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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    macOS

    Score9.4 out of 10
    N/AmacOS is the graphical operating system for Apple desktop devices.N/A

    Microsoft Windows

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/AWindows is an operating system with editions to support business workstations.N/A
    Pricing
    macOSMicrosoft Windows
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    macOSMicrosoft Windows
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    macOSMicrosoft Windows
    Considered Both Products
    Apple
    Chose macOS
    macOS is much more user-friendly and designed for the novice user. Linux, while providing excellent performance, is not a system that regular non-expert users feel comfortable with out of the box. Windows is more complicated to support because it must accommodate a wide …
    Incentivized
    Chose macOS
    Just that simplicity of day to day activities and management.
    It's basically zero hassle with the ability to scale and power up if needed.
    Incentivized
    Chose macOS
    Way faster and better than Windows OS. Only instance Windows OS wins is cost.
    Incentivized
    Chose macOS
    macOS just makes sense to me. Each OS has its pros and cons.. macOS works for me. It's well designed, intuitive, and efficient. But it's not cheap... well, macOS is basically free, but you need the hardware to run it, and the hardware isn't cheap. Pick the right tool for the …
    Incentivized
    Chose macOS
    More reliable, better for power users, more feature rich
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Windows
    We selected Microsoft Windows because of the user friendly nature of it and a big factor is that other user never used macOS or Ubuntu so the productivity will decrease a lot because you have to explain a whole new OS. I always only recommend macOS or Ubuntu if you are a …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows and macOS are both useful operating systems. There are businesses who much prefer macOS and some that prefer Windows. Businesses that revolve around industries such as game design, art design, graphic design may opt to use macOS due to its optimization with …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Windows
    Because of its compatibility with third-party software requirements.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    90%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    80%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    4 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Features
    macOSMicrosoft Windows
    Operating System
    Comparison of Operating System features of macOS and Microsoft Windows
    Feature
    macOS
    9.5
    4 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Microsoft Windows
    -
    Ratings
    File Management9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Software Application Management9.84 Ratings00 Ratings
    System Update Frequency9.84 Ratings00 Ratings
    Operating System Security9.54 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    macOSMicrosoft Windows
    Small Businesses
    CentOS Linux
    Score8.9 out of 10
    CentOS Linux
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM AIX
    Score9.4 out of 10
    IBM AIX
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    macOSMicrosoft Windows
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (8 ratings)
    9.1
    (10 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (7 ratings)
    8.4
    (7 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    macOSMicrosoft Windows
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Apple
    Macs, macOS, and the appropriate Mac applications really shine in ease of use. Specifically, the system's media-handling features are excellent. The developer frameworks (libraries) are excellent and provide easy programmatic access to the operating system's features. macOS is very stable and is built on a solid foundation of a Unix kernel. The Swift programming language is very approachable, and macOS supports many scripting and programming languages, opening up a wide variety of coding libraries.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I think for every business in the world Microsoft Windows is a good use as standard OS system. It’s easy to use and a lot of other company's use it which make it very appealing for user to learn more about Microsoft Windows. The Office 365 suite is really good as a free feature and used a lot by every user of Microsoft Windows. If you got a designer business I would recommend other brands that are specialized in that kind of work. I feel Windows will come short on that end.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Apple
    • Unified hardware and software drivers
    • Power users can have full access if needed
    • Upgrade cycles are so easy with OS transfer
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • It is very easy to use, can be picked up by a novice in minutes.
    • It is aesthetically pleasing, and appears clean and modern.
    • Most programs that people use in their day to day run on windows natively.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Apple
    • upfront costs to getting the most benefit from macOS requires you to purchase a Macbook...this is expensive
    • it's windows snapping function just isn't as good as Windows OS
    • as good as the M chips are, gaming just isn't a big strong suit
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Forced updates occasionally have bad timing when ignored for too long
    • Microsoft Edge Web Browser is a bit clunky
    • The 3D desktop still needs some improvement
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Apple
    Its simply the best operating system
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Apple
    I'm sure I'm biased. I've been using a Mac for 30+ yrs. I am significantly more productive on a Mac than on any other platform. It comes down to some personal preference and familiarity, but I just think the interface is more intuitive and streamlined
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    It's easy to use, very straightforward, and user-friendly. It has improved over the years, but you still need to be careful not to shut it down improperly because that may lead to corruption and Windows being unable to boot. There is plenty of software available that covers most needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Apple
    macOS tends to be very reliable, and Apple distributes updates as needed to patch known vulnerabilities or issues. It is very seldom that a macOS-based system is unavailable, and if that happens, the cloud-based storage and identity management support make it very easy to slot in a loaner machine while the user's primary machine is repaired.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Apple
    The Apple Silicon hardware allows macOS to perform very well, with rapid response. Local processing for Apple Intelligence-related items is quite fast, and the response is impressively complete. Our experience with integrations to other enterprise systems is that the other system is usually the bottleneck in the process, rather than macOS.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    support remains spotty, researching online articles are a pain
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    MDT helped deploy OS to users machines via PXE boot.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Apple
    Just that simplicity of day to day activities and management. It's basically zero hassle with the ability to scale and power up if needed
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Windows and macOS are both useful operating systems. There are businesses who much prefer macOS and some that prefer Windows. Businesses that revolve around industries such as game design, art design, graphic design may opt to use macOS due to its optimization with programs that revolve around these topics. Other businesses that are more focused towards Data or text processing may opt to use Windows due to its familiarity across the world and ease of access.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Apple
    macOS is very easily deployed with central MDM/DDM management systems. There are several of these available to select, depending on the amount and type of deployment needed. We use Jamf Pro to support a "zero touch" deployment model, which makes it almost as easy to deploy 100 endpoints as 10 (other than delivery and unboxing).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Apple
    • Apple supports their hardware longer than most manufacturers, which is good.
    • Apple's hardware is more expensive than similar equipment competition, which is bad but offset somewhat by its longevity.
    • Apple in an Apple world works great.
    • Apple in a Windows world has some work to do to get things talking.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Positively effects our easy of use of other programs
    • Take it for granted because it is so transparent in use
    • Definitely worth the price.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots