Defining the best MacBook for programming can be a little subjective since many of us will have our personal favorite. We’ve been testing and reviewing MacBooks for over a decade, and we can say that any current Apple laptop can easily handle most programmers’ requirements, but there are a few things to consider when choosing the right one for you.
Apple laptops deliver everything we want from a laptop for programming without us necessarily needing to go to the expense of buying the super-powerful new 2023 M3 Pro or Max MacBook Pros. Choosing the best one for your comes down to questions of size, portability, budget and what else you might want to do with the machine, all of which we analyse below.
We have made our recommendations based our own expert reviews and our contributors’ many hours of combined experience using MacBooks as their everyday devices for work. We’ve compared the best MacBooks for programming for different requirements and budgets, highlighting the pros and cons of each. If you don’t want an Apple-specific list, head over to our best laptops for programming guide. We also have a guide to the best laptops for graphic design.
With its larger screen and slim, light frame, we think the new MacBook Air 15 provides the perfect balance of power, price and size for programming. Read more below
The entry-level MacBook Pro 14 offers more than enough power for programmers and a winning balance of portability and premium without the price tag of ‘Pro’-chipped models. Read more below
If you prioritise portability for work in different locations, we recommend the superbly thin and light 13in MacBook Air, which still offers lots of power and a crisp bright Liquid Retina display. Read more below
You don’t need a hugely powerful MacBook for programming, and even the base M3 is overkill if you don’t use it for other things. A good keyboard and display are key, and the M1 Air delivers that at a budget price. Read more below
Programming can be much more comfortable on a larger screen, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers that along with plenty of power for much more than programming alone. Read more below
The best MacBook for programming in full
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The best MacBook for programming overall
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(Image credit: Ian Evenden)
(Image credit: Ian Evenden)
(Image credit: Ian Evenden)
(Image credit: Ian Evenden)
(Image credit: Ian Evenden)
The best MacBook for programming overall
Specifications
CPU: Apple M3
Graphics: Integrated 10-core GPU
RAM: 8GB, 16GB, 24GB
Screen: 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display
Storage: 256GB – 2TB
Reasons to buy
+
Powerful M3 processor
+
Big screen in a relatively slim and light body
+
Cheaper than MacBook Pros
Reasons to avoid
–
Size may not suit everyone
We find a larger screen more comfortable for coding, but there’s always that trade off with reduced portability. We think the new 2024 MacBook Air 15 strikes the best balance possible. It’s doesn’t have the biggest screen on a MacBook (see the 16-inch Pro further down our list), but we found that the 15.3-inch display provided a good amount of space to work with. Meanwhile, the laptop is wonderfully slim and light for a 15-incher. Sure, it’s not as convenient as the 13-inch MacBook Air for travel or commuting, but it is viable for such uses.
A 15-inch MacBook Air was a bit of a surprise when it launched since it seemed to contradict the concept of the Air, but when we got hands-on, we found the laptop made perfect sense since it makes such efficient use of space (like the 13inch version, it has no fan). We found the size made the laptop more comfortable to actually use on our laps, and the screen doesn’t feel cramped.
The M3 chip can only drive one external screen, which may put some users off (you’ll need an M3 Pro device to run two external displays), but the larger screen of the laptop itself makes it easier to work across multiple windows and visualise more code at once (or view your code at a larger size) than on smaller MacBooks. We found the size of the keyboard and trackpad to be comfortable for long sessions too, and we liked the travel and click of the scissor switch keys. Some will prefer a larger or small device rather than this compromise in the middle, but we think the balance between power, price, size and portability make it ideal for programming.
The best Pro for a balance between size, power and price
Specifications
CPU: Apple M3 (or M3 Pro / Max)
Graphics: Integrated 10- to 40-core GPU
RAM: Up to 128GB
Screen: 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
Storage: Up to 8TB
Reasons to buy
+
Part of the newest range of MacBooks
+
Compact build offers balance between screen size and portability
+
Reasonably priced
Reasons to avoid
–
Some programmers will prefer a larger screen
–
Starting configuration may lack the power for other types of work
We think the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3, 2023) is the best MacBook for programming overall, offering the balance between power, price and portability. One of the new MacBook Pros released in November 2023, it’s the first 14-inch MacBook Pro to come with the base M chip (in this case the M3) that than a Pro or Max chip. That makes it more affordable than previous MacBook Pro 14 generations if you go for this base model, which has more than enough power for programming.
Our testing proved what a beast this machine is, and we especially appreciated the incredibly bright screen (up to 1,500 nits) – perfect for long sessions writing code. The brightness also offset the potential issues with the gloss screen, and we didn’t have any problems with visibility. 14-inches is plenty big enough to prevent eye strain when the screen is this impressive, and it’s still being portable enough to sling in a bag when necessary. However, there’s always the 16-inch available if you need more space.
And of course, if you do need more power, more memory or more storage, the sky is practically the limit with these new MacBooks. You can choose the M3 Pro or M3 Max chip rather than the base M3 and up RAM to 128GB if you’re doing a lot, lot more than programming with your laptop.
See our full review of the larger 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 (also included lower down in this list) for more details.
The best MacBook for programming on the move
(Image credit: Future)
The best MacBook for programming on the go
Specifications
CPU: Apple M3
Graphics: 8- to 10-core GPU
RAM: 8GB-16GB
Screen: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display
Storage: Up to 2TB
Reasons to buy
+
Powerful M3 processor
+
Light and compact
+
Cheaper than MacBook Pro
Reasons to avoid
–
GPU not as powerful as on MacBook Pros
–
Smaller screen
We’ve already mentioned the 15-inch version of this new 2024 MacBook Air at the top of our list. We rated that more highly for programming because of the extra screen space, which we find more comfortable for coding on. But, if you want something more portable, we think our top choice’s traditional 13-inch sibling is the way to go.
