Figment vs MacMetro: Mac Hosting Compared

Verdict: MacMetro vs Figment When Stock Is Tight

MacMetro rents dedicated M6 Mac minis from $99/month with no contract, but on 2026-11-10 both the Base and Premium plans are listed as sold out on macmetro.com. If you need a machine now and cannot wait for a MacMetro waitlist spot, Figment's M-series Mac starts at $95/month (request-based, USD). Both providers require a request or purchase to provision—there is no instant self-serve for either—so the comparison turns on hardware class, support inclusions and which provider can confirm delivery sooner.

This page shows what MacMetro publishes, what Figment charges, an entry-price comparison in the same currency, and a migration plan for teams switching from MacMetro.

Published Pricing: Same Currency, Different Hardware Classes

Both MacMetro and Figment price in USD, which makes a direct entry-price comparison possible—with an important caveat: MacMetro publishes a specific hardware configuration (M6, 16 GB or 24 GB RAM) on its pricing page, while Figment's exact chip and RAM at the $95 entry are confirmed in the quote. The table below compares entry prices and stated specs; it is not a claim that the hardware is equivalent.

Entry price gap: Figment's M-series entry is $4/month lower than MacMetro's Base at published prices. That is a difference in entry price between configurations whose full specs differ; it is not a claim of equivalent hardware. If you need a guaranteed M6/16 GB today, MacMetro's spec is explicit, but you need to clear its waitlist first. If you need a machine sooner, ask Figment for a dated quote on a comparable spec.

MacMetro publishes no setup fee, monthly billing, and no annual prepayment option. Figment's minimum term, setup and billing are confirmed in the quote; start a conversation at /mac-hosting.

Hardware, Access and Toolchain Fit

MacMetro's site describes each Base and Premium plan as a dedicated physical M6 Mac mini (12-core CPU, 12-core GPU), with full administrator access, SSH and Screen Sharing connectivity, a recent macOS with Xcode pre-installed, a 1 Gbps unmetered port, and redundant power/cooling/network. Support is handled by the operational team by email: outages first, general requests during the work week. MacMetro explicitly states it does not publish an uptime percentage or pay service credits—incidents are posted on macmetro.com/status/. It also states it does not take backups; you own that. The "ready within 24 hours of payment" line on the site is a stated target, not a contractual provisioning SLA. MacMetro absorbed the former MacHerald brand and now operates under the MacMetro name.

Chip and workload. M6 is a current-generation Apple silicon chip, so Apple's full toolchain applies. Per Apple's Xcode system requirements:

• Xcode 27 (27.0–27.3 beta) requires macOS Tahoe 26.6 or later. Apple silicon only; M6 qualifies.
• Xcode 26.4.1–26.6 require macOS Tahoe 26.2 or later; Xcode 26.0–26.3 run on macOS Sequoia 15.6 through Tahoe 26.x.

Check the exact Xcode/macOS version pair your project needs before you provision. visionOS development requires Apple silicon—both MacMetro M6 and Figment M-series qualify. If your pipeline is still on Xcode 26 or earlier and does not need ARM execution, Figment's virtual Intel macOS at $29/month is a cheaper way to run supported Intel-compatible toolchains (it is a real macOS environment; no GPU acceleration, no audio).

RAM and parallelism. MacMetro Base at 16 GB handles most single-pipeline iOS and macOS CI jobs. If you run multiple simulators in parallel or heavy Swift compilation, Premium at 24 GB ($169/mo) gives more headroom. For Figment, state the RAM you need in the quote request.

What Figment includes at the managed tier. Figment's Managed Build Mac at $249/month is one M-series Mac plus CI setup, backups, monitoring and 30 minutes of monthly support. The Managed Mac Team at $999/month is two M-series Macs, two CI runners, team setup, backups, monitoring and one hour of monthly support. MacMetro provides direct email support but does not list CI setup or backups on its site.

Waitlist vs Request: What to Do Right Now

Both providers need an action before you get a machine. The processes differ:

If timing matters, contact both the same day. Tell each: the macOS and Xcode versions your project needs, parallel-build count, RAM, and your hard deadline. Go with whichever confirms first.

A Build-Time Test for Your Own Project

Benchmarks from strangers are not evidence for your pipeline. After either host provisions, run this against your project and compare to your current MacMetro baseline. The script fails hard on any build error—you cannot accidentally count a broken build as a fast one.

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Clean-build wall-clock timing for your real project.
set -euo pipefail

SCHEME="${1:?Usage: $0 SCHEME WORKSPACE_PATH}"
WORKSPACE="${2:?Usage: $0 SCHEME WORKSPACE_PATH}"

echo "Host: $(hostname) | Chip: $(sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string 2>/dev/null || uname -m)"
echo "Start: $(date -u)"
time xcodebuild \
  -workspace "$WORKSPACE" \
  -scheme "$SCHEME" \
  -destination "generic/platform=iOS" \
  -configuration Release \
  clean build | tee build.log
echo "End: $(date -u)"

This is an unexecuted example. Run three clean builds per host; compare median wall-clock times. Record the sysctl chip line so later comparisons stay honest when a provider swaps hardware.

MacMetro → Figment Migration Checklist

Before you switch

• Confirm MacMetro's cancellation path on its site; verify no extra mid-month charge.
• Snapshot installed packages: brew list --formula > brew-formulae.txt && brew list --cask > brew-casks.txt.
• Export each signing certificate from Keychain Access as an encrypted .p12 (File → Export → Personal Information Exchange; include the private key; set a strong passphrase; store in your secret manager, never shell history).
• Download provisioning profiles as files from developer.apple.com → Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles. Profiles are files; they are not exported from Keychain.
• Record the names of every CI environment variable and secret. Do not dump the environment to a plaintext file—secrets live there. Restore values on the new host through your secret manager (GitHub Actions secrets, Vault, 1Password Secrets Automation, etc.).
• Note authorized SSH public keys currently on the MacMetro machine.

On the Figment host

• Confirm the macOS version and install the exact Xcode release your pipeline requires before transferring artifacts.
• Install Homebrew, then restore formulae and casks from your snapshot.
• Import the encrypted .p12; drop provisioning profiles into ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning Profiles/.
• Rehydrate secrets through your secret manager.
• Add authorized SSH keys.
• Repoint your CI runner (GitHub Actions self-hosted, GitLab, Bitrise, Buildkite) at the new hostname/IP.
• Update only the allowlists you control—your artifact store, deployment target, internal firewall or CD service. There is no public App Store Connect or TestFlight IP allowlist to maintain.
• Run the timing script above and compare the median against your MacMetro baseline.

After cutover

• Run one full end-to-end pipeline on Figment before cancelling MacMetro.
• Cancel MacMetro and keep the confirmation.

Choose the Right Figment Plan

Request a configuration quote or agree an evaluation at /mac-hosting, or start at /mac-hosting/start.

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