When it comes to their platform preferences, the majority of computer users are extremely loyal. On both sides of the macOS vs Windows 2025 operating system argument, some open-minded individuals are either not informed of what the other side has to offer or are just interested. Here, I compare each of Apple’s and Microsoft’s standard operating system features individually. When selecting an operating system, you should take into account some aspects, some of which I discuss here.

Your decision may also be influenced by your personality, your company needs, your device ecosystem, which includes your tablet and smartphone, and what the people around you use. As long as you don’t need to run demanding software, such as professional video editing programs, Linux and ChromeOS are also viable choices. The majority of people have to choose between macOS vs Windows 2025, the two major operating systems. Let’s explore it:

MacOS vs Windows Performance

The setup procedures for both OSs are well-defined and optimized. While both make it difficult, you can use either without logging into a MacOS vs Microsoft vs Linux account. There is a method for configuring Windows without an account. You will have a better experience on both if you sign in. Syncing devices, voice assistants, app roaming, messaging, and a host of other benefits are all lost if you don’t sign in.

More are constantly being added, such as Apple Intelligence in macOS Sequoia. Our setup instructions don’t even address the topic, and I haven’t heard of any Mac users that don’t log into their Apple accounts on their computers. Both allow you to duplicate an old machine and have simple initial setup procedures. Depending on whether you’re configuring the computer for personal or professional use, Microsoft allows you to install the operating system using your voice.

For additional information, see our page on configuring a Mac. You can upgrade macOS by downloading a disk image in Safari, using the Mac App Store, or going to the System Settings section named System Preferences before macOS Sonoma. Drivers for common hardware devices like storage, keyboards, and mouse are automatically detected and installed by both operating systems.

User Interface

The most obvious difference between the MacOS vs Windows 2025 user interfaces is this. In the end, this depends on personal preference, even though many computer users may declare one to be “better” or “greater.” Launchpad, an app icon-filled screen that makes it easy to launch your favorite apps, hot corners that can be resized for different views, an app icon-filled “dock,” full-screen app mode, and “spaces,”. Which allows you to create multiple desktops as you prefer to decrease clutter.

Those are the most important features of Mac OS X’s user interface. Windows 8’s touch-friendly “metro” style and “live tiles,” which are rectangular rectangles of different sizes on the screen. That represents apps and are updated with the most recent data from those apps, are among the interface’s highlights. Many applications that use the “metro” design are full-screen apps that seem like tablet programs.

Logging In and Getting Started

There are more login options available for both systems than just logging in on your desktop. You can quickly log in to your Mac with your fingerprint if you have a new MacBook or a Magic Keyboard. If they are near enough to the computer, you can also use your iPhone or Apple Watch to log in. However, in my experience with a recent MacBook Air, I had to input the computer password more frequently than felt necessary, for whatever reason, fingerprint login just didn’t work.

You have a few choices when it comes to using Windows 11’s Hello biometric login feature. The nicest and fastest feature is undoubtedly face login using a depth-mapping webcam, which is available on the majority of high-end PCs, including all Surface devices. Fingerprint readers are also supported by Windows Hello and may be found on laptops like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Windows will also take a PIN, which is more practical than a full password, if your hardware isn’t compatible with either of those capabilities.

PIN Process: A PIN is very safe because it is linked to the system and isn’t saved online like a regular account password is. If you enter it incorrectly four times, you will be temporarily locked out. Windows features a Start button and menu that allows you to access the programs, settings, and documents you use most often as soon as the operating system boots up.

While macOS doesn’t have something comparable, you can arrange your desktop with icons for apps and folders you use frequently, go to the Applications folder, or pin frequently used apps to your Dock. While not many people use it, the macOS vs Windows for students Launchpad offers an additional method for browsing through and launching apps.

MacOS vs Windows 11

MacOS

Several personal computer lines that Apple Inc. has designed, produced, and marketed are referred to by the brand name Macintosh, which is sometimes abbreviated as Mac. Among the main operating systems that run on a Mac are Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Vista, which makes the Mac the most unique computer in the world. They might make use of software such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion.

MacOS is the second most popular computer operating system after Windows. It has an intuitive user interface. Additionally, it offers incredible features like Mission Control and Dock. Because of MacOS’s smooth integration, Mac users may easily share files and data with other Apple devices, including iPhones. It also has reliable built-in security features like Gatekeeper, which protects against malicious applications and viruses.

Windows 11

Windows, commonly known as Microsoft Windows, is an operating system that is sold by Microsoft Inc. Most computer systems across the world have made it their default setting since its initial release in 1985. The most recent version of Windows that is compatible with Windows-powered devices is Windows 11.

While Microsoft has created other versions of the operating system. Microsoft Windows features an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), which includes features like the Start Menu and Taskbar. You may also customize it so that consumers can select from a variety of settings and themes. Additionally, it works with a wide range of gadgets and programs.

Generally speaking, a Windows-based computer is the same as a PC. The fact that it is an IBM-compatible machine further suggests that its architecture is based on the IBM CPU. There are many different operating systems that computers may run, but Microsoft Windows is the most popular. The others include UNIX variants such as Linux, FreeBSD, and Oracle.

MacOS vs Windows Security

It is believed that Macs are more secure than Windows machines. In the 1990s and the first part of the 2000s, Windows became infected with malware, viruses, and adware. Installing malicious software, opening unsuitable email attachments, or downloading other risky files downloaded from the Internet are the primary causes of these infections.

Virus manufacturers and distributors focused on the Windows operating system because Macs had a smaller market share. These days, things aren’t quite so unfair. Windows security and Microsoft’s Defender anti-virus program have made significant progress in making Windows a more secure operating system. MacOS vs Windows for programming have also had their security problems.

