Figment vs VNCMac: Mac Hosting Compared in 2026

Direct verdict

If you already run a Mac on VNCMac and want a like-for-like replacement, request Figment's M-series quote — the headline is from $95/month with the chip, RAM and storage confirmed in writing before you commit. VNCMac's entry tier (vncmac.com, read 2026-11-10) is an M4 with 16 GB / 256 GB at $95.90/month; the two entry prices are close, but Figment's $95 is an unspecified M-series class, not a confirmed M4/16/256, so compare the quoted spec before calling them equivalent.

If you want someone else to own the CI pipeline, backups and monitoring, choose Managed Build Mac at $249/month (one M-series Mac, CI setup, backups, monitoring, 30 minutes of monthly support). VNCMac does not publish an equivalent managed tier.

If the job is pure Intel-compatible CI — Xcode toolchains that still support Intel per Apple — the $29/month virtual Intel macOS environment is the cheapest entry point on either side.

See all Figment Mac plans · Start a configuration quote

Published plans, terms and effective cost

Figures below come from vncmac.com (read 2026-11-10). Figment prices are the current retail offers; physical M-series stock is request-based, so timeline and exact spec are confirmed in your quote.

A worked twelve-month comparison, using only published numbers:

• VNCMac M4 Basic: 12 × $95.90 = $1,150.80/yr at the published monthly rate.
• Figment M-series entry: 12 × $95 = $1,140.00/yr at the entry headline, before the quoted spec adjustment. If the quote lands above $95 for your chip/RAM/storage, the annual figure moves with it — get it in writing.
• Figment virtual Intel macOS: 12 × $29 = $348.00/yr. This is a lower entry cost, not the same hardware class.
• Figment Managed Build Mac: 12 × $249 = $2,988.00/yr, and it includes the CI setup, backups, monitoring, and 30 minutes/month of support that you would otherwise build or buy separately.

Taxes and fees apply as stated in the actual offer on each side. Neither Figment nor VNCMac publishes a verified annual-prepayment discount on the pages we checked; if you want one, ask in writing before you compare long-term totals.

Hardware, access and toolchain fit

VNCMac's own site describes physical M4 Mac hardware with VNC and SSH root access, a dedicated public IPv4 per machine, 1 Gbps symmetric bandwidth, and full-disk byte-erase at end of lease. Treat the "~10-minute automated deployment" and "99.9% SLA Stability Guarantee" as marketing claims on the homepage; the remedy, credit terms and measurement window are not spelled out in the source we read, so confirm them in the signed service agreement.

Figment's $29 virtual Intel macOS is a real macOS environment running on Linux/KVM, accessed through the browser console with a desktop terminal. It is not an Apple silicon Mac, has no GPU acceleration or audio passthrough; your build commands run on this guest. It runs Intel-compatible Mac toolchains, including the Xcode versions that still support Intel.

Figment's M-series plans are physical Apple silicon Macs provisioned on request; final chip, RAM and storage are confirmed in your quote rather than published as a fixed SKU. Access method and installed macOS are also confirmed at that stage.

Xcode version is usually the deciding technical fact. Per Apple's Xcode system requirements (read 2026-11-10):

• Xcode 26 and Xcode 27 require Apple silicon. An Intel host cannot run them.
• Xcode 16.4 is the last version that supports Intel Macs. It requires macOS Sequoia 15.3 through macOS Tahoe 26.1.x.
• visionOS development requires Apple silicon regardless of Xcode version.

Practically: if your pipeline still ships on Xcode 16.4 or earlier, the Figment Intel VM can build, cross-compile arm64 device binaries and sign supported targets. If you need to execute ARM-only code, run visionOS, or move to Xcode 26/27, pick Apple silicon on either side — VNCMac M4 or Figment M-series.

A provider-specific switch plan

This is a VNCMac-to-Figment checklist. Keep it short and do each step on your own project.

Before you cancel VNCMac

• Request a Figment M-series quote at /mac-hosting/start. Capture chip, RAM, storage, installed macOS, access method, IPv4, and monthly price in writing. Agree an evaluation window before cancelling anything.
• Inventory the current VNCMac host:

  sw_vers > ~/host-os.txt
  xcodebuild -version > ~/xcode-version.txt
  brew list --formula > ~/brew-formulae.txt
  brew list --cask    > ~/brew-casks.txt
  

• Export each signing identity from Keychain Access as an encrypted .p12 (right-click the identity → Export → Personal Information Exchange, set a strong password). Keep the password in your secret manager, not in a shell file. Do not export the whole keychain.
• Copy provisioning profile files from ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning Profiles/ to your artifact store. Profiles are files on disk, not Keychain items.
• Write down the names of required secrets (API keys, tokens, App Store Connect keys). Do not dump the shell environment to a plaintext file — it can contain private keys. Restore each value on the new host through your CI's secret manager (GitHub Actions secrets, 1Password, Vault, etc.).
• If any CI service, artifact store or internal firewall of yours uses an IP allowlist, note the VNCMac IPv4 so you can rotate the entry to the Figment host's IPv4 later. Do not assume Apple services publish a fixed allowlist to add.

On the new Figment host

• Install Xcode from developer.apple.com/download matching the macOS/Xcode pair you verified against Apple's system requirements page.
• Replay the Homebrew lists (brew install $(cat ~/brew-formulae.txt) then the casks).
• Import the .p12 into a dedicated keychain for CI; set its timeout and add it to the search list, then restore the previous search list on teardown. Use a unique temporary path per job (e.g. include $GITHUB_RUN_ID and $GITHUB_RUN_ATTEMPT plus a mktemp -d).
• Restore secret values through your secret manager. Never commit them.
• Update any customer-controlled IP allowlists to the new host's IPv4.
• Run one full real build (not the smoke test) and sign a build artifact end to end.

Then cancel VNCMac

Only after a complete signed build succeeds on Figment, team access is rotated, and you have VNCMac's end-of-lease full-disk erase confirmed in writing.

Pick the Figment plan

See Figment Mac hosting · Start a configuration quote

Related reading

• Figment vs VPSSpark
• Figment vs Vantix Servers
• Managed Build Mac vs Managed Mac Team