It’s well-known that Macs or Apple products in general aren’t exactly cheap, at least compared with some of the Windows alternatives. But if you’re on a tight budget and keen to go down the Apple route, there are some lower-priced options available.
In this article we will look at the Mac mini, MacBook Air, 13in MacBook Pro, and entry-level iMac, and ask whether they are really a sensible budget option or if you can get an even better deal. We examine each of our budget picks in detail, but you can check out our in-depth Mac buying guide for more information.
The cheapest Mac
If it’s a brand-new low-cost Mac you’re after, there are really only two to choose from:
Mac mini – starting at £699/$699 this is the cheapest Mac you can buy. Buy the Mac mini from Apple here.
MacBook Air – starting at £999/$999 is the cheapest Mac laptop you can buy. Buy the MacBook Air from Apple here.
However, if your budget stretches a little further, you may want to consider these two options:
13in MacBook Pro – costing a little more than the MacBook Air you can also get a 13in MacBook Pro for £1,299/$1,299. Buy the 13in MacBook Pro from Apple here.
24in iMac – the cheapest iMac you can buy is £1,249/$1,299. Buy the iMac from Apple here.
That’s what you can buy new – and we’ll look at each option in more detail below – but if you really want a cheap Mac there are a few other avenues you should consider:
You could check out the current stock on Apple’s Refurbished Store. Apple sells Macs that have been returned to it. These Macs are serviced (and repaired if necessary) and ship with a full warranty. You can get some fantastic deals on good-as-new Macs. Read why you should buy a refurbished Mac.
You could also take a look for the best deals and discounts from various resellers here:
There is no need to pay the full price for a Mac!
Best cheap Macs 2022
Mac mini
The cheapest Mac is the Mac mini.
The mini has always been the cheapest Mac, but unfortunately it’s not as cheap as it once was: once upon a time it cost just £479/$499. That’s inflation for you!
However, at £699/$699 it’s still the cheapest new Mac you can buy and the low price doesn’t mean that it’s not a powerful Mac.For £699/$699 you are getting an Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU and 256GB Storage. That’s the exact same spec as you get with the £1,299/$1,299 13in MacBook Pro for almost half the price.
Sure this is a computer that comes without a screen, keyboard or mouse. But nobody needs to spend a fortune on any of those peripherals, and maybe you already have a screen, keyboard and mouse.
One of the best things about the Mac mini is the collection of ports – which includes two USB-A ports as well as two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and an HDMI port. If you need the older USB-A then you won’t get it on an Apple laptop, unless you buy an adapter. The addition of the HDMI port means you can plug in two monitors.
We thoroughly recommend the Mac mini: it’s a great Mac for anyone who wants to run macOS without spending a fortune. Plus we have seen some great deals on it, so you don’t have to pay full price! See: Best Mac mini deals.
Read our full Apple Mac mini (2020) M1 reviewMacBook Air
The MacBook Air certainly isn’t cheap, but it’s Apple’s cheapest laptop and the best option for most people.
In terms of how it compares to the Mac mini, other than the higher price, the specs of this model are slightly less powerful than the Mac mini: this MacBook Air has a 7-core GPU rather than a 8-core GPU. This may not matter to you if you aren’t going to be running particularly intensive applications, but it’s worth keeping in mind. If you do want the 8-core GPU MacBook Air it will cost £1,249/$1,249 (and for that you’ll also get 512GB storage).
At this point it’s worth mentioning the 24in iMac that offers the same 7-core GPU as this entry-level MacBook Air, and the same 265GB storage for £1,249/$1,299. So the MacBook Air certainly looks a bargain in comparison.
Like the Mac mini you may also be able to find a discount on the MacBook Air on Apple’s Refurbished Store or at an Apple reseller. In fact we have seen some great deals for the MacBook Air, so you don’t have to pay full price! See: Best MacBook Air deals.
Read our full Apple MacBook Air (2020) M1 review13in MacBook Pro
We’re including the 13in MacBook Pro here because, although it costs a lot more than the Mac mini and entry-level MacBook Air, it is worth considering paying a little more if you are considering the £1,249/$1,249 MacBook Air.
If you compare the £1,299/$1,299 MacBook Pro with the £1,249/$1,249 MacBook Air it might look like you are losing out in terms of storage (there being 256GB on the MacBook Pro and 512GB on the MacBook Air), but if you are choosing the more expensive Air because you want the 8-Core GPU then you will benefit from picking the MacBook Pro as it has a fan to ensure that it can work better under stress.
You may even spot a deal on the 13in MacBook Pro that means that you can get it for the same price as the MacBook Air. Check out our MacBook Pro deals.
Read our full Apple 13in MacBook Pro (2020) M1 8-core CPU/8-core GPU, 256GB review24in iMac
The 24in iMac starts at £1,249/$1,299, which is somewhat disappointing because it used to start at £1,049/$1,099.
If you want an iMac this means you will be paying the same as the price of an entry-level 13in MacBook Pro, and a fraction more than the top-of-the-range MacBook Air. The big problem is that it doesn’t represent a good deal because both MacBooks offer more power for your money. Desktops are certainly not cheaper and more powerful in this case!
Then there is the fact that the Mac mini offers even more power for half the price – you just need to bring your own display, mouse and keyboard.
But for some the iMac will be the Mac for them simply because of its display, which is now 24in and 45K. If you were to buy such a display to go with your Mac mini you could be looking at a pretty big outlay.
If you want an iMac make sure you don’t pay more than you need to. Here are the best iMac deals.
Read our full Apple 24-inch iMac (M1, 2021) reviewWhich cheap Mac is best?
The best low-cost Mac for you depends on your needs.
If you are looking for something portable then the MacBook Air, starting at £999/$999, is a great option. But at almost £1,000/$1,000 that’s still a high price to pay.
The Mac mini is Apple’s cheapest Mac at £699/$699, but you will need a separate monitor, mouse and keyboard. It’s a great choice if you have a budget and already own these peripherals.
The main piece of advice we have though is not to shop at the Apple Store. Instead watch out for discounts and deals at Apple resellers, and also for discounted Macs at Apple’s own Refurbished Store where from time to time it even drops the price of the current Mac range. You might also want to read our article about buying a refurbished Mac.
What we don’t recommend is buying a second hand Mac from someone on eBay or similar. The problem with that is usually these are very old Macs that Apple no longer supports, which means you end up with a dud, and also there is no assurance for you that they will even work (which is at least a benefit of buying refurbished). Read: Should I buy a second hand Mac?
One last piece of advice. Apple is in the middle of a transition from Intel to it’s own processors – which at this level are known as M1. You may see a deal on a Mac with an older Intel processor and think that it will be a bargain, our recommendation is that you would be better off spending a little more and getting an M1-powered Mac. But if you are buying Intel we would steer clear of anything more than a couple of years old.
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld almost two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.