iMac vs MacBook Pro: How to decide between a laptop or desktop

Macworld

At a Glance
Our VerdictRight now we’d recommend the MacBook Pro over the iMac. The 14-inch MacBook Pro offers better value for money and the MacBook Pro boast the M3 Pro and M3 Max options that are superior to the base M3.

We’re comparing the 24-inch iMac with all sizes of Apple’s MacBook Pro here–there’s more to it than a straightforward comparison of desktop versus laptop. For each Apple product, there are variants that suit different customers. Some of you reading this may be hoping for advice about whether to choose a new M3 iMac or an M3 MacBook Pro, while others may be looking for a little bit more power and may be wondering if there is any reason to choose the iMac over the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, which have Pro and Max variants.

Comparing iMac and MacBook Pro

Prior to the spring of 2022 Apple also sold a 27-inch iMac and in the past it has also sold an iMac Pro. These Macs are no longer sold by Apple, although you may still be able to buy one from a reseller who still has stock. However, because they are powered by Intel chip rather than the Apple M-series, we would advise against buying one right now. There is a chance that the iMac Pro might be reborn at some point in the future, but so far that is only a rumor.

Historically it’s been the case that a Mac laptop, even if it had comparable specs to a desktop, cost a little more because you are paying extra for the compact form factor. It now seems that the iMac is the Mac with a high price, when compared to a laptop with similar specs. The M3 Pro and Max versions of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro have even higher prices, but the specs are superior and there are some other benefits.

For the latest money-off deals on any of these Macs read: Best iMac deals and Best MacBook Pro deals.

Read our reviews of the products mentioned here:

14-inch MacBook Pro (M3)

14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro)

16-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Max)

iMac (M3)

14-inch MacBook Pro M3 vs 24-inch iMac M3

We’ll start by comparing the iMac with the similarly specced M3 MacBook Pro.

14-inch MacBook Pro24-inch iMacSystem on a Chip modelM3M3CPU8 cores (4 performance, 4 efficiency)8 cores (4 performance, 4 efficiency)GPU10 cores8 or 10 coresUnified memory8GB or 16GB8GBSSD512GB or 1TB256GB or 512GBDisplay14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display24-inch Retina displayPorts2 Thunderbolt/USB 43.5 mm headphone jackSDXC card slotHDMIMagSafe2 Thunderbolt/USB 43.5 mm headphone jackgigabit ethernet (mid and upper models only)2 USB-C (mid and upper models only)PriceU.S.: $1,599/$1,799/$1,999U.K.: £1,699/£1,899/£2,099Canada: $2,099/$2,349/$2,599Australia: $2,699/$2,999/$3,299U.S.: $1,299/$1,499/$1,699U.K.: £1,299/£1,499/£1,699Canada: $1,699/$1,949/$2,199Australia: $2,199/$2,499/$2,799









Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3, 2023)












Read our review


















The $1,599 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac both have M3 chips and are a good place to start.

The 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro was introduced in November 2023. It replaced the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 chip. Read our 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro review. The 13-inch MacBook Pro was the last laptop with the Touch Bar.

The 24-inch iMac design was introduced in May 2021 and it is completely different compared to the previous 21.5-inch model. In November 2023, Apple upgraded the iMac to include the M3 chip. There are three iMacs to choose from with various specs as standard (and many more build-to-order options). Read our 24-inch iMac (M3) review.









Apple 24-inch iMac (M3, 2023)












Read our review


















Both the 24-inch iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro have decent specs, for the most part, and both have reasonably priced entry-level models that may mean you don’t have to exceed your budget. We’ll run through price and specs in more detail below.








Thomas Armbrüster

Thomas Armbrüster


Thomas Armbrüster

What do you get for your money?

The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,599/£1,699/C$2,099/A$2,699 and the iMac at $1,299/£1,399/C$1,699/A$2,199, but they don’t have matching specifications–that entry-level iMac has fewer GPU cores and a smaller SSD. You must pick the $1,699/£1,799/C$2,199/$A$2,799 iMac to get the same specifications as the entry-level M3 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Here’s what you get for your money: 

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Retina 4.5K display, for $1,299/£1,399/CA$1,699/AU$2,199

14-inch MacBook Pro, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $1,599/£1,699/CA$2,099/AU$2,699

If you have a little more to spend you have the following choices:

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Retina 4.5K display, for $1,499/£1,599/CA$1,949/AU$2,499

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Retina 4.5K display, for $1,699/£1,799/CA$2,199/AU$2,799

14-inch MacBook Pro, M2, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD for $1,799/£1,899/CA$2,349/AU$2,999

14-inch MacBook Pro, M2, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD for $1,999/£2,099/CA$2,599/AU$3,299

Note that while none of the iMac standard configurations noted here do not include 16GB RAM or 1TB SSD, they are available. A customer can select them as options for an extra fee.








Foundry

Foundry


Foundry

14-inch & 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro & M3 Max vs 24-inch iMac M3

If you want a more powerful Mac the MacBook Pro offers Pro and Max processor options, currently the iMac only offers the M3 chip.

