Scaleway Apple silicon alternative
NoMac vs Scaleway Apple silicon
Scaleway rents bare-metal Mac minis in Paris by the hour with a 24-hour minimum. NoMac rents your agent a Mac VM by the second. A fair comparison.
A Mac for your agent, ready in about a minute.
$9.99/month for 5 hours every week · billed by the second · no overage
7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase. Prices checked 22 September 2026 from public list prices.
What Scaleway Apple silicon is
Dedicated Mac minis (M1 to M4 Pro) in Scaleway's Paris zone, from about €0.11 an hour or €75 a month, with a 24-hour minimum allocation and full remote access.
Scaleway Apple silicon vs NoMac at a glance
| Scaleway Apple silicon | NoMac | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum charge | 24 hours | One minute |
| Entry price | €0.11/hour or €75/month (M1) | $9.99/month for 5 hours a week |
| What you get | Bare-metal Mac mini | macOS VM with Xcode preinstalled |
| Setup | Install and maintain your own toolchain | Ready in about a minute |
| Cleanup | Delete the server yourself | Stop deletes the VM |
| Agent access | SSH and VNC | MCP, CLI, REST API and SSH |
Choose Scaleway Apple silicon when
- ·You want a whole bare-metal Mac in the EU at a low monthly price.
- ·You run a self-hosted CI runner or service that needs a Mac all day.
- ·You want to choose the hardware, up to an M4 Pro with 64 GB.
- ·You are comfortable operating the machine yourself, updates included.
Choose NoMac when
- ·Your Mac work is minutes at a time, so a 24-hour minimum is most of your bill.
- ·You do not want to reinstall, patch or clean a machine between projects.
- ·You want Xcode, simulators and the usual toolchains already installed.
- ·Your agent should start, use and delete the Mac on its own.
The verdict
Scaleway is one of the cheapest ways to own a Mac for a day or a month. NoMac is for when you only need one for a few minutes, many times a week.
Try it in two minutes
Keep Scaleway Apple silicon for what it does best, and give your agent a Mac for everything else. From your project directory:
npm install -g @nomac/cli nomac login nomac start --json nomac sync . nomac ssh -- xcodebuild -list nomac stop --json # or let Claude Code drive it claude mcp add nomac -- npx @nomac/cli mcp
Or give your agent nomac.app/install and it sets itself up.
Questions
What is the best Scaleway Apple silicon alternative for AI agents?＋
NoMac is built for coding agents: a fresh macOS VM with Xcode and root, started and driven over MCP, CLI, REST API or SSH, billed by the second from weekly hours. It is the better fit when an agent needs a Mac in short bursts. Scaleway Apple silicon is the better fit when you want a whole bare-metal Mac in the EU at a low monthly price.
How much does NoMac cost?＋
$9.99 a month for 5 hours every week, or $29.99 a month for 25 hours every week. Ready time is billed by the second after a one-minute minimum; queue and setup are free. There is no overage. 7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase.
Can Claude Code, Codex or Cursor use NoMac?＋
Yes. Add the MCP server with one command (claude mcp add nomac -- npx @nomac/cli mcp), or use the hosted MCP endpoint from a cloud sandbox. The agent can start a Mac, run commands, read output and stop it.
Do I need an Apple Developer account?＋
Not to start a Mac, compile, run tests or use the iOS Simulator. Signing and TestFlight uploads need your own Apple Developer membership, as on any Mac.
What happens to my files when I stop?＋
The VM and everything on it is deleted, including anything your agent installed and any credentials you sent. Pull what you need first with nomac pull, rsync or scp.
Stop paying for a Mac that waits for you.
Full macOS with Xcode and root, over MCP, CLI, API or SSH. Billed by the second, deleted when you stop. $9.99 a month, or $29.99 for 25 hours a week.
Get your agent a Mac7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase. Cancel anytime.