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FreeBSD VS macOS

Compare FreeBSD VS macOS and see what are their differences

FreeBSD logo FreeBSD

FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible (including Pentiumยฎ and Athlonโ„ข)...

macOS logo macOS

macOS High Sierra brings new forward-looking technologies and enhanced features to your Mac.
  • FreeBSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • macOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-18

FreeBSD features and specs

  • Stability
    FreeBSD is known for its robustness and reliability, making it a preferred choice for servers and critical applications that require high uptime.
  • Advanced Networking
    It offers advanced networking features and performance, suitable for heavy network-related usage such as routers, firewalls, and servers.
  • ZFS File System
    FreeBSD includes support for the ZFS file system, which provides high data integrity, advanced snapshot capabilities, and efficient data management.
  • Ports Collection
    The FreeBSD Ports Collection offers a vast selection of pre-packaged software that eases the installation of applications and their dependencies.
  • Security Features
    FreeBSD is known for its strong security features, such as jails for process separation and Capsicum, a capability-based security framework.

Possible disadvantages of FreeBSD

  • Hardware Compatibility
    FreeBSD may have limited support for certain hardware devices compared to other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Learning Curve
    The system can be complex for new users, requiring a significant amount of time and effort to become proficient, especially if they are accustomed to more user-friendly environments.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to Linux, FreeBSD has a smaller user and developer community, which might result in less community-driven support and fewer available resources.
  • Limited Desktop Support
    While FreeBSD can be used on desktop systems, it is primarily optimized for servers and might not offer the same level of convenience or support for desktop applications and environments as Linux distros.
  • Software Availability
    Although it has a vast Ports Collection, some software might not be available or can be more challenging to compile and maintain than on Linux.

macOS features and specs

  • Integration with Apple Ecosystem
    macOS Sonoma offers seamless integration across Apple devices, allowing for continuity features like Handoff, AirDrop, and iCloud synchronization.
  • User Interface and Design
    macOS is known for its polished and intuitive user interface, which is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
  • Security and Privacy
    macOS is built with strong security features including Gatekeeper, XProtect, and full disk encryption to protect user data and privacy.
  • Optimized Performance
    macOS is optimized to run efficiently on Apple hardware, often delivering smooth and fast performance even on older machines.
  • Built-in Applications
    macOS comes with a suite of built-in applications such as Safari, Mail, Photos, and iMovie, which are well-integrated and offer good functionality out of the box.
  • Regular Software Updates
    Apple provides regular updates to macOS, offering new features and bug fixes, as well as important security updates.

Possible disadvantages of macOS

  • Software Compatibility
    Some specialized or legacy software available for Windows may not be available or fully compatible with macOS, requiring users to find alternatives or use virtualization.
  • Hardware Cost
    Apple hardware tends to be more expensive compared to PCs with similar specifications, making the total cost of entry higher for macOS.
  • Customizability
    Compared to Windows and some Linux distributions, macOS is less customizable in terms of user interface and system settings.
  • Gaming
    macOS is not typically favored by the gaming community due to fewer titles being available and often less optimal performance compared to Windows.
  • Limited Hardware Choices
    Users are limited to Apple hardware, which means fewer choices and the inability to build custom machines using components from different manufacturers.

Analysis of FreeBSD

Overall verdict

  • Yes, FreeBSD is considered a good operating system, particularly for users seeking stability, security, and high performance. It is highly respected in the open-source community and widely used in various applications, from web hosting to advanced networking solutions.

Why this product is good

  • FreeBSD is well-regarded for its advanced networking, performance, and security features. It offers a robust and flexible system that is ideal for building servers, embedded systems, and desktops. The operating system is known for its strong adherence to UNIX principles, its permissive licensing, and its extensive documentation. Additionally, FreeBSD provides a Ports collection with thousands of applications and a supportive community.

Recommended for

  • System administrators interested in building reliable and secure servers
  • Developers and users who appreciate a UNIX-like environment
  • Organizations seeking customizable and high-performance networking solutions
  • Anyone interested in contributing to or learning from a well-documented open-source project
  • Users who prefer permissive licensing for software redistribution

FreeBSD videos

FreeBSD 12 Review - Used as my daily OS

More videos:

  • Review - A Look and brief introduction to FreeBSD 12.1
  • Review - I tried FreeBSD! - here's what I think of it

macOS videos

What is macOS Server, and who should use it?

