macOS vs. Microsoft Windows

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
macOS
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
macOS is the graphical operating system for Apple desktop devices.N/A
Microsoft Windows
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Windows 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
macOS
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 …
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.
Chose macOS
Way faster and better than Windows OS. Only instance Windows OS wins is cost.
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 …
Chose macOS
More reliable, better for power users, more feature rich
Microsoft Windows
Chose Microsoft Windows
I haven't used other OS.
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 …
Chose Microsoft Windows
It's very different if we compare it with a Linux distribution. It's not free, and many apps you can get are paid (Office 365, for example). But also, you pay for a widely known product and a product that nearly every employee knows how to use. Linux is used more by sysadmins …
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 …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Windows runs literally every piece of software I need to work. Installations are usually quick and uncomplicated, and configuration is usually quite simple, rarely requiring finding config files and editing them manually.

I chose Windows only because I had no other choice, …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows OS is very secure and user-friendly. When compared to Kali Linux, various other open source OS'es, and Apple iOS, this system keeps up well with their competition. As an end user, I have used all three systems, and each has its positive and negative points. …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Windows is fundamentally different from Linux, each shines in their own spots and has cons as well.
Chose Microsoft Windows
Because of its compatibility with third-party software requirements.
Features
macOSMicrosoft Windows
Operating System
Comparison of Operating System features of Product A and Product B
macOS
9.5
Ratings
8% above category average
Microsoft Windows
-
Ratings
File Management9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Software Application Management9.80 Ratings00 Ratings
System Update Frequency9.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Operating System Security9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
macOSMicrosoft Windows
Small Businesses
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.2 out of 10
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
macOSMicrosoft Windows
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.4
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
macOSMicrosoft Windows
Likelihood to Recommend
It's generally great all round. IT will love it for the easy management and patching. Enforcing updates is straightforward. As a developer it has all the tools and software you could need, apart from windows apps development.
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I highly recommend it because it's the most used operating system in the world. If you work with other organizations or share info, it's easier if you have the same system instead of Linux, for example. Also, a large number of employees know how to use it, but not so many know how to use Linux or macOS.
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Pros
  • Integrates with other apple devices seamlessly
  • Information passed between those devices is encrypted end to end (understanding that apple has the keys in some cases)
  • Compact design
  • Aesthetically pleasing
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  • Great integration with my business accounting software Quickbooks
  • Great integration with Microsoft Office 365
  • Easy to find files that I haven't used in awhile with search feature
  • Simple, easy to find listing of programs available
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Cons
  • Intrusiveness of security features is sometimes detrimental.
  • "Apple tax" (premium pricing).
  • Integration with open source and public domain development.
  • Strictly limited to Apple hardware.
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  • 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
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Likelihood to Renew
Its simply the best operating system
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No answers on this topic
Usability
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
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An all-purpose operating system for business or personal users. Overall, the OS is very user-friendly and intuitive, enabling even new users to quickly utilize the system. The same can be said about the apps within Windows. There is also good cross-functionality between applications, although the ease of use could be improved.
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Reliability and Availability
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.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
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.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
No answers on this topic
support remains spotty, researching online articles are a pain
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
MDT helped deploy OS to users machines via PXE boot.
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Alternatives Considered
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 variety of manufacturers' hardware, down to motherboards. macOS has a very well-defined set of hardware to support, and it is very well integrated. It is just simpler to use and simpler to support than the alternatives.
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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 graphic designer of a developer. But for the day to day office work Microsoft Windows is the way to go.
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Scalability
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).
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • DLP and overall security on macOS is just far superior than Windows OS
  • Updates are easier to push out on macOS so security has been further improved
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  • As a a windows-based app, with a windows-using customer base, working in the environment is extremely helpful.
  • Relatively easy to develop on, there is documentation and support widely available.
  • VERY wide hardware compatibility, any replacement parts we need for our machines are easy to use.
  • Windows updates frequently fail requiring our MSP or more often one of our customer support staff to intervene to get them running again.
  • Poor performance and inefficient resource utilization requires frequent upgrades.
  • Windows 10's service ending next year has required company-wide hardware upgrades due to the Windows 11's excessive requirements.
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ScreenShots