We found specs and performance to be basically identical, with battery life only slightly less in our testing (we got over 16 hours of video playback). The M3 chip makes light work of compiling code, and the screen is 25 per cent brighter than the 2021 Air (see our budget pick below), which makes it better for working in sunlight. The laptop also has MagSafe support, which means plugging and unplugging the power cable is easy and safe. Best of all for those who want to program on the go, it’s wonderfully slim and light. We think it’s also very reasonably priced.
The newer MacBook Air above has a brighter screen with more pixels per inch.
If you’re a coder on a tighter budget who just does not need the kind of horsepower the other MacBooks offer, then the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) remains an excellent choice.
The 2020 MacBook Air still hits the perfect sweet spot between value and performance. It’s the cheapest MacBook you can buy new even at full price, but it often sees discounts. In our tests, we were impressed by how fast and smooth the laptop is in use, and we got well over a full day of use on a single battery charge.
Another benefit of the M1 MacBook Air is that it’s fanless, which makes it silent in use. While the M1 chip has been succeeded by the M2, it still offers fantastic performance, especially when compiling code. This isn’t the best MacBook to choose if you’re going to be doing video editing or image editing , but if you only need a laptop for programming and general productivity, this should still do the job just fine.
The best MacBook for programming with a bigger screen
(Image credit: Future)
The best MacBook for programming if you’re also a content creator
Specifications
CPU: Apple M3 Pro 12-core – M3 Max 16-core
Graphics: Integrated 19- to 38-core GPU
RAM: Up to 96GB
Screen: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
Storage: Up to 8TB
Reasons to buy
+
Larger screen for coding, plus ability to power two external displays
+
Fantastic battery life
+
Potential to configure to massive specs
Reasons to avoid
–
Larger size makes it less convenient to carry around
–
More expensive than smaller MacBooks
If you need a MacBook that can handle much more than programming and you also want the largest screen you can get on a MacBook, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) could be the best choice for you. It’s essentially the same as the 14-inch model at number two in our list, but coming only with a choice of Apple’s M3 Pro or M3 Max chips, but with a larger screen and battery.
People who find looking at lines of code on a larger screen more comfortable will love this device. Since it’s only available with the Pro or Max chip rather than the base M3, the amount of power provided is overkill for programming alone, but it will be welcomed by anyone who also does video editing or 3D work.
A key advantage of the MacBook Pros is their brighter displays, which makes them more comfortable to work on in bright sunlight. We also like the fact that with the M3 Pro chip you can you can drive two external screens, which can be useful for some programming workflows (the standard M3 chip is limited to one).
You can also configure it up to 64GB of memory, up to 8TB of storage, making it potentially a beast of a laptop all round. It also boasts the best battery life of any MacBook. Apple says that you should get around 14 hours of web browsing from a charge, but we’ve seen more like 22 hours for basic online work. Alas, the choice of configurations here means that this is the most expensive MacBook by some way.
Choosing the best MacBook for programming is really a case of defining your priorities. All MacBooks have more than enough power for programming and good screens for working in varying conditions. It therefore comes down to size, price, and whether you want enough power for more demanding tasks.
Overall, we recommend MacBook Airs as the best MacBooks for programming because they’re cheaper, lighter and still have more than enough power. We chose the latest 15-inch MacBook Air (M3) as our top pick since we found the larger screen more comfortable to code on in our tests. However, if portability is a major priority for you, you might prefer the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air, or the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro. MacBook Pros do have brighter screens than the Airs, and that can be an advantage if you’re working outside in bright light.
How we tested the best MacBooks for programming
We tested all of our picks of the best MacBooks for programming hands on as part of our full reviews of each product (see the link in the description of each product). When we reviewed each laptop, we performed a series of benchmark tests in order to evaluate their performance, display brightness and accuracy and battery life.
Our reviewers also used them over a period of at least two weeks, testing them for a wide range of uses. As well as using them for programming, our reviewers used them from general office programs, browsing, entertainment, photo editing and video editing in order to decide which of our buying guides they might fit. We also took into consideration customer reviews. To choose the best MacBooks for programming, we considered display size and quality, ergonomics, particularly the comfort of the keyboards, battery life (important if you often program from a cafe as well as from your home or office) and also price.
Is a MacBook good for programming?
We think MacBooks are great laptops for programming. They have bright, crisp retina displays that show type clearly, they’re powerful and they have good battery life – important if you’re coding on the go. MacBooks now come in a good range of sizes, from the cheaper 13-inch MacBook Pro and Air to the larger and more powerful 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros and now even a 15-inch MacBook Air so there’s plenty of choice.
FAQs
Is a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air best for programming?
It used to be that we would easily recommend a MacBook Pro over a MacBook Air for programming because of the larger screen and retina display, which is great if you have the font for your programming set small.
But in recent years, the differences between the MacBook Pro and Air have become less clear-cut. MacBook Airs now have retina displays and Apple’s own silicone (either the M1 or M2 chip), and there’s even now a 15-inch MacBook Air for those that prefer a larger screen.
This means that we would only recommend paying more for a MacBook Pro (and even more for a M Pro-chipped model) if you’ll be using your MacBook for other, more graphically demanding tasks as well. Programming alone does not require the amount of power delivered by the M Pro chips, but you may want to consider one of these if you’re also doing other types of work.