Such as the admin login vulnerability that was discovered in November 2017. You should never open files from strangers, files from the Internet, or files from suspicious-looking emails, regardless of whether you are using a Mac or a PC. Additionally, it is not recommended to use any antivirus software on Windows other than Microsoft Defender due to privacy issues in such add-ons.

MacOS vs Windows Price

The average cost is the main distinction between Mac and Windows in our comparison. Mac vs Windows, the cost of ownership is often a deciding factor for businesses. A Mac will typically cost far more than a comparable Windows PC. Only Apple makes Macs, other companies make PCs. The deep competition in the PC market is contributing to the decline in prices. Hardware-savvy administrators might build their own PCs to further lower their expenses.

However, both Macs and PCs come in a variety of price levels. Low-end PCs start at less than $200, while the most economical Mac costs $699. A midrange Mac costs between $1,299 and $1,999, while a medium PC costs between $400 and $1,000. Entry-level PCs in this category start at around $1,000, while professional, high-end Macs can cost up to $1,999 and possibly much more for Mac Pro versions.

MacOS vs Windows Search

In our comparison of Macs and Windows, searching is the other distinction. The search bar in Windows 10 is constantly visible, and typing into it brings up a panel with files, apps, and web results. We are still not happy with Apple’s Spotlight feature, given the fact that my Mac-loving coworkers highly recommend it. In addition to performing computations, these search features can show stock prices.

The local weather, sports results, and Thai restaurants. You can now use your voice to search on both MacOS and Windows with Cortana and Siri, respectively. With the May 2019 Update, Windows followed Apple’s example by removing the Cortana emblem from the search bar and separating voice search from typed searches.

MacOS vs Windows Widgets

The two operating systems have very different versions of widgets. Widgets that reside in a panel that appears when you mouse over its Taskbar icon were first featured in macOS vs Windows 11. Apple only allowed macOS widgets to be placed in the Notification Center panel until recently.

However, with Sonoma, you can now put them anywhere on the desktop, exactly like you could with Windows Vista over ten years ago. In addition, Continuity allows you to use iPhone widgets on the macOS desktop. The primary distinction is that while widgets made with the iPhone can display data, they are not interactive.

Knowledge of Configuration

Both operating systems come with carefully considered setup instructions. Although you can use both without creating an account with Apple or Microsoft, doing so will make using both more pleasurable. If you don’t sign in, you lose voice assistants, syncing machines, messages, application roaming, and a host of other advantages.

The installation process differs depending on whether you are configuring the computer for personal or business use. But Microsoft lets you install the operating system using a voice command. There are currently three ways to install macOS through the Mac, the Apple App Store, and System Settings, formerly System Preferences, before macOS Sonoma, or by downloading a disk image from Safari.

Availability

When it comes to deciding which third-party retail sites should accept its products, Apple is more selective than the PC manufacturers. The main store of the California-based Corporation, the Apple Store, opened its doors in 2001 at Tysons Corner Galleria in McLean, Virginia. Since then, more than 300 new Apple stores have opened in 43 states and 11 countries.

Apple has entered into many temporary agreements with supermarkets and electronics shops to reach a wide range of customers. This is because these outlets are frequently only established in places with sizable populations. However, many companies that sell PCs, including the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, do not carry MacOS. Naturally, Mac and Windows PCs are also available for purchase from internet merchants.

Microsoft has a unique strategy. For a while, the company licensed its Windows operating system to other companies instead of making hardware. Most of those companies want to get their products into as many stores as they can. As a result, your local computer store probably has many Windows PCs but not necessarily any Apple computers.

MacOS vs Windows Choice

The biggest difference between a MacOS vs Windows 2025 computer is probably the number of configurations that each company offers. Apple currently sells just five different computer lines, the iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Apple mini. Apple only offers 20 different computer configurations at the time of writing, even though each option is listed separately. The company’s “less is more” marketing approach can be seen in this little assortment, not a sign of weakness.

A wide variety of shapes and sizes are available for Windows, however. Consumer Reports reviews twelve various Windows-based computer brands. Including well-known companies like Acer, Asus, Dell Corporation, Gateway, HP, Hyundai, Lenovo, and Samsung Electronics. Every brand provides a range of desktop and laptop model choices. This broad selection is seen favorably by many purchasers, who are more likely to find a computer that exactly meets their demands.

The Final Verdict

Is Mac preferable to Windows, then?  It is up to you to decide.  Which of the “MacOS vs Windows 11” operating systems is better? The choice ultimately comes down to your preferences and the computer’s intended use. Each of the great Windows operating systems has advantages and disadvantages.

Microsoft Windows is compatible with more devices and offers you greater customization choices for both hardware and software. However, compared to Windows PCs, Apple’s hardware is neither as reliable nor as affordable, but it does feature a better-designed user interface that emphasizes usability.

FAQs

Which is Better, MacOS or Windows?

When it comes to personalizing your hardware and software, Windows offers you greater versatility and compatibility with a wider variety of devices. You will get a more precisely calibrated user experience that puts usability first, even though Apple’s hardware selection isn’t as wide or as affordable as Windows PCs.

Are Professionals Using Macs or Windows?

Macs are preferred by several IT professionals because of their security features, durability, and ease of use. Others, on the other hand, prefer Linux or Microsoft Windows-based systems due to their versatility, potential for customization, and compatibility with both hardware and software.

Is it possible to use USB to move files from Windows to Mac?

Yes, you may use USB to move files from Windows to Mac by just copying your files.

What are the capabilities of a PC over a Mac?

A Mac can only have its memory and storage drive upgraded if it is upgradeable. PC users can choose from a wide variety of motherboards, CPUs, storage devices, video cards, graphics processors, audio cards, and memory. This enables PC users to quickly and easily create a custom system or improve an already-existing one.