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The question of whether a Mac is superior to a PC in trading or vice-versa is a hotly debated one. There is no question Windows PCs are far more ubiquitous than Macs–with an OS market share close to 90% vs. just 9.2% for Mac OS.

According to Netmarketshare, there are more than 20 Windows-based PCs for every Mac!

But does the prevalence of PCs necessarily make them better trading tools than Macs?

For starters, the much higher price point for an average Apple computer certainly has a lot to do with their lower market penetration. A lightweight 13-inch MacBook Air will take you back a cool $1,000 and change—about double the cost of an average Windows PC.

On average, you pay a 50% mark-up for a Mac in order to get the same amount of processor power on a PC. However, for many traders who use a single machine for trading, cost might not be a major issue. The average day trader and forex trader is more concerned about whether their trading software, indicators and trading computers give them a trading edge.

Table of Contents

• 1 Mac Strong Points:
• 2 PC Strong Points:

Mac Strong Points:

1.) Easier to Set up

The Mac is superior to the PC is several ways. Macs are generally easier to set up, start up, use and even maintain, compared to an average PC.

• A Mac can go from cold boot to live trading using just a couple of mouse clicks and in well under a minute.
• A PC typically involves much more hassle to set up and boot, which can be a critical consideration during the opening bell ritual.

This is before you add in the fair percentage of Windows junk—some would charitably call them “unwanted core apps” that you’ll need to rid your PC of, before you can start using it.

Of course, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you might accidentally delete necessary files/apps, so user beware!

Download a quick PDF version of this post.

2.) Higher reliability

Macs have a reputation for being true workhorses that rarely break down. Mac hardware is single-vendor-controlled–by Apple.

Every components’ drivers are certified and supported by that one vendor. That dramatically cuts down on the hassles of installing and updating device drivers.

Although you can use the default VGA driver for a Windows PC, Macs have full-featured drivers, installed by default and right off the Mac OS X DVD.

Macs, on average, do not crash as frequently as PCs and do not need a lot of protective software such as anti-adware, antivirus, and anti-spyware that costs money and slows down machines.

You certainly wouldn’t want your computer to start acting up in the middle of a trading session!

Windows PCs have hits and misses, with some brands being more reliable than others. Lower-end PCs, in particular, tend to suffer a rather sharp drop-off in reliability after the first two years of operation, with problems such as overheating and cracked cases.

Macs, on the other hand, tend to be uniformly good with superb longevity.

Part of it lies in the use of higher-grade hardware by Apple, while the other part is due to the use of very stable software.

• The OSX platform is very stable and even older OSX versions work well enough for most purposes.
• A Mac will run for months with no need for a reboot.
• The underlying UNIX OS kernel is very stable and reliable.

3.) Better User Satisfaction/ Customer Support

When it comes to satisfying the user, Macs beat PCs handily. Macs have ranked at the top of customer satisfaction surveys for more than a decade. The same case applies to customer support.

Apple has an impeccable service record that many PC manufacturers would be hard-pressed to match. Many Apple products, including Macs, come with a one-year limited warranty and 90 days of complimentary phone support.

If anything goes wrong with your Mac, you can book an appointment with an Apple Genius at an Apple retail store.

PC Strong Points:

1.) Better Compatibility with Major Trading Platforms

If there is one area where Windows PCs beat Macs hands down, when it comes to ease of trading, it’s Windows’ compatibility with major trading platforms.

A study, done by EZ Trading Computers, found that 72% of the largest and most popular trading platforms for day traders and forex traders are Windows-compatible, while only 28% have native Mac versions of their trading platform.

A native application is software that is specifically designed to run on a particular operating system.

Of course, this data was generated prior to StocksToTrade Pro, which is compatible for both Mac and PC.

The latest Intel-based Macs can dual-boot Windows. The ability of Macs to run Windows natively is a big step forward. But, pure Windows machines still have an edge in this category.

2.) Less Expensive

Some traders use multiple computers for trading and control all of them from one keyboard and mouse.

This allows the trader to distribute the workloads between the computers and can take one machine and carry it with them without interrupting the work processes of the other machines.

For a trader who uses a single machine to trade, the $400 or $500 difference between a single Mac and a PC might not be big enough to warrant choosing a PC over a Mac. But, for a trader who is using six machines, the cost difference between the Macs and PCs can be huge.

Throw in the higher cost of software for Macs and the difference might be too big to justify using a Mac.

3.) PCs are more versatile

With PCs, you really do get the best of both worlds.

1. You can go buy a PC and everything is installed from the factory and will work just like a Mac, right out of the box.
2. You don’t need a CD, because everything is installed already.
3. If a Windows program can’t find a driver, then it goes out on the net and downloads it, so that’s not a big advantage for Macs.

Single-supported vendor or closed systems, such as OSX, are a double-edged sword that might not be worth much in the real world.

Single-supported systems smack of vendor lock-in and have less expandability and fewer options.

Converting a Mac to a Windows PC

For traders who would like to swing for the fences by running Windows-based programs and applications on their Macs, there is an option of running Windows and OS X simultaneously, through virtualization.

This is an attractive proposition for traders that prefer Macs but require some ‘must have’ Windows-only software.

Virtualization is hardly a new concept.

Leading virtualization company VMware offers VMware Fusion 11 that you can use to run Windows on a Mac/Linux machine. It works very well for the ‘must have’ things, such as email through Exchange in a corporate environment.

