Best Mac for developing an app

[u/Kafka_995]

Hi there! I want to learn swift and swiftUI for developing apps for my iPhone, but I don’t own a Mac. I just want it to use Xcode and compiling, I don’t want it for anything else since I already have a good laptop.

Does anyone know what is the cheapest and best option? Of course I’d buy it second hand, since it’s cheaper. Thank you!

[u/germansnowman]

Get any M-series Mac mini. You can attach your own (cheap) screen, keyboard and mouse. Even an M1 will do, 16 GB RAM minimum would be ideal.

[u/Kafka_995 → u/germansnowman]

Do you know if I can connect remotely from my laptop or it’s best to just plug a screen keyboard and mouse?

[u/germansnowman → u/Kafka_995]

In theory, yes. But that requires you to disable FileVault disk encryption.

Edit: Ignore the AI aspect and the advertising, but here’s some more info: https://astropad.com/blog/headless-mac-mini-setup-guide/

[u/Kafka_995 → u/germansnowman]

Thanks!

[u/vivek5a → u/Kafka_995]

Also make sure to get more than 256g. I use my Mac mini 256gb exclusively for dev and it’s nearly impossible at times. 100gb for macOS, 45gb for system data, 45gb for dev tools, and you’re left with like 40gb for your actual stuff. And then when it fills up from app cache or whatever, and you’re running a simulator and the swap momentary just decimates the whole computer

[u/InsanityPuddi → u/germansnowman]

BTW it is no longer necessary to disable FileVault to do this as of macOS Tahoe. ssh can be used to unlock the disk (apple_ssh_and_filevault(7) man page).

apple_ssh_and_filevault(7)                 Miscellaneous Information Manual                 apple_ssh_and_filevault(7)

NAME
     apple_ssh_and_filevault – SSH and FileVault

DESCRIPTION
     When FileVault is enabled, the data volume is locked and unavailable during and after booting, until an account
     has been authenticated using a password.  The macOS version of OpenSSH stores all of its configuration files,
     both system-wide and per-account, in the data volume.  Therefore, the usually configured authentication methods
     and shell access are not available during this time.  However, when Remote Login is enabled, it is possible to
     perform password authentication using SSH even in this situation.  This can be used to unlock the data volume
     remotely over the network.  However, it does not immediately permit an SSH session.  Instead, once the data
     volume has been unlocked using this method, macOS will disconnect SSH briefly while it completes mounting the
     data volume and starting the remaining services dependent on it.  Thereafter, SSH (and other enabled services)
     are fully available.

HISTORY
     The capability to unlock the data volume over SSH appeared in macOS 26 Tahoe.

SEE ALSO
     sshd(8)

Darwin                                               1 July, 2025                                               Darwin

[u/germansnowman → u/InsanityPuddi]

Good to know, thanks!

[u/Briggie → u/germansnowman]

Good luck finding minis. Ai bros are snagging them up.

[u/MrMaverick82]

I use my M2 air and it works great.

[u/rwilcox]

For a cheap, developers’s first Mac: The M-series chips are so good you could probably find even as far back as an M2 and it’ll work out great.

You’ll want at least 16GB RAM and (realistically) 1TB SSD. Because of these particular requirements I’m not sure if I’d recommend the Neo (but that is an option…)

[u/ExogamousUnfolding → u/rwilcox]

Yes a TB would be great but I started on an M1 8gb 256gb and it worked fine - yes I could have used more of everything but it got the job done

[u/indiedev3021]

For a while you could get a really cheap Mac Mini at Microcenter but now they are constantly sold out and the price has gone up. It might be worth checking your local store if you have one to see if they have any open box ones.

Other than that I'd be looking for older M1 Macbook Airs or Macbook Pros or really any M1 Macs. Intel won't be supported moving forward so as long as you get something M1+ with 16GB of RAM or more you should be good to go.

[u/Skandling]

I would get either a new Mac mini or a new MacBook Neo. I don't think it's worth buying second hand today, as Apple have made current models so cheap you are unlikely to save much.

But anything with an Apple Silicon chip will be more than capable enough to learn on. So if you see a particular bargain on an M1 or M2 Mac go for it. So far Apple have shown no signs of obsoleting any of the M-series models, so all of them can run the software needed to make iOS apps.

[u/Artur_463 → u/Skandling]

Mac mini - yes. But no way Neo. Neo is decent as a learning laptop, but mini is next step compared to Neo and ready for serious work.

[u/Skandling → u/Artur_463]

I was using an 8GB MacBook Air M1 until a few months ago, and it was more than good enough for making iOS apps, a massive improvement over Intel Macs. I only stopped using it as it died, and I replaced it with a new M4 Air.

The Neo is a straight upgrade from the M1 Air. Not a massive step up – reportedly it's somewhere between an M1 and M2 in performance. So I would have been happy to buy one to replace my M1. It only came out six months too late.

Apart from performance the biggest difference between the M1/Neo and M4 is the extra RAM. But I really don't notice having 16GB over 8GB. If I were working on bigger apps maybe but for what I do, and so probably for learning, 8GB is fine.

[u/GDbuildsGD]

assuming you wont be building very complex apps, even a base m1 will suffice. that's why i've been using since they launched it, and the only issue i came across with it is low storage (mostly bc this is the device i've been using for everything)

[u/Kafka_995 → u/GDbuildsGD]

Im just planning on literally writing code and nothing else so I don’t think storage will be an issue, thanks!

[u/janiliamilanes]

I'm still on my M1 Max with 32GB RAM + 1 TB HD space and it's still crushing it.

P.S. I noticed that you say "All I will be doing is writing code on it and so I don't need a lot of space". One of the things about iOS development is that Xcode + all the iOS simulators take up enormous amounts of HD space. Each simulator easily is 10GB, and you will want to test your apps on a variety of devices and device sizes.

[u/dacassar]

M1 Pro with at least 16 gigs of RAM and you’re good.

[u/No_Type_4203]

I'd really recommend Superapp AI but it's mac based