macOS vs. Windows: Which OS Is Best?

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Most tech users are vehemently loyal when it comes to their platform choices. But I suspect there are open-minded people on both sides of the macOS vs. Windows operating system debate who aren’t aware of what the other side has to offer—or maybe they're just curious. Here, I compare the standard operating system features from Microsoft and Apple one by one. Each category has a winner or is declared a tie, and, at the end, I tally up the points to declare an overall winner.

The factors I cover below are only a few of those that you need to consider when choosing an operating system. You might also base your decision on what the people around you use, your device ecosystem (including your smartphone and tablet), your business needs, and your personality. And don't forget that Linux and ChromeOS are options, too, as long as you don't need to run demanding software like professional video editing programs. For most people, the choice is between the big two operating systems: macOS or Windows.

macOS vs. Windows: Setup Experience

Both OSes have clear and polished setup processes. You can use either without signing in to an account with Apple or Microsoft, though both make it hard to do so, and there's a trick to setting up Windows without an account. If you do sign in, you get a richer experience on both. Not signing in means missing out on syncing machines, voice assistants, app roaming, messages, and a whole lot of other goodies, with more coming all the time, like Apple Intelligence in macOS Sequoia. I have yet to hear of a Mac user who doesn't sign into an Apple account on their computer, and our setup guide doesn't even mention the possibility.

Both initial setup processes are straightforward, and both let you replicate a previous computer. and Microsoft lets you install the OS with your voice and differentiates the process based on whether you're setting up the computer for personal or business use. You can read our article on setting up a Mac for more details. If you're upgrading macOS, you can do so through the System Settings (called System Preferences before macOS Sonoma), via the Mac App Store, or by downloading a disk image in Safari. Both OSes automatically recognize and install drivers for standard hardware peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, and storage.

Winner: Tie

macOS vs. Windows: Logging In and Getting Started

Both systems have login options that go beyond the traditional act of simply signing in on your desktop. If you have a recent MacBook or a Magic Keyboard, you can easily sign into your Mac using your fingerprint. Or you can log in through your iPhone or Apple Watch if they are close enough to the computer. In my experience with a recent MacBook Air, however, I had to enter the computer password more often than seemed necessary; fingerprint login simply didn't work sometimes for one reason or another.

Windows 11 uses a system called Hello for logging in with your biometrics, and you have a few options. Face login with a depth-mapping-capable webcam is probably the coolest and quickest, and it's available on most higher-end PCs, including all Surface devices. Windows Hello also supports fingerprint readers, available on laptops such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. If you don’t have hardware that's compatible with either of those features, Windows will also accept a PIN, which is more convenient than a full password. A PIN is tied to the current machine—not stored online the way a standard account password is—and four incorrect entries temporarily lock you out, so it's quite secure.

Once you boot the OS, Windows has a Start button and menu that lets you access the apps, settings, and documents you most frequently use. There's nothing similar in macOS, but you can pin frequently used apps to your Dock, head to the Applications folder, or set up your desktop with icons for programs and files you access often. The macOS Launchpad is another way to page through and start apps, though few use it.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: Hardware Options

Apple has some great computer hardware options, with gorgeous industrial design on MacBooks, optional 5K screens on iMacs, and the massively powerful Mac Pro (starting at $6,999). The issue is that these devices are not only pricey but are easily eclipsed by the availability of an enormously diverse array of Windows PCs and tablets from many different manufacturers. You won't find any convertible laptops or touch screens on any Macs, and if you've used them, you know they're useful. Nontraditional options like the HoloLens, VR headsets, and Raspberry Pi can all run Windows. The Steam Deck and other handheld gaming PCs make for an even wider selection of Windows devices.

As for internal components—things like the CPU, graphics card, and storage—there’s no contest. Windows gives you a lot more leeway in configuring a system with the components you want and more flexibility to upgrade later. Heck, you can even build your own PC with the parts of your choice.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: Included Apps

Both operating systems come with a wealth of utilities and apps, from mail clients and calendars to photo and video editors. Both come with screenshot tools, voice recorders, and web browsers, not to mention apps for maps, cameras, news, weather, and contacts. Both even now offer AI image generation in their drawing apps.

Microsoft throws in nifty Sticky Notes and Teams Chat. It also has Xbox gaming apps, though I consider games separately later. Mac has Stickies and FaceTime, but it stands out for its superior video editor, iMovie, the Preview utility, and outstanding streaming music service in Apple Music. It also has the awesome GarageBand music composition app and a full, though little-used, office suite in iWork.

Winner: macOS

macOS vs. Windows: Third-Party Software Compatibility

Both platforms have had time to develop rich ecosystems of software and services. Windows is more likely to support Custom business applications, and macOS is prevalent in creative fields. That said, you can find plenty of good general business software for Macs. Windows actually boasts more options in some creative areas, such as video editing and photo editing software.

