I’m Created Tech, and after testing every Apple Silicon MacBook since 2020 (with my chief Apple technician), I want to make this decision simple for you. In this guide I’ll walk through how to decide which MacBook fits your needs in 2025, from the MacBook Air to the various MacBook Pro options, and explain why one model stands out as my top pick.
Start with what you actually do on your Mac
The single best way to pick a MacBook is to be honest about how you use it day to day. People often make two mistakes:
- Buy an underpowered machine and have to upgrade months later.
- Pay for a high-end Pro or Max chip when their workflows never use that extra performance.
Here’s a quick, practical exercise I recommend: grab a piece of paper, list everything you use your MacBook for, and roughly estimate what percentage of time you spend on each task. Group those tasks into three tiers of demand:
- Low demand — web browsing, email, Google Docs, simple productivity.
- Moderate demand — heavier multitasking, Lightroom editing, substantial spreadsheets.
- Intensive — video editing, 3D rendering, heavy Photoshop work, compiling large codebases.
Color or highlight the sections that are moderate or intensive. If the majority of your pie chart is low-demand work and only an occasional heavy task, you should probably start by looking at the MacBook Air.
Which MacBook Air should you choose?
For most people who do mostly productivity with some occasional heavier work, the MacBook Air is the sweet spot. Two main choices here:
- 13-inch vs 15-inch: The 15-inch gives a larger workspace, which is noticeably more comfortable for spreadsheets, side-by-side windows, and some corporate UIs that scale better on bigger screens. Portability isn’t dramatically worse on the 15-inch — both Airs are very thin and light.
- M1, M2, M3, or M4: My recommendation is simple — get the M4 Air.
Why the M4 Air?
- 16 GB RAM as the new base: M4 Air models now ship with 16 GB of RAM standard, which used to be a $200 upgrade on earlier Airs. That alone changes the value proposition.
- Competitive price: The M4 Air base model is priced at $999, making it an incredible value compared to older used models where people paid premiums for 16 GB configurations.
- Dual external monitor support: For the first time, the M4 Air supports two external displays without closing the lid — a feature many users wanted.
- Performance and longevity: The M4 chip brings tangible improvements in many workflows, and buying new gives you a full warranty and guaranteed software support for years to come.
Used or refurbished older Airs (M2/M3) are worth considering only if you can get a significant discount — roughly 40–50% off a new M4 — and the used unit has 16 GB of RAM. Otherwise, buy new this time; the value is just too strong.
Financing and upgrade options
If you like upgrading regularly (every 2–3 years) or prefer low monthly payments, consider a MacBook upgrade program that includes AppleCare and lets you upgrade after 24 payments or own it after 36. These programs can be zero-interest if you qualify and often help avoid the hassle of secondhand marketplaces.
Tip: If you go this route, check for promotional codes that reduce the overall cost (I share a discount code that some readers find useful).
MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?
There are effectively two MacBook Pro entry points to understand:
- Entry-level MacBook Pro ($1,599-ish): same chassis and extras as the higher-end Pro, but with a non-Pro chip similar to the Air’s M4. This sits awkwardly between the Air and the full Pro.
- True MacBook Pro with Pro or Max chips (starting around $1,999): these have the higher-performance Pro/Max silicon and the features that justify the Pro moniker.
My practical advice: choose either the M4 MacBook Air (if it meets your needs) or go up to the M4 Pro MacBook Pro. The middle-ground $1,599 model is niche — in many cases the M4 Air is a better value and the M4 Pro is a better performer.
Why the 14-inch M4 Pro is my top pick
If you want a single recommendation that covers the most people who need serious capability without going overboard, it’s the base 14-inch MacBook Pro (any Pro generation — M2 Pro, M3 Pro, or M4 Pro). Why?
- Well-rounded performance: The 14-inch Pro handles nearly everything I throw at it — video editing, heavy Photoshop workflows, coding, multitasking — and does so with thermal headroom and sustained performance.
- Better display: ProMotion 120Hz refresh, brighter panels and the option for nanotexture glass to reduce reflections for studio work.
- More ports and larger base SSD: The Pro base model usually includes a 512 GB SSD compared to 256 GB on the Air, and more connectivity options for pro workflows.
- Portability balance: It’s slightly heavier than the Air but still easily travelable (the 16-inch is a different story — noticeably heavier and less convenient in tight spaces).
14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Pro
The 16-inch gives more screen real estate but at a weight and size penalty. If your work is mostly desk-based and you prefer a larger screen, the 16-inch makes sense. If you travel often, take laptops to lectures, or work in cramped spaces, the 14-inch is the more practical choice. Feature-wise they’re identical — you’re paying for size.
Which MacBook Pro chip should you pick?
The choice between M1 Pro, M2 Pro, M3 Pro, and M4 Pro depends heavily on your specific workflows:
- The M4 Pro brings more CPU performance cores, about 6 GB additional unified memory over the M3 Pro in base configurations, higher memory bandwidth, and GPU upgrades like hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shading and dynamic caching.
- Media engines for video playback and encoding on the M4 Pro are similar to the M3 Pro, but other GPU and CPU architectural gains make the M4 Pro meaningfully faster in certain tasks.
How that translates to real life:
- Big differences: 3D workflows and video editing gain a lot from the M4 Pro (and even more from Max chips).
- Smaller differences: Compiling code or some Adobe tasks may only be a minute or two faster on newer Pro chips versus previous generations.
If an older Pro gives you most of the performance you need for a much lower price, it can be a very smart buy. For highly specialized needs (heavy 3D, large-scale color grading or huge timelines), the newer Pro or Max chips are worth the premium.
Do you need a Max chip?
Going from Pro to Max can bring significant performance gains, particularly for GPU-heavy workloads and very large projects. If you’re unsure, I recommend following creators and reviewers who specialize in your exact workflow (photographers, video editors, developers) — they’ll have the nuanced breakdown you need. For many users, a Pro chip is plenty; for those pushing GPU and memory limits, Max pