Leasing a Mac

How leasing an Apple Mac for your desk works

An equipment lease is a contract. You get the Mac now and pay for it over a set term. You hold the device and use it as your own. At the end, you return it, upgrade, or buy it out. The exact options depend on the plan.

Apple runs two programs in the US. Everything below is from Apple's own pages, read on October 4, 2026. Check them again before you sign, because terms change.

Apple business leasing for companies

Apple's small and medium business financing page offers two plans. It says financing is provided by third party lenders. It is only for business customers and subject to credit approval. There is no minimum order.

• Plan to Upgrade. Terms of 12, 24, 36 or 48 months. You can pay monthly, quarterly, annually or up front. At the end you return the Mac, refresh it, or buy it at fair market value.
• Plan to Own. The same term lengths, paid monthly, quarterly or annually. At the end you pay $1 to own it. Or you sell it back to Apple Financial Services at a guaranteed price.

Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch and Apple TV are all eligible, plus accessories. Apple says to call its Business Team at 1-800-854-3680 or visit an Apple Store to apply.

Apple Upgrade for individuals

Apple Upgrade launched in the US on July 28, 2026. It is a consumer lease, and the lease is provided by Klarna. For a Mac, the term is 24 or 36 months.

• Eligible Macs are the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Studio. The Mac mini is not on the list.
• Apple's example is a 14-inch MacBook Pro with 16 GB, priced at $1,999. It costs $38.99 a month over 36 months, or $53.99 over 24 months, before tax.
• You do not own the Mac at the end. You can upgrade, return it in good working condition, or buy it out.
• Ending early means paying all the remaining lease payments. AppleCare is not included, though you can add it.
• You must be a US resident, at least 18, with an Apple Account and a Klarna account.

So leasing an Apple MacBook for a person is now simple. iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch are on Apple Upgrade too, so you can lease most Apple products this way.

Other leasing companies

Many equipment lessors and IT resellers lease Macs to businesses. Compare the total of all payments with the purchase price. Read what happens at the end of the term, and what an early exit costs. Ask who pays for repairs while you hold the Mac.

A monthly lease of a remote Mac

Some people want a Mac only for one job, such as building an iPhone app or running a coding agent. For that, they do not need the Mac on a desk. They can lease a Mac that stays in a rack and use it over the internet.

That is what MacRun does. You lease a dedicated M6 Mac mini for $139 a month. The first month is $69. There is no 12 or 36 month term, and you can cancel any month. It differs from an equipment lease in a few ways.

• You never hold the Mac. You connect with SSH and screen sharing.
• There is no credit check, no buyout and no return shipping.
• You get administrator access, with macOS 27 and Xcode 26.6 installed.
• We handle power, network and repairs in our own private facility in New Jersey.
• It is ready 1 to 4 hours after you pay.

Apple's macOS license allows leasing a whole Mac for developer services, such as builds, CI and testing. Each lease must last at least 24 hours, and one customer gets the whole Mac. Our post on the macOS license quotes that section.

Which kind of lease fits you

• You need a Mac to carry or sit at every day. Lease it from Apple or a lessor.
• You need many Macs for staff over several years. Business leasing is built for that.
• You need macOS for builds or agents, for a few months. A remote Mac lease is simpler.
• You are not sure how long you need it. A monthly remote lease has no exit fee.

Who should not lease from MacRun

• You want a Mac or MacBook to hold. We do not ship hardware.
• You want to own the Mac at the end. Our leases have no buyout.
• Your work is not software development. A leased remote Mac is for developer services.
• You need a static IP, an SLA or more than one region.

To compare tiers, see the pricing page. For the rent versus buy math on a Mac mini, read renting a Mac mini.