 GB , and the M3 Max up to 128 G . The M1 Ultra can support up to 128 GB of unified memory , while the M2 Ultra guide that to 192 GB .
There is a lot of argument as to whether you , as a developer , will take 32 gigabyte or more RAM . It should be noted that RAM in the M - series Macs is very unlike to wad in the Intel - based Macs , but we still give notice that you get 16 GB random access memory or more ( we always advocate that you purchase the most amount of RAM you could give because it is n’t potential to kick upstairs it later . ) If you sense you demand to max out the Aries you have the choice to go up to 192GB – regrettably the price of the additional RAM ( which you wo n’t be able-bodied to update later ) is high-pitched .
All those disadvantages aside , the Apple silicon Macs do offer some excellent positives such as unbelievably long electric battery life ; cool , tranquil operation ; and bench mark - beating specs . If you do n’t necessitate to run other operating systems and you do n’t want to practice software package that is n’t yet aboriginal to Apple ’s chips the M - series Macs will not obtain you back .
Choosing the best Mac for app development
We have already established that you will call for a Mac that can run macOS 13 Ventura 13.5 or later in club to use the latest rendering of Xcode , and here are the Macs that can run Ventura :
So which of these Macs would be best ?
If you were to deal every Mac included above that would be a huge range of Mac laptops and desktops . Some are better suitable to app development than others . You might find a Mac that depend like a bargain , but another Mac could offer much more for only a little additional money .
To help oneself you adjudicate on the serious Mac for your needs we ’ll look at the following essential below : sieve , portability , RAM , CPU , warehousing , electric battery life , ports and peripherals while tax each Mac ’s suitability for befool .
Best MacBook for developers
In this section , we will look at each Mac available now and discuss its merits as a put one across machine . If you are essay to settle between MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro we ’ll call this next . However , a Mac mini or Mac Studio may suit you better if you are looking for the most hit for your dollar in which case you may require to skip to the better Mac for development section .
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, 2023)
The 14 - column inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip is a good option for developers . It will allow you to kit it out with 36 GB random access memory if you do n’t palpate that the 18 GB that hail as standard is enough . How much RAM you need bet on the form of development work you are doing . The full RAM needed will reckon on the prerequisite of the app you need and your growth tool , you ’ll also need to reckon the RAM requirements if you desire to run multiple containers or virtual motorcar on your Mac . We think you will necessitate 16 GB RAM at the lower limit , and since the machine ship with 18 GB as standard , you should be o.k. here . If you are grease one’s palms a newfangled Mac then we ’d advocate that you get as much read/write memory as you may afford as a build - to - ordination alternative to time to come - proof your leverage because it ’s been days since it was potential to update the RAM on MacBooks .
You ’ll also get a 11- or 12 - sum CPU and 14- or 18 - gist GPU . When it comes to the processor – the CPU – there is no deviation between the M3 Pro and M3 Max ( leave out the incoming - storey Pro which has fewer mainframe cores ) . There is a fully grown difference when it comes to GPU cores though . However , as a developer , the numeral of GPUs may count less , unless you are planning to play games or exercise apps that need powerful graphics .
There is an even faster scrap on offer which hold even more memory . The M3 Max is an option in both the 16 - inch and 14 - inch MacBook Pro , but choosing the 14 - inch MacBook Pro will save you money if you do n’t want the bigger screen and better battery life sentence of the 16 - inch model .
You may be intrigued to know that back in November 2021 Twitter , Uber , and Shopify announced that they had give their developers M1 Max MacBook Pro machines . The reason they chose to go with the M1 Max is because they found that compilation fourth dimension , specifically Android build fourth dimension , was trim in one-half .
The master reasonableness to select the M3 Max as a developer would be to get the maximal 128 GB RAM and 40 GPU cores . If you configure the 14 - in MacBook Pro with those specs it will cost $ 4,699/£4,799 , which is $ 300/£300 less than the same form on the 16 - column inch simulation .
The MacBook Pro comes with either 512 GB or 1 TB storage as standard . you’re able to configure up to 8 TB memory if necessary , but our advice would be that you should n’t want a circle of storage on the base that your computer code should n’t take up a wad of infinite – if it does you might need to look at your computer code .
Buy the MacBook Pro from Appleor check out the best MacBook Pro deal mightily now here : Best MacBook Pro plenty .
Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, 2023)
The 16 - inch MacBook Pro is practically identical to the 14 - in model and offers the same option for the M3 Pro or M3 Max cow dung . The big deviation are the bigger CRT screen – useful if you need wads of windows open at once – and better battery life . Those two things may be really significant to you . They come at a Leontyne Price though – generally $ 300/£300 more than the same on the 14 - column inch MacBook Pro .
Do you need the bigger concealment ? One of the most utile things for a coder is a with child concealment . As a developer you will probably have several computer program and windows open at once : a web web web browser , a text editor , and the Xcode IDE ( Integrated Development Environment ) to name a few . You will do good from a great screen or things will feel uncomfortably cramp ( even more so if you are using Unity3d for game growth , for example ) .
However , if you need to use a vainglorious screen there is nothing to stop you plugging an external show into your MacBook Pro . A separate screen is a good option if you are look for a portable Mac . That way of life you have the benefit of being capable to write in code wherever and whenever breathing in hits , and do good from a self-aggrandizing screen when you are at your desk . What about when you are n’t at your desk though ? If you want as much screen door as you may get on a Mac laptop then the 16 - in MacBook Pro is the one to pick .
While we are hash out the screen door . The 14 - inch and 16 - column inch MacBook Pro offer Pro Motion , which have in mind refresh rates up to 120Hz . Refresh rate are conform according to what ’s on the projection screen at the time . There are certainly program that will benefit from this more than others . It ’s confutative how much of a benefit it will be to developers .
The 14 - inch and 16 - in MacBooks are able to go up to 1,000 nit sustained ( full - screen ) luminosity , 1,600 nits peak luminance ( although the extra smartness is only utilized by certain apps and for HDR content , so most of the time it will only go to 600 nit ) . The M2 MacBook Air does n’t offer Pro Motion and brightness is limited to 500 nit .
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3, 2023)
The 13 - inch M2 MacBook Pro has been replaced by a 14 - column inch M3 MacBook Pro and it is a good option if you are on a budget , although we do intimate you promote to 16 GB RAM at the lower limit ( + $ 200/£200 ) , or 24 GB ( + $ 400/£400 ) if you’re able to afford it .
The reason we ’ve picked the 14 - inch MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air is to do with how well the machine would cope if you were really crusade it . The MacBook Pro include a fan where the MacBook Air does n’t so it will be better able-bodied to cool itself , rather than throttling the machine to cope with the pressure .
One disadvantage of the M3 version of the 14 - in MacBook Pro ( and the MacBook Air ) is that it only supports one external show ( although there are workarounds , read : How to use dual monitors with M1/2/3 Macs ) . If you involve more than one display ( in addition to your built - in display ) then you would be sassy to choose an M3 Pro - powered reading of the 14 - inch or 16 - inch MacBook Pro , as those models can sustain three external displays .
Alternatively , the Mac miniskirt can abide a second display via HDMI , for two displays total . While the Mac Studio can bear up to five displays .
Apple 15-inch MacBook Air (M3, 2024)
There are three different MacBook Air useable . A $ 999/£999 M2 MacBook Air that ’s the inexpensive Mac laptop computer you’re able to grease one’s palms , a M3 MacBook Air with a 13 - inch screen that cost just $ 100/£100 more than the M2 MacBook Air , and a M3 MacBook Air with 15 - inch covert . We discuss these models in ourcomparison of the M2 and M3 MacBook Air .
Here we are focusing on the biggest MacBook Air which get the benefits of the light , cheaper Mac laptop computer , without sacrificing screen space . For a lot less than the 14 - column inch MacBook Pro , the 15 - inch MacBook Air concealment gives you a decent amount of show blank space to look at computer code and exercise with multiple window ( although we ’d always recommend plugging into an external monitor lizard when you are at your desk . )
If you were thinking of getting a MacBook Air for casual app ontogeny we ’d recommend it as an selection . Upgrade the RAM to at least 16 GB though .
If you needed something for more extensive coding then it might not have the uumph though . You could expect faster compile times from the M3 translation of the 14 - inch MacBook Pro mentioned above . As we said , one of the biggest differences between the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air is that the Air lacks a fan , which could mean that it slow down to avoid overheating during more intensive activeness , so keep that in mind .
Buy the MacBook Air from Appleor go over out the salutary MacBook Air batch flop now here : Best MacBook tune hand .
Best Mac for coding
Actually , some of the best Macs for developer are desktop Macs , which loosely offer more great power for less money . So if you do n’t mind being tied to your desk these are a good options :
Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)
The Mac mini is an attractive software and we expect many developers will be wonder whether to get one . It ’s the sleazy Mac going , although you will have to factor out in the price of a monitor and keyboard and mouse – but you credibly have them anyway .
With the Mac miniskirt you’re able to get an impressive and sinewy machine for a fraction of the price of a similarly speced alternative Mac . For example , for $ 599/£649 you’re able to get a M2 Mac miniskirt with 8 - core CPU , 10 - core GPU , 256 GB SSD , 8 GB RAM ( update that to 16 GB or for another $ 200/£200 ) . A MacBook Air with the precise same specification would cost more than double that at $ 1,299/£1,349 .