More videos:

  • Review - macOS Catalina Review
  • Review - macOS Server: The Future of Apple's Server Product
  • Review - Top macOS Catalina features!
  • Review - Catalina macOS Review in Catalina!
  • Review - My New 2018 Mac Mini Server | Getting Started With A MacOS Server

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to FreeBSD and macOS)
Linux
45 45%
55% 55
Operating Systems
45 45%
55% 55
Linux Distribution
44 44%
56% 56
Open Source
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare FreeBSD and macOS

FreeBSD Reviews

Best free Linuxย router and firewall distributions of 2023
OpenBSD and FreeBSD are actively developed and are very capable, but these systems require a high level of understanding of operating system internals and low-level networking to be used as routers.
Source: teklager.se
Avoid The Hack: 11 Best Privacy Friendly Operating Systems (Desktops)
With "Linuxulator," FreeBSD has compatibility with Linux binaries. Linuxulator can run unmodified Linux binaries without using virtual machines or emulation. Additionally, FreeBSD has tens of thousands ported libraries and applications.

macOS Reviews

We have no reviews of macOS yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FreeBSD seems to be a lot more popular than macOS. While we know about 22 links to FreeBSD, we've tracked only 1 mention of macOS. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

FreeBSD mentions (22)

  • Why do we need DNSSEC?
    Optional, alternative standards don't have visibility and don't get used. Without a way to measure, nothing happens. There was once a few, UX-hostile DNSSEC & DANE browser extensions but these never worked well and were discontinued. Purveyors of functional DNSSEC: https://freebsd.org. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • I've never used FreeBSD and have some questions
    Aside from being UNIX based, what similarities does it share with Linux? Both have monolithic kernels. Source based build systems are offered (ports, which are like the portage system on Gentoo) as well as binary build systems (pkg, which is like apt, yum, pacman, etc.) Both offer a lot of free software, though more licenses are compatible with FreeBSD like CDDL, which is not compatible Linux. Both let you... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • FreeBSD turns 30 today!
    There's no mention of a birthday on their site, and its footer says 1995-2023. That must be just the site, because Wikipedia tells me FreeBSD's initial release was indeed, but not quite, 30 years ago, November 1st 1993. Still no birthday. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Computer
    I'm not the right person to ask this -- I just run it on whatever I happen to have. But I think sleep and wifi (for example) have issues with different hardware, so you'd have to do your homework. The FreeBSD handbook on freebsd.org is always very helpful to me. You can try it out with a live cd / thumbdrive to see how much supported hardware you've got. My Lenovo X1 from a couple years ago works for what I... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Can SGIโ€™s Enthusiast Community Bring IRIX Back to Life?
    People are still actively working on Illumos. The last change was yesterday morning. * https://illumos.org People are still actively working on MirBSD. There's a CVS commit account that can be followed on the FediVerse. * http://www.mirbsd.org It's DragonFly BSD, not Dragon BSD, and the irony of that is that you missed FreeBSD, which is of course still going. * https://dragonflybsd.org * https://freebsd.org As... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

macOS mentions (1)

  • What laptop should I buy
    Rekordbox works with Big Sur. You're acting like buying a hub is literally the end of the world, it's not. My interface has USB C. You're seriously grasping at straws with the touch screen argument. Unless you're on a DDJ-200 you can access all the required features from a controller, and let's not forget there are touchpads on laptops. Personally, I have a 4,000+ song library that fits on the internal storage of... Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing FreeBSD and macOS, you can also consider the following products

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

Arch Linux - You've reached the website for Arch Linux, a lightweight and flexible Linuxยฎ distribution that tries to Keep It Simple. Currently we have official packages optimized for the x86-64 architecture.

Linux Mint - Linux Mint is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions and used by millions of people.

Debian - Debian is a free distribution of the GNU/Linux operating system.

Fedora - Fedora creates an innovative, free, and open source platform for hardware, clouds, and containers that enables software developers and community members to build tailored solutions for their users.

OpenBSD - FREE, multi-platform 4.4BSD-based UNIX-like operating system