Figment vs JustMac: Mac Hosting Compared
If you only need a Mac for a handful of days a month and your work fits inside one browser session, JustMac is cheaper. If you need signing keys, derived data, or a CI agent to stay put between builds, pick Figment. JustMac's only currently available plan is the MacBook Air M1 at $10/day or $79/month (data deleted one hour after the rental ends). Figment's persistent M-series Mac starts at $95/month, with a $29 virtual Intel macOS option and a $49 physical i3 Mac mini for Intel toolchains. The hardware class is not identical, so the comparison below splits entry price, usable days, and workflow fit — not raw specs.
What JustMac actually sells today
Verified on JustMac's site (justmac.app/en) on 2026-11-10:
| Machine | Config | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M1 | 8 CPU / 8 GB / 256 GB | $10 | $35 | $79 | 3 available |
| MacBook Air M2 | 8 CPU / 16 GB / 256 GB | $13 | $45 | $99 | Notify when available |
| Mac mini M2 | 8 CPU / 16 GB / 256 GB | $13 | $45 | $99 | Notify when available |
| Mac mini M4 | 10 CPU / 16 GB / 256 GB | $16 | $49 | $109 | Notify when available |
Access is browser-only. JustMac's site states data is permanently deleted one hour after a rental ends; users can renew to retain files. No trial, SLA, or setup fee is published. No annual prepayment option is published.
Figment's published monthly offers:
| Plan | What you get | Monthly USD |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Intel macOS | 2 vCPU, 8 GiB RAM, 80 GiB disk | $29 |
| i3 Mac mini | Physical Intel Mac mini (request-based) | $49 |
| M-series Mac | Physical Apple silicon entry (request-based) | from $95 |
| Managed Build Mac | One M-series Mac, CI setup, backups, monitoring, 30 min monthly support | $249 |
| Managed Mac Team | Two M-series Macs, two CI runners, team setup, backups, monitoring, 1 hr monthly support | $999 |
Exact RAM/disk and the specific chip on the $95 M-series are confirmed in the quote; $95 is an entry price, not a verified M4/16 GB spec. The i3 and M-series physical plans collect requests until supply is confirmed. No trial and no annual prepay discount is advertised; ask for an evaluation window or a quoted term in writing.
A worked cost worksheet (the only calculation you need)
Use your real number of active build days per month. "Active" means a session where a build or interactive task actually runs.
- JustMac M1 daily cost =
days × $10, capped at $79/month if you prepay the month. - JustMac M1 monthly cost =
$79flat. - Figment M-series entry =
$95flat. - Figment Virtual Intel macOS =
$29flat (Intel toolchains only).
Break-even points, with no invented discounts:
| Scenario | JustMac M1 | Figment option | Winner on price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–7 days daily rental | $10–$70 | $95 (M-series) | JustMac |
| 8 days daily rental | $80 | $79 monthly becomes equal | Switch to JustMac monthly |
| Any days, Intel-only Xcode work | $79 monthly | $29 Virtual Intel macOS | Figment VM |
| 22 working days, ARM build needed | $79 monthly | $95 M-series | JustMac by $16 |
| Persistent CI agent, 24/7 | $79 monthly but wipes hourly after session | $95 M-series persistent | Figment |
JustMac's monthly M1 is $16 cheaper than Figment's M-series entry. The honest trade is not price — it is whether a session wipe one hour after rental end is compatible with your workflow. If your work is one-shot (a notarisation, a release signing, a reproduction of a macOS-specific bug), JustMac wins on cost. If you need a self-hosted GitHub Actions or Buildkite runner that survives reboots, the $79 does not replace a persistent machine.
Hardware, access and toolchain fit
Both JustMac's available M1 and Figment's M-series are Apple silicon, which matters for current Xcode. Per Apple's Xcode system requirements, Xcode 26.0–26.3 run on macOS Sequoia 15.6 or Tahoe 26.x, and Xcode 26.4.1 and later require macOS Tahoe 26.2+. Xcode 27 requires macOS Tahoe 26.6 or later. For visionOS the page states Apple silicon is required; check the exact Xcode/macOS row you need.
Figment's $29 plan is a virtual Intel macOS instance on Linux/KVM. It runs compatible Intel Mac toolchains, including supported Xcode 26-or-earlier versions, inside a browser desktop. It is a real macOS environment for Intel-compatible builds. There is no GPU acceleration or audio and inbound public SSH is not exposed; outbound CI agents can register with their service from the VM's terminal. Xcode 27 needs Apple silicon, so pick the $95 M-series Mac for ARM-only toolchains or visionOS.
JustMac delivers through a browser desktop too, but each rental is a fresh session with a one-hour post-rental wipe. If your pipeline depends on Fastlane Match checkouts, a persistent Keychain, or a long-lived CI runner identity, you cannot satisfy that on JustMac's current offer.
Migrating from JustMac sessions to a Figment Mac
Because JustMac deletes data after each session, there is nothing to export from the provider. The migration is really a one-time setup on a persistent machine.
- Confirm every source,
Fastlanelane,Matchfile, andGymfileis committed and pushed. - From the local Mac that currently holds your signing identity, export each certificate from Keychain Access as an encrypted
.p12(right-click → Export) and store the passphrase in your team password manager. Provisioning profiles are files — download them from Apple Developer or regenerate via Fastlane Match; they are not exported through Keychain. - List the names of required secrets (App Store Connect key ID, API tokens, Match passphrase). Restore the values through your secret manager on the Figment Mac; do not write them to a plaintext env file.
- Request the Figment M-series quote at /mac-hosting/start, specifying the Xcode version and the CI runner you need registered.
- On the new machine: install Xcode matching your target row on Apple's requirements page, import the
.p12into login Keychain, drop profiles into~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning Profiles/, register the CI agent as a launchd service, and update your own firewall or artifact-store allowlists with the new egress address if applicable.
If you were paying $79 on JustMac monthly and move to $95 Figment M-series, the $16/month delta buys continuous state and a background CI agent. If instead your work is Intel-only, the $29 Virtual Intel macOS plan is a $50/month reduction versus JustMac M1 monthly — note the hardware is virtual Intel, not an M-class chip.
Choose the Figment plan that fits
| Your situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| Intel-only toolchain, modest resource needs | Virtual Intel macOS, $29/month |
| Older physical Intel hardware for a specific pipeline | i3 Mac mini, $49/month (request-based) |
| Persistent ARM CI agent replacing JustMac sessions | M-series from $95/month (request-based) |
| Solo developer wanting CI, backups and monitoring handled | Managed Build Mac, $249/month |
| Team needing two Macs and two CI runners | Managed Mac Team, $999/month |
JustMac is a good fit for ad-hoc, few-days-a-month, one-session work on an M1. For anything that needs state, a CI runner, or ARM Xcode on a machine you keep, start the quote at /mac-hosting/start.
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