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Rankings/MacBooks

Best macbooks, according to real owners

6 laptops ranked from 58 reviews of the last 12 months on Reddit and LaptopRecs · updated 13 Nov

  1. #1Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1)Check price on Amazon 96Signal score45 positive reviewsCheck Amazon price 55reviews
  2. #2Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1 Pro/Max)Check price on Amazon 79Signal score12 positive reviewsCheck Amazon price 16reviews
  3. #3Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4)Check price on Amazon 76Signal score10 positive reviewsCheck Amazon price 12reviews
  4. #4Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4)Check price on Amazon 68Signal score6 positive reviewsCheck Amazon price 9reviews
  5. #5Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5 Pro/Max)Check price on Amazon 64Signal score5 positive reviewsCheck Amazon price 5reviews
  6. #6Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5)Check price on Amazon 62Signal score5 positive reviewsCheck Amazon price 9reviews

More rankings

How this ranking works

We collect first-hand owner reviews, read each as positive, mixed or negative, and rank by the signal: positive reviews weighed by how many there are. No sponsored placements.

Best macbooks: common questions

What do owners like most about these laptops?

Across the 6 laptops on this list, the praise mentioned most is “great battery life” (14 reviews), “fast” (8 reviews) and “light and portable” (8 reviews). Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1) gets the most “great battery life” mentions.

What are the most common complaints about these laptops?

The complaints that come up most are “driver or software issues” (3 reviews) and “screen issues” (3 reviews). “driver or software issues” is mentioned most for Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1).

Which brand has the most laptops on this list?

Apple, with 6 of the 6: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1) (#1), Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M1 Pro/Max) (#2), Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) (#3), Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) (#4), Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5 Pro/Max) (#5) and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5) (#6).

How is this ranking made?

It's counted from published reviews: owner reviews on LaptopRecs and first-hand comments quoted from around the web. Each is read as positive, mixed or negative, and only reviews from the last 12 months count. The order follows each laptop's signal score, which rewards laptops that are both well liked and widely discussed.

What is the signal score?

A score out of 100 for how well reviewed a laptop is. Negative and mixed reviews take points off, and so does having only a few reviews, so a laptop many people like ranks above one a handful love. It needs at least 5 reviews and moves as new reviews come in.

What does a laptop need to make this list?

At least 5 reviews, with at least 60% of them positive (mixed counts as half). This list only includes laptops with a macbook category. Only 6 laptops qualify right now, so the list isn't padded to 10.

Are these rankings sponsored?

No. There are no sponsored placements or paid rankings. The Amazon links are affiliate links and never change the order.

How often is this list updated?

It re-ranks itself whenever new reviews are published; the latest change was on 13 November 2026.