14-inch MacBook Pro16-inch MacBook Pro24-inch iMacSystem on a Chip modelM3 Pro or M3 MaxM3 Pro or M3 MaxM3CPUM3 Pro: 11 cores (5 performance and 6 efficiency)12 cores (6 performance and 6 efficiency)M3 Max: 14 cores (10 performance and 4 efficiency)M3 Pro: 12 cores (6 performance and 6 efficiency)M3 Max: 14 cores (10 performance and 4 efficiency)16 cores (12 performance and 4 efficiency)8 cores (4 performance, 4 efficiency)GPUM3 Pro: 14 or 18 coresM3 Max: 30 coresM3 Pro: 18 coresM3 Max: 30 or 40 cores8 or 10 coresUnified memoryM3 Pro: 18GBM3 Max: 36GBM3 Pro: 18GB or 36GBM3 Max: 36GB or 48GB8GBSSDM3 Pro: 512GB or 1TBM3 Max: 1TBM3 Pro: 512GBM3 Max: 1TB256GB or 512GBDisplay14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display24-inch Retina displayPorts3 Thunderbolt/USB 43.5 mm headphone jackSDXC card slotHDMIMagSafe3 Thunderbolt/USB 43.5 mm headphone jackSDXC card slotHDMIMagSafe2 Thunderbolt/USB 43.5 mm headphone jackgigabit ethernet (mid and upper models only)2 USB-C (mid and upper models only)PriceU.S.M3 Pro: $1,999/$2,399M3 Max: $3,199U.K.M3 Pro: £2,099/£2,499M3 Max: £3,299CanadaM3 Pro: $2,699/$3,249M3 Max: $4,349AustraliaM3 Pro: $3,499/$4,199M3 Max: $5,599U.S.M3 Pro: $2,499/$2,899M3 Max: $3,499/$3,999U.K.M3 Pro: £2,599/£2,999M3 Max: £3,599/£4,099 CanadaM3 Pro: $3,299/$3,799M3 Max: $4,649/$5,299AustraliaM3 Pro: $4,299/$4,899M3 Max: $5,999/$6,899U.S.$1,299/$1,499/$1,699U.K.£1,299/£1,499/£1,699Canada$1,699/$1,949/$2,199Australia$2,199/$2,499/$2,799









Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023)










Read our review


















If you require a more powerful Mac, and have the budget, then in the past you might have considered the 27-inch iMac, or even the iMac Pro. Apple has discontinued both of these models, introducing the Mac Studio instead. See: Is Mac Studio a worthy replacement for a 27-inch iMac?









Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023)












Read our review


















The Mac Studio is a great option if you need a powerful Mac, as is the Mac mini with M2 Pro or M2 Max, but if you are looking for a Mac with a built-in display, the Mac Studio lacks one. If a built-in screen is important to you, you may well be considering the iMac due to its 24-inch display and comparing it to the MacBook Pro.

Also read: Mac mini vs Mac Studio.

What you get for your money

For the purposes of this comparison, we’re going to look at the mid- and high-end iMacs, along with the 14-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pro, which is the lowest-priced MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip.

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Retina 4.5K display, for $1,499/£1,599/CA$1,949/AU$2,499

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Retina 4.5K display, for $1,699/£1,799/CA$2,199/AU$2,799

14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro, 11-core CPU, 14-core GPU, 18GB RAM, 512GBB SSD for $1,999/£2,099/CA$2,699/AU$3,499

One factor in favor of the iMac (perhaps the only factor) is the (obviously) bigger screen, which is a 4.5K display. The iMac screen is great, but it’s a LED display, which doesn’t produce image quality that’s as nice as the Mini LED displays on the MacBook Pros. If you want more screen space on the MacBook Pro, you can plug in an external display. See our round-up of the best displays for a Mac. 

If you need a powerful machine, then the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro is the one to choose. The iMac with M3 and MacBook Pro with M3 Pro or M3 Max do not compare very favorably right now. However, that may change if Apple re-introduces a larger, pro-level iMac. Read about what we expect Apple to do with the pro version of the iMac.

Read more about the differences between the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro.















iMac vs. MacBook Pro: Verdict

We recommend all models of the MacBook Pro over the iMac. If you have more to spend and need a powerful machine, then it is worth considering the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with a M3 Pro or M3 Max chip–these chips are not available on the iMac. Learn more about the differences between the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips in our Mac processor comparison.

However, the MacBook Pro isn’t necessarily the best Mac laptop you could buy – the MacBook Air might do the job just as well for even less money, in which case, read our comparison of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Best prices right now

14-inch MacBook Pro, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD (MSRP US$1,599/UK£1,699/CA$2,099/AU$2,699)

14-inch MacBook Pro, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD (MSRP US$1,799/UK£1,899/CA$2,349/AU$2,999)

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD (MSRP from $1,299/£1,399/CA$1,699/AU$2,199)

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD (MSRP from $1,499/£1,599/CA$1,949/AU$2,499)

24-inch iMac, M3, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD (MSRP from $1,699/£1,799/CA$2,199/AU$2,799)

14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro, 11-core CPU, 14-core GPU, 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD (MSRP: $1,999/£2,099/CA$2,699/AU$3,499)

14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro, 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 18GB RAM, 1TB SSD (MSRP: $2,399/£2,499/CA$3,249/AU$4,199)

14-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Max, 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD (MSRP: $3,199/£3,299/CA$4,349/AU$5,599)

16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro, 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD (MSRP: $2,499/£2,599/CA$3,299/AU$4,299)

16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Pro, 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 36GB RAM, 512GB SSD (MSRP: $2,899/£2,999/CA$3,799/AU$4,899)

16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Max, 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD (MSRP: $3,499/£3,599/CA$4,649/AU$5,999)

16-inch MacBook Pro, M3 Max, 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 48GB RAM, 1TB SSD (MSRP: $3,999/£4,099/CA$5,299/AU$6,899)

iMac, Mac, MacBook