Mac and Windows have app stores that manage installation and updating, but app developers sadly haven’t given attention to these desktop stores the way they have to their mobile counterparts. On a related note, I still find it odd that some macOS apps make you drag a disk image to the Applications folder; that's just one of at least three different ways to install apps on a Mac.

Windows app installation is more straightforward. For a few years now, Windows' default web browser has let you install many app-like websites as progressive web apps (PWAs). They can appear in the Microsoft Store (the Windows app store), they get Start menu entries, and they can be uninstalled just like any other application. With Sonoma, Apple avoids the industry-standard term PWA, instead launching a proprietary-sounding web app capability, but they can't appear in the Mac App Store. Finally, Windows PCs can still run software programmed decades ago, while macOS versions regularly make older apps obsolete. This is important for businesses that previously spent a lot on custom code.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: Interface Customization

Both operating systems give you decent leeway for customizing their appearance. You have choices in your desktop backgrounds, colors, screen item sizes, and screen savers. Both OSes have added recent new wallpaper options, with macOS adding Live Wallpapers that change throughout the day and Windows 11 adding HDR wallpaper support.

The quality of an operating system's dark mode can be a point of contention for some users. Mac’s version is a bit more consistent, while some older Windows dialogs are still not dark when the mode is enabled. Windows has a Custom option, which lets you decide whether you want dark or light mode for system elements, apps, or both. Both have slick, rounded window corners.

Mac and Windows both come with excellent, plug-and-play multiple monitor support. If you’re truly gung-ho on interface customization, I recommend Linux, which gives you a selection of completely different user interface shells.

Winner: Tie

macOS vs. Windows: Desktop and Window Management

Whenever I work on a Mac, I’m frustrated by how the system manages and arranges program windows. Microsoft's OS makes it easier to arrange windows on the screen the way you want, not the way the OS wants. Want an app to take up exactly a quarter of the screen? Snap it to any of the screen corners. And if you don't like this snapping, you can turn it off in Settings. Show or switch to the desktop by clicking to the very far right of the taskbar. There is a menu option in macOS for splitting the screen between two app windows, but it's not available with all windows and doesn't work as swiftly as the Windows feature.

Windows 11's Snap Layouts let you choose window arrangement from any program's Maximize button. The same thing works on a tablet's touch interface if you drag an app's top bar to the top of the screen to see layout choices. You even get to reuse these layouts from Taskbar icons, and they carry over to a secondary display. With macOS Sequoia, Apple adds a nearly identical feature, though it divides the screen into halves and quarters only. With Windows, snapping is more flexible. Since Microsoft has offered window snapping since Windows 7 in 2009, it's understandably more advanced in this regard.

Apple put some effort into improving its windowing game with Stage Manager, available since Ventura. When enabled, it displays diagonal 3D tiles to the left of the active program window for easy switching. Some find the accompanying animations jarring, but at least it makes window management clearer than before. Stage Manager is not on by default like Snap Layouts on Windows 11, so it remains to be seen how many people will use it.

You can create multiple virtual desktops in both Windows and macOS, and they do an equally good job of letting you switch between them with touchpad gestures or keyboard shortcuts.

Confusingly, in macOS, there are two different ways for an app to run full screen. The default is as a separate virtual desktop, which you get when you click the green maximize button (which also serves as a Resize button). But there's another full-screen mode that maintains the system menu across the top. Sometimes, I don't want macOS to switch me to another virtual desktop when I didn't specifically opt for one, though it's the kind of thing you probably get used to after a while.

Finally, my favorite window-management trick in Windows is holding and shaking the mouse key on a window title bar to minimize everything else (in Windows 11, you have to turn this "Title bar window shake" feature on in Settings). It's a great way to clear out distractions and focus on the window you're working in.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: Widgets

When it comes to widgets, the two OSes differ markedly in implementation. Windows 11 introduced widgets that live in a panel that pops up when you hover over its Taskbar icon. Until recently, Apple restricted macOS widgets to the Notification Center panel, but, starting with Sonoma, you can place them anywhere on the desktop, just as you could in Windows Vista more than a decade ago. What's more, you can use iPhone widgets on the macOS desktop, thanks to Continuity (see Mobile Device Integration section below). The major difference is that widgets you create with the iPhone display information only; they're not interactive.

Winner: macOS

macOS vs. Windows: Taskbar vs. Dock

The macOS Dock has made strides over the years, with its nifty mouse-over magnifying animation and ability to display the icons of recently used apps. You can easily change the placement of icons in the Dock and enlarge or shrink the whole thing at any time, which is good for accessibility. One thing I find frustrating about macOS is that when I click on a running app’s Dock icon, sometimes its window doesn’t appear on the screen. That's because macOS is document-based, whereas Windows is application-based. When you click on an app's icon in the Dock, you may just see its menu at the top but no program window. In Windows, tapping a taskbar icon always brings up the associated program window.