Another option is the use of emulation software for Macs called Parallels. The software creates a full Windows desktop environment, by seamlessly creating virtual machines with no need for rebooting.

You can expand your virtual Windows machine into full-screen mode and switch back to the Mac desktop simply by using the Command-Tab keyboard shortcut. Many people, though, prefer to switch back and forth between Windows and Mac desktops.

This can be achieved by hiding Windows desktop and simply displaying individual Windows apps.

For both Parallels and VMware Fusion to work well on your Mac, you need a powerful processor and enough RAM. This is because you will be effectively running two separate operating systems on the same computer, thus sharing resources.

For older Macs with limited processor power, running a virtual Windows machine can be a sluggish and pretty disappointing experience. Further, Parallels limits the number of monitors that you can use without seriously degrading the user experience to just two.

Both Parallels and VMware Fusion require under $70 for a single-user license.

The two products provide pretty similar features, though Parallels has a reputation for being a little more user-friendly than VMware Fusion.

Verdict:

Ultimately, Windows PCs continue to dominate the world of finance, simply because most trading apps are Windows-only programs. The average trader is, more often than not, a Windows user and most trading platforms are written for Windows PCs.

Even the trading programs that are written for Macs mostly employ a Windows-first approach. The versatility of the PC lends itself well to many trading platforms. If you do choose a PC for trading, go for a higher-end brand from a reputable manufacturer.

That being said, if you prefer a Mac, there is nothing stopping you from enjoying the user-friendliness we have all come to enjoy from Apple–especially if you are unhindered by pro-Apple software.

Want to know what we Recommend?

Check outour Top Trading Computer & Laptop Recommendations!

What about you? Which do you prefer and why?

Seriously, let us know in the comments below. We’re friendly and we don’t bite! 🙂

StocksToTrade.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Emailing is probably the activity we do the most on our computers. Even if you don't work on a computer during the day, you probably sit down in front of it to check your inbox at the end of the day. If the Mail app that comes with your Mac doesn't provide the features you need, you're in luck. There are dozens of great email apps in the Mac App Store. I've tested many of them and these are my favorites. Each one has a little something special that makes it unique.

Polymail

Polymail for Mac has a fantastic interface with cute buttons everywhere so you don't have to think about what to do next. It actually looks like it belongs on a mobile device, except that you click the buttons instead of tapping them.

There is a fourth section that appears whenever you select an email, which displays all of the past correspondences you've had with that particular contact or group of contacts. It's great for quickly tracking down something you've talked about in the past.

You can set up new mail with a pre-made template, send calendar invites, get notifications when someone has read your email, and schedule an email to be sent at a later time.

You can also write or respond to emails with rich text formatting. So, if you want to change the font, add bold lettering, bullet point a section, or just slap an emoji in there, it's all available right from the toolbar at the top of your new email. The only thing it's missing is Touch Bar support, which would really make this app shine.

Best Stock App For Mac

Polymail can be used for free, but you'll need to sign up for a subscription if you want all of the awesome features that make Polymail stand out, like read notifications, send later, and messaging templates. You can add these features for as low as $10 per month. If you are a heavy email user and these features entice you, give the free trial a run to see if it's worth your money.

If you want your computer email experience to look and feel more like a mobile experience, with big, easy-to-find action buttons, Polymail is the one for you.

Good Stock Apps For Mac Pro

Spark

Spark has this 'Smart Inbox' feature that separates mail into categories: Personal, Notifications, Newsletters, Pinned, and Seen. That is, any email that is from someone in your contacts or otherwise looks like a personal email will be filtered to the top of the inbox list. Below that, in a separate section, emails that look like alerts from companies you deal with, like your gas company or Amazon, that include some kind of alert or notification. Below that, you'll see a section called 'Newsletters' which is exactly that. Below that, there are emails you've flagged or tagged as important in some way. Lastly, emails you've seen, but haven't moved to another folder.

Spark also allows you to snooze an email and come back to take care of it at a later time. This is invaluable when you regularly get emails that you need to respond to but don't have time for until the end of the day. I use it all of the time.

It also has gesture-based actions for getting to inbox zero. You can swipe to the right or left to delete, archive, pin, or, mark an email as unread.

And it has Touch Bar support, which I love.

Spark is best for people that like to have their inbox organized before they go through and move emails to new folders, address them, or delete them entirely. If that sounds appealing to you, try Spark.

Kiwi for Gmail

If you have one or more Gmail accounts, you should consider switching to Kiwi. This all-in-one triumph brings the look and feel of Gmail for the web to the desktop in the form of an app. With the service's unique Focus Filtered Inbox, you can view your messages based on Date, Importance, Unread, Attachments, and Starred. In doing so, you can prioritize your emails in real-time.

Perhaps the best reason to use Kiwi for Gmail is its G Suite integration. Thanks to the app, you now get to experience Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as windowed desktop applications. Kiwi is available for Mac and Windows.

Postbox

New on our list for 2020, Postbox has been designed for professionals, but anyone with more than one email account should continue using it. Available for Mac and Windows, Postbox works with any IMAP or POP account, including Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, and more.

Postbox offers one of the fastest email search engines available, which is ideally suited when you need to find files, images, and other attachments. With the app's built-in Quick Bar, you can move a message, copy a message, switch folders, tag a message, Gmail label a message, or switch folders with just a few keystrokes.

Looking for more? Postbox comes with 24 (counting) themes, and much more.

Your favorite?

What's going to be your next email client for Mac?

Updated February 2020: Guide updated to reflect price changes and more.

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