Figment vs Scannel IT: Mac Hosting Compared

Start with the verdict: if you want to build and ship current iOS, macOS or watchOS apps, Scannel IT's publicly listed Mac mini plans ship with macOS Mojave, which no current Xcode supports. Figment's virtual Intel macOS at $29/month runs supported Intel toolchains (Xcode 26 or earlier) and its M-series plans from $95/month cover Xcode 27 work. Scannel IT (scannel-it.de/mac-mini) remains useful if you have a confirmed need for a German, TÜV-certified datacenter with Apple Remote Desktop access on Intel hardware and a legacy toolchain.

Scannel IT's Published Plans

Scannel IT lists two Intel Mac mini plans at scannel-it.de/mac-mini:

Both plans include flat-rate data transfer, IPv6 and Apple Remote Desktop access, with full root access stated on the listing. RAM is upgradeable to 16, 32 or 64 GB and storage to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB; the page does not publish upgrade prices, so request a quote. Prices include 19% German VAT as stated on the listing; EU VAT treatment for non-German customers is not detailed, so confirm the exact invoice terms with Scannel IT. The listing reads like a legacy page (Intel hardware, Mojave OS), so confirm current stock before ordering.

Effective Monthly Cost With the Setup Fee

Scannel IT charges a one-time setup fee equal to one month's rate. That matters for short rentals. The effective monthly cost is (setup + monthly × months) ÷ months.

MAC mini X (€149/month + €149 setup):

MAC mini XX (€171/month + €171 setup):

At the ECB reference rate on 2026-11-10 (1 EUR = 1.1214 USD, ECB, approximate and before card fees), €161.42 is about $181 per effective month after 12 months on the MAC mini X. Figment's published monthly rates (virtual Intel macOS $29, M-series from $95) do not list a setup fee; ask for the quoted terms before purchase.

Xcode and macOS Compatibility

Scannel IT's listing shows macOS Mojave (10.14). Per Apple's Xcode system requirements, Xcode 26 requires macOS Sequoia 15.6 or later and Xcode 27 requires macOS Tahoe 26.6 or later. Mojave cannot run either; it tops out near Xcode 11, which Apple no longer accepts for App Store submission. Some Intel Macs do run macOS Tahoe per Apple's compatibility list, but the Scannel IT page does not state that an OS upgrade is available on its hardware, so verify this directly with the vendor before committing.

On Intel, the current ceiling is Xcode 26 or earlier (see Apple's porting guide). Intel Xcode 26 can still cross-compile arm64 device apps and universal macOS binaries and sign supported targets; executing ARM-only binaries, running Xcode 27 or developing for visionOS requires Apple silicon.

Figment's virtual Intel macOS is a real macOS runtime (Intel on KVM, no GPU acceleration or audio) that runs compatible Intel toolchains including supported Xcode 26-or-earlier versions. For ARM execution, Xcode 27 or GPU tasks, use an M-series plan.

Figment's Options Next to Scannel IT

VM capacity is being verified and physical plans collect requests until supply is confirmed, so ask for a configuration quote or agree an evaluation before purchase.

A Build-Time Worksheet You Can Actually Use

Benchmarks are not published by either vendor. Run a clean build of your own project on each host and compare. The script below is an example, not a reported benchmark; replace scheme and project with values from your repo.

set -euo pipefail
SCHEME="$1"          # e.g. MyApp
PROJECT="$2"         # e.g. MyApp.xcodeproj
DEST="${3:-platform=macOS}"
START=$(date +%s)
xcodebuild \
  -scheme "$SCHEME" \
  -project "$PROJECT" \
  -configuration Release \
  -destination "$DEST" \
  clean build
END=$(date +%s)
echo "clean_build_seconds=$((END - START))"

set -euo pipefail stops on the first failure; a failed build is not a valid timing sample. Discard the first run (warm caches), then record two more and compare. Measure before committing to either provider.

Migrating From Scannel IT to Figment

On the Scannel IT machine:

1. Record the names of required CI secrets (not the values). Never dump the whole environment to a plaintext file.
2. In Keychain Access, export each signing certificate (with its private key) as an encrypted .p12 using a strong passphrase stored in your password manager. Developer ID Application and Developer ID Installer are separate; export the ones you actually use.
3. Copy .mobileprovision files from ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning Profiles/ to secure storage. Profiles are files on disk; they are not exported from Keychain.
4. Commit CI configuration, Fastfile and scripts to version control.
5. If you maintain IP allowlists on your own artifact store, CI service or VPN, note the current outbound IP so you can add Figment's after provisioning.

On the new Figment host:

6. Load secrets through your CI secret manager (GitHub Actions secrets, Vault, 1Password CLI). Do not paste values into shell history.
7. Import the .p12 into a dedicated keychain used only for signing, and copy .mobileprovision files into ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning Profiles/.
8. Run a dry-run xcodebuild -showBuildSettings followed by a signed archive to confirm identities and SDKs before you cancel Scannel IT.
9. Update any customer-controlled allowlists (your own firewall, artifact store, CI runner labels). There is no App Store Connect or TestFlight IP allowlist to request.
10. Confirm the billing end date in Scannel IT's portal.

Which Plan Fits

If your pipeline is tied to legacy Mojave-era Xcode and you need a German datacenter with ARD, Scannel IT can still fit—verify OS, stock and upgrade pricing first. For current iOS/macOS/watchOS builds, start with Figment's virtual Intel macOS at $29 or request an M-series quote. Start on Figment Mac hosting or see the /mac-hosting overview.

Related reading:

• Figment vs Server Gigabit: Mac Hosting Compared
• Figment vs Shared Colo: Mac Hosting Compared
• VM or Dedicated Mac: Which Should You Choose?