The Windows taskbar shows a thumbnail miniature of the program window when you hover the mouse cursor over its icon. Taskbar Jump Lists let you see recent files you opened in the app or jump to frequently needed actions in that program; macOS's Dock works similarly. In Windows 11, the Taskbar takes a step backward. The default center alignment means that the Start button isn't always in the same place, but you can set it to left-justified. Microsoft brought back the ability to choose a wider, more informative view of the app buttons with the 23H2 update.

Winner: Tie

macOS vs. Windows: Finder vs. File Explorer

Windows File Explorer has improved in recent OS updates. The Home folder's Quick Access is a favorite feature because it makes it easy to find the last file you saved, no matter what it was or where you saved it. You can also pin folders here. The macOS Finder’s Recents folder works similarly, and Finder, too, has a Favorites section, though I find it much harder to use than File Explorer, especially for getting from one place to another on a drive. For example, it doesn't let you easily navigate up and down a drive's folder tree the way Windows does.

Window's File Explorer has finally caught up to Finder in its ability to have multiple tabs in a window. File Explorer also has nice new color-coded main folders. Both OSes show previews of documents on the right side of the Explorer/Finder windows, let you choose which app to open a file with, and let you easily share files with a right click. Recent updates for File Explorer include a Gallery view for photo folders and native support for RAR and 7-Zip archive files.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: Search

Search capabilities are now at parity between the two OSes. Windows has a permanent search box in the Taskbar, which I find convenient. Both OSes have magnifying glass icons and simple keyboard shortcuts to summon the search feature, with a keyboard shortcut to do the same. Both can find local and web content, as well as do math and conversions.

Winner: Tie

macOS vs. Windows: Touch, Pen, and Dictation

In terms of alternative input, Microsoft's OS has the edge. Windows has had full touch screen support for more than a decade, and it has a touch-optimized interface when you switch from keyboard to touch or stylus input. There’s a good selection of convertible laptops and tablets on the market to take advantage of it.

Stylus input is another win for Windows. The support for styli like the Surface Slim Pen 2 on touch screens is robust, with incredibly good handwriting-to-text conversion and pressure sensitivity. You can use a pen anywhere you enter text.

In both Windows and Mac, you can use your voice for text input in any app. To do this in macOS, you have to specifically enable it. Once voice dictation is on, you can access it by double-tapping the Fn key. In Windows, just press Windows Key-H (for hear), and you're off and dictating.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: AI Helpers Copilot and Siri

This is the biggest update affecting this comparison. Microsoft added its Copilot AI feature to Windows in 2023, and macOS is getting an Apple Intelligence-powered Siri in macOS Sequoia.

Up to this point, Siri has been the butt of jokes among AI assistants and earned a poor reputation. Meanwhile, Microsoft completely revamped its AI strategy for Windows with the Copilot sidebar. In the 2024 update of Windows 11, Copilot becomes a standalone, standard app rather than a sidebar feature. Copilot can generate text and images using ChatGPT 4 and DALL-E 3 from OpenAI. Siri is stronger when it comes to controlling system settings and smart home devices, and the addition of Apple Intelligence should mean that it will understand your needs better, even basing its answers on your activity on Apple devices. Windows' Copilot doesn't have wake-word functionality yet, and Microsoft is removing all of its computer-control features in the 2024 update.

Winner: Tie

macOS vs. Windows: Mobile Device Integration

With Phone Link, Microsoft has reached near parity with Apple's mobile-to-desktop integration story if you connect an Android phone, and even connecting an iPhone gets you texts, calls, and notifications on the desktop. Connecting some higher-end Android phones even lets you run multiple Android apps on a Windows screen simultaneously. But the Apple desktop-mobile connection continues to be tighter and slicker, and macOS Sequoia's new iPhone Mirroring feature puts it on nearly equal footing when it comes to showing and controlling the mobile's interface on the computer's screen, though that feature only shows one app on the desktop at a time.

You can use an iPhone as an external webcam (Windows now has this feature, too), and you can use an iPad as a secondary screen. The macOS Notifications panel lets you send text messages by syncing up to a nearby iPhone. All your photos can be shared across devices in Apple Photos. You can transfer almost anything with AirDrop. And you can even engage in video calling with FaceTime between devices. Apple Watch is yet another piece of the integrated ecosystem that Windows can’t match. For example, you can unlock your Mac when your watch is in proximity, and the same notifications flow to both.

Winner: macOS

macOS vs. Windows: 3D, VR, and AR Support

VR, AR, and the metaverse might not be the hot topic it once was, but it's still a valid criterion to consider when comparing OSes, especially with Apple finally getting into the space with its Vision Pro headset. Windows still powers Microsoft's HoloLens, which is used in manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, and education. Windows' Mixed Reality Portal app works with VR headsets exclusively, giving you a virtual portal to VR apps. One of the most popular VR headsets, the Meta Quest, works with only with Windows, not Macs. The same is true for SteamVR gaming, which only runs on Windows.

