Comparison
MacDuty vs MacinCloud
Comparing MacDuty and MacinCloud: what dedicated means on each, and which one fits occasional use or a full-time Mac.
Updated 2026-09-15
MacinCloud has rented remote Macs for years, with plans for almost every budget: shared accounts, prepaid hours and dedicated servers. MacDuty does one thing: a whole Mac mini, bare metal, for one customer.
Which one fits depends on how much of a Mac you need.
What a dedicated Mac costs with us
We could not read MacinCloud's current prices, so this page shows none of them and compares nothing. They are on its own site. MacDuty prices are the catalog's, excluding VAT.
MacDuty bills in euros or US dollars.
| Chip and memory | MacDuty, monthly | MacDuty, paid yearly |
|---|---|---|
| M1, 8 GB | €65 (256 GB) | €52 |
| M2, 8 GB | €75 (256 GB) | €60 |
| M4, 16 GB | €95 (256 GB) | €76 |
What "dedicated" means
The word is used differently across the industry, so it is worth checking.
- MacDuty: one physical Mac mini, yours alone. No virtual machine between you and the hardware. You get every CPU core the chip has, for example all 10 on an M4.
- MacinCloud: the Dedicated plan is described as a dedicated macOS instance with full administrator access.
If bare metal matters for your builds or benchmarks, ask any provider whether you get the physical machine and every core.
At a glance
| MacinCloud | MacDuty | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Managed (shared account), pay-as-you-go hours, Dedicated | A whole Mac mini |
| Admin access | Dedicated plans only | Always |
| Chips | Intel, M1, M2, M4 | M1, M2, M4, M5 Pro, M6 |
| Oldest macOS | OS X El Capitan, on Intel | The release we run on that model |
| Remote access | Remote desktop (RDP add-on), SSH | SSH, macOS Screen Sharing, TightVNC or TigerVNC |
| Billing | Monthly, yearly or prepaid hours | By the day, week, month or year |
| Trial | Not on Dedicated plans | No, but a single day can be rented |
| Locations | United States, Australia, Europe including Frankfurt, and Asia (home page, 3 November 2026) | Romania, EU |
When MacinCloud is the better choice
- You need a Mac for a few hours a month. Prepaid hours or a shared account fit that better than any whole machine.
- You want someone else to administer it. On a managed plan, their team installs tools and handles admin tasks.
- You need Intel or a very old macOS. For apps that must be tested on OS X El Capitan or on Intel hardware.
- Your team is in Asia or Australia and needs a Mac close by.
When MacDuty is the better choice
- You want the whole machine. Every core, every gigabyte, nobody else's jobs on it. Build times stay the same from one day to the next.
- You run CI or long jobs. A self-hosted runner on bare metal, with caches that stay warm.
- You need newer chips. M4 Pro today, M5 Pro and M6 as Apple ships them.
- You want full control from the first minute. Admin rights, SSH, Screen Sharing to the real desktop, restart and password reset from the client area.
- You invoice in euros. EU VAT reverse charge for valid VAT numbers, invoices from an EU company.
Coming from Windows
MacinCloud is popular with Windows users because it works over Remote Desktop. On MacDuty, use TightVNC or TigerVNC to open the Mac's screen from Windows. SSH works from Windows Terminal with no extra software.
In stock today
These are in the rack now. Pick one, see what it comes with, and make your account only when you order.
Checking the racks
A Mac mini of your own
Pick a build. When one is not on the shelf, leave your email and we write the day it is racked.
Yearly: at least 19% less than paying monthly
Questions
- Do I get admin access on MacDuty?
- Yes, on every Mac. You are the only user of the machine.
- Can I use Xcode on MacDuty from a Windows PC?
- Yes. Connect with a VNC client for the desktop, or over SSH for builds and scripts.
- Where is MacDuty hosted?
- In Romania, inside the European Union. Your Mac and everything on it stay in the EU.
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