How to develop iOS apps without a Mac

What Apple actually requires

• Xcode 26.6 needs macOS Tahoe 26.2 or later, per Apple's Xcode system requirements page.
• Since April 28, 2026, App Store uploads must be built with Xcode 26 or later and an iOS 26 SDK.
• Shipping needs the Apple Developer Program, 99 USD per membership year.
• Apple's macOS license ties macOS to Apple-branded hardware. A macOS virtual machine on a Windows PC is outside it. More in what Apple's macOS license says about renting a Mac.

Option 1: a cloud CI runner

Your code goes to a hosted Mac, it builds, and you get the result. GitHub lists its standard macOS runner at $0.062 a minute in October 2026. Public repositories run free. We built a new React Native app for the iOS Simulator this way. The macOS job took 2 minutes 42 seconds, about 19 cents. Expo's EAS Build gives 15 free iOS builds a month in a low-priority queue, then $2 per medium build.

Tradeoffs. There is no screen. You cannot click through the app in the Simulator or step through code in Xcode's debugger. Every run starts from an empty machine. This is the right choice for cross-platform apps that only need a build. Our React Native iOS workflow shows the full setup.

Option 2: rent a dedicated Mac with remote desktop

You get a whole Mac with its screen. Xcode, the Simulator and Instruments all work through a remote desktop from Windows. Prices we could check in October 2026:

• MacRun: a dedicated M6 Mac mini at $139 a month, and $69 for the first month. The $169 plan adds a desktop that opens in a browser tab.
• AWS EC2 Mac: hosts start at $0.65 an hour for an M1. An M4 starts at $1.23, per instances.vantage.sh. Left on, that is about $475 and $898 a month. AWS bills a 24-hour minimum.
• MacinCloud and MacStadium also rent Macs. See MacRun vs MacinCloud and MacRun vs MacStadium.

Tradeoffs. Every click travels over the internet, so there is some lag. You pay every month whether you use it or not. Your files live on someone else's machine, so check how it is wiped between customers.

Option 3: buy a Mac, new or used

Apple lists the base M6 Mac mini at $899. That equals about 6.5 months of our rental. Apple lists the Mac mini (M1, 2020) and later as compatible with macOS Tahoe 26. So a used M1 mini can run Xcode 26.6 today. A future Xcode may need a macOS that drops it, and then it stops being useful for App Store work.

Tradeoffs. It costs more up front, but it has no lag and no monthly bill. If you will build for iOS for more than about 7 months, buying usually wins. That is more true if you sit near the Mac. We would rather say that than sell you a rental you do not need.

Option 4: a cross-platform framework

React Native, Flutter and Expo let you write the app once on Windows or Linux. They reduce how often you need a Mac. They do not remove the need. The React Native docs say a Mac is required to build projects with native code for iOS. Expo Go runs your JavaScript on a real iPhone during development, with no Mac at all. For the iOS build itself, you still pair the framework with option 1, 2 or 3.

A year of each, side by side

Rough first-year costs from the prices above, before the 99 USD Apple fee that every option needs:

• Hosted CI at 500 macOS minutes a month: about $372. Free for public repositories.
• MacRun M6 runner plan: $1,598, with the first month at the launch price.
• A new base Mac mini: $899 once, and you keep it.
• An always-on AWS M1 Mac host: about $5,700.

The numbers favor CI for light use and buying for heavy daily use. Renting wins when you need a screen or a warm runner for a year or less. It also wins when you cannot keep a Mac running at home.

Which one to pick

• Cross-platform app, a few builds a week: a cloud CI runner or EAS.
• Native Swift work, or debugging in Xcode's screen: a rented Mac. Buy one instead if you will keep it a year or more.
• Learning Swift for the first time: a used Apple silicon Mac mini. Lag makes learning harder.
• A team that builds all day: a dedicated Mac as a CI runner, so builds stay warm.

Who should not choose MacRun

We do not offer Windows machines, GPUs or several regions. We do not offer a static IP or an SLA either. Our Macs sit in one private facility in New Jersey. If you build occasionally, pay per minute instead. If you will develop daily for years, buy.

For the in-between cases, compare plans on our pricing page. Or put your own build minutes into the cost calculator.