MacinCloud Alternative: Dedicated M6 Mac mini for $99

Prices checked November 6, 2026 by the MacMetro team

If you want a Mac with administrator access for a month or longer, MacMetro costs less than MacinCloud. We rent a whole Apple M6 Mac mini with 16 GB of memory for $99 a month. A MacinCloud dedicated M4 with the same memory and 4 CPU cores came to $164.99 at checkout. MacinCloud fits better if you need a Mac outside the US or only need Xcode a few days a month.

We run MacMetro, so we have a stake in this. The MacinCloud prices come from its plan pages and its checkout, linked at the bottom, so you can check them.

MacMetro vs MacinCloud at a Glance

Feature	MacMetro Base	MacinCloud Dedicated M4
Price	$99/mo	$164.99/mo, or $189.99 with 8 cores and a 1 Gbps port
Chip	Apple M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU	Apple M4, 4 CPU cores (6 or 8 cost more)
Memory	16 GB	16 GB
Storage	256 GB SSD	250 GB SSD
Network	1 Gbps port, unmetered	100 Mbps port, 1 Gbps for $15 more
Access	Administrator, SSH, and Screen Sharing	Administrator, Remote Desktop (RDP) included
Billing	Monthly, cancel anytime	Weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly
Setup	Ready within 24 hours of payment	Not stated on the plan page
Support	Email the people who run the Macs, outages first	Support tickets and a help center
Track record	New, with a status page	Since 2011, no uptime figure or status page found
Data centers	NYC Metro area	8 worldwide, including New York
Stock on November 6, 2026	Sold out, waitlist open	M4 open to order

MacinCloud prices are its New York checkout totals for a monthly plan running macOS Tahoe. Its plan page lists the 16 GB M4 at $164.

How Much Do You Save?

Against the 16 GB MacinCloud M4, MacMetro Base saves $65.99 a month, or $791.88 a year. You also get the M6, a newer chip, with every CPU core instead of 4, and a 1 Gbps port instead of 100 Mbps.

If you'd raise the MacinCloud plan to 8 cores and 1 Gbps to get closer, it costs $189.99, which is $90.99 more than Base. Our Premium plan is $169, $20.99 less, with 24 GB of memory and a 512 GB SSD.

When Is MacinCloud the Better Pick?

When you need a Mac now. We're sold out, and the MacinCloud checkout had the M4 open to order. It also has data centers in Europe, Asia, and Australia, which matters if you're far from the NYC Metro area.

If you only open Xcode now and then, its managed plans cost less than any dedicated Mac. A managed M4 with 16 GB is $39 a month for 10 days of use, or $59 with no day limit, and MacinCloud installs the tools for you. You don't get administrator access on those plans, so they suit students and occasional builds better than CI.

MacinCloud also offers older macOS versions back to OS X El Capitan, and weekly billing for a short project.

When Does MacMetro Fit Better?

When the Mac runs all month: a CI runner, a build server, or a remote desktop you use every day. You get the whole Mac mini, full administrator access, and a 1 Gbps port at a flat price, so nothing changes on the bill when you add a build.

New to remote Macs? Read how renting a Mac in the cloud works. Compare every host on Mac mini hosting prices, or see MacMetro pricing and join the waitlist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a cheaper alternative to MacinCloud?

MacMetro rents a whole Apple M6 Mac mini for $99 a month. The closest MacinCloud plan, a dedicated M4 with 16 GB of memory, came to $164.99 a month at checkout on November 6, 2026. MacMetro is sold out right now, so new customers join a waitlist.

Is a MacinCloud dedicated server a whole Mac mini?

MacinCloud calls it a dedicated macOS instance with full administrator access. Its checkout asks you to pick 4, 6, or 8 CPU cores on an M4, which has 10, and the plan page doesn't say whether you get the whole machine. A MacMetro plan is one physical Mac mini with all 12 cores of the M6.

What is the difference between MacinCloud managed and dedicated plans?

A managed plan is a user account on a Mac that MacinCloud runs. You get Xcode and other tools preinstalled but no administrator access, starting at $39 a month for an M4 you can use 10 days a month. A dedicated plan gives you administrator access, and you bring your own software licenses.

Does MacinCloud have a data center in New York?

Yes. MacinCloud lists 8 data center locations, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, London, and Frankfurt. MacMetro has one data center, in the NYC Metro area, so for East Coast latency the two are close.

Can I run Xcode builds and CI on a MacMetro Mac?

Yes. You get full administrator access over SSH and Screen Sharing, so you can install Xcode, fastlane, and a GitHub Actions, GitLab, Buildkite, or Jenkins runner yourself.

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