There ’s an even better Mac miniskirt to consider though . The M2 Pro Mac mini costs $ 1,299/£1,399 and amount with 10 - Core CPU , 16 - Core GPU and 16 GB unified retentivity as criterion . It also features four Thunderbolt 4 ports equate to two on the M2 Mac miniskirt . If you were to buy a likewise specced 14 - inch MacBook Pro you ’d have to spend $ 1,999/£2,129 . We ’re not certain that the special $ 700/£730 is deserving spending unless you really need a laptop computer .
grease one’s palms the Mac mini from Appleor check out the good Mac mini mountain justly now here : Best Mac mini bargain .
Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)
If you necessitate more powerfulness than the Mac mini M2 Pro offer then look to the Mac Studio with M2 Max ( or the M2 Ultra interlingual rendition if you are really tycoon - thirsty ) . This machine offer maximum business leader at a lower monetary value than the equivalent Mac . Sure you will need to plug in a display , but if you already have one that wo n’t be a crowing issue , and even if you do n’t , a decent display does n’t have to cost a fortune .
The M2 Max version of the Mac Studio means you get up to 96 GB RAM , a pile of port , plus enough GPU and CPU core to keep everything smooth . At $ 1,999/£2,099 it might seem a lot of money , but compare to a around tantamount 14 - inch MacBook Pro M2 Max at $ 3,099/£3,349 it ’s a decent preservation .
Buy the Mac Studio from Appleor check out the good Mac Studio deals right now here : Best Mac Studio trade .
Can Xcode run on a PC?
As we say above , there is not a edition of Xcode for Windows . You need a Mac to run Xcode . There are a few ways around this limitation , for example , you could give to access a Mac from your microcomputer via the cloud and do your coding there . serving likemacincloudorMacStadiumenable developers to offload Xcode builds to Macs so they can test iOS and Mac apps . But it might just be inexpensive and more effective to buy a Mac .
It ’s also illegal to escape macOS on a microcomputer – although some developers will find way of take to the woods macOS on a PC , be it via a VM or a puppet like VirtualBox , or because they have built a Hackintosh . We would n’t recommend run to such lengths , but you’re able to read about how to install macOS on a PC here .
You might think you will get away with breaking the sound agreement with Apple not to run macOS on a PC , but call up you are going to be ask them to approve your app , so do n’t give them any intellect to say no ! attempt to run Xcode on something other than a Mac also means you are likely to have issues and you will never know if it is your code or the dodgy installation you are using . If your app matters that much to you then use the right equipment .
There are alternatives to Xcode that will allow you to make an iOS app on a microcomputer .
Can I use Flutter to develop iOS and macOS apps without a Mac?
flicker is an open - source growth outfit from Google that makes it easy to create an app that can be used across a variety of chopine . It means that developers only need to code once and then the app can be convert to iOS , Android and others . clearly there are many wondering if this physical process means developers can bypass the necessity to apply a Mac .
In a Christian Bible , no , although you could use Flutter to make an app for multiple platform on a Linux motorcar or a PC , you will still need to utilise a Mac to essay the app and submit it to Apple for statistical distribution on the App Store .
hoo-ha can be installed on macOS alongside Xcode . If you have an M1 Mac you might be concerned that Flutter is n’t yet M1 optimized , but it can be used via Rosetta . Download Flutter here .
Can I develop on an iPad?
There is one other option , you could code on an iPad , the good alternative would be an iPad Pro with a freestanding keyboard . Read : A developer ’s hebdomad working from the iPadfor one developer ’s experience using an iPad .
How to get a cheap Mac for coding
Sometimes , as much as you would love to own the good and most powerful Mac , the budget just wo n’t stretch above £ 1,000/$1,000 . perchance that is more than you are willing ( or able ) to pay . Luckily there are a few options :
Student discount
If you are a student , check out Apple’seducation storeto get a bank discount on your new Mac . Read more here : How to get an Apple scholarly person discount at Apple ’s Education Store .
Refurbished store
Apple sell Macs that have been returned to it . These could be ex-wife - display Macs from Apple Stores , or they might be Macs that were returned due to a fault that has since been situate , or it might be sure-enough gillyflower that the companionship is selling after a new model has launched . you’re able to blame upsome skilful deals here . See : How much can you save at Apple ’s Refurbished Store ?
Reseller discounts
You may also be able-bodied to witness a undecomposed pot on one of the old contemporaries MacBook Pro from a reseller . delay out our best deals :
Best MacBook Pro deals this month
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023)
Rent a Mac in the cloud
If you really ca n’t afford an adequately specced Mac for programming your app on you could take one in the swarm . For examplemacincloudorMacStadiumand get memory access to Mac servers from $ 20 a calendar month .
AWSalso declare oneself some Mac mini models power by the AWS Nitro System . Plus customer can select from macOS Mojave ( 10.14 ) , macOS Catalina ( 10.15 ) , macOS Big Sur ( 11 ) , and macOS Monterey ( 12 ) as Amazon Machine Images ( AMIs ) .
desire to bang even more about scheduling on a Mac ? Read :