Apple does provide some VR support: You can edit 360-degree video content in Final Cut Pro with external enclosures for graphics cards that are VR-capable. And Apple’s ARKit system works with some iPhone and iPad models to let app builders create augmented reality applications. You can use Vision Pro as a virtual Mac display, but the flat displays are the extent of integration with Apple's desktop OS.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: Accessibility

Both operating systems include a good deal of support for users with disabilities, but Microsoft has consistently made it a top priority. Both OSes have screen magnification, text narration, Braille support, sticky and slow key entry, and voice input. But with Windows, a blind person can set up the system by voice. Microsoft has even added the ability to control the computer with your eyes and come out with a line of Adaptive Accessories for alternative input.

Microsoft has customer support in American Sign Language by video call. It works with the free BeMyEyes app that "connects blind and low vision people with volunteers for visual assistance through a live video call." At a Microsoft Build conference, one of the company's developers, who is blind, demonstrated an AR app running on the HoloLens that described people's emotions to him in real time based on their expressions, using the company's Seeing AI technology. Microsoft has even published a highly rated Seeing AI app for Apple's iOS.

The new Copilot+ PCs include a Live Captions feature that displays text captions for any spoken words playing on the PC. This feature can even translate other spoken languages into English. It is all done with local PC computing resources and leverages the NPU (neural processing unit) on these PCs.

Even on non-Copilot+ PCs, Windows 11 can display live captions for any spoken audio from any source on the screen (macOS introduced a beta of a similar feature a few months after Microsoft did). Windows 11 also made its Narrator voice sound more natural when reading screen text, while an improved Voice Access feature lets you control everything on the PC (now in preview). The company staffs a Disability Answer Desk for both consumers and businesses.

In its favor, Apple continues to improve and add accessibility features, such as Personal Voice, which lets people at risk of losing their voice create a digital voice that sounds like theirs in phone or video calls.

Winner: Windows

macOS vs. Windows: Security and Stability

In recent years, Windows PCs have fallen prey to far more malware than Macs, including ransomware, spyware, botnets, and good old-fashioned viruses. For its part, Microsoft is constantly beefing up its security, pushing Microsoft Defender updates and even introducing anti-ransomware measures.

Macs have a much cleaner record, but they’re by no means immune from the baddies out there. Vulnerabilities occur in it, too. Apple is pretty good about issuing patch updates to address these, but PCMag's lead analyst for security, Neil Rubenking, strongly recommends using antivirus software on Macs.

Both operating systems include built-in VPN support, and all of PCMag's top VPN service choices are available on both platforms, so that category is a wash.

And then there’s the issue of stability. Macs win on this count, too, mostly because Apple controls the hardware ecosystem (third-party drivers are a major cause of instability on Windows PCs) as well as the software. Windows's stability has improved with Windows 11, but it's still not rock-solid. Those looking for the ultimate stability should check out Linux.

Winner: macOS

macOS vs. Windows: Gaming

Hardcore gamers don’t even need to look at this section. While there are plenty of excellent games available for macOS, and there’s even a version of Steam for the platform, Macs typically don't allow the level of internal component customization that's possible with PC gaming.

As for game selection, there are far more AAA titles on Steam that are compatible with Windows than macOS. Even PlayStation games are available on Windows through Sony’s PlayStation Plus service, and you can stream games to your PC through the Xbox app. With Play Anywhere, you can load games you buy on the Microsoft Store on either your PC or your Xbox console, including exclusives like Cuphead, both Forza series, the Halo series, Gears of War, and Starfield.

Apple does have a Game Porting Toolkit for converting Windows games for use on Macs, and more AAA titles are coming to Macs.

Windows Game Bar, summoned with the Windows key + G, lets you record your gaming activities, see system resource usage, and interact with fellow gamers. With the 2023 update, you can play casual games in Windows without any downloading inside the Microsoft Store app. There's also a Game Mode for optimizing the system while gaming and support for Auto HDR. Both OSes now support ray tracing for more lifelike lighting in games.

Winner: Windows

Winner: Windows

The two operating systems are at parity in many cases, as indicated by all the ties, but Microsoft Windows comes out ahead overall. Nevertheless, you should weigh the categories for your OS priorities. For example, if gaming is everything to you, then Windows is a no-brainer. If you don't care about gaming or VR and you are a creative type, then you’re likely better off with a Mac.

Here's the final score tally:

Do you agree? Are there other categories that should have been included in our evaluation? Let us know in the comments. And while you're deciding, be sure to read and keep up with all of our Windows and Apple macOS coverage. For deep dives into each, read our reviews of Windows 11 and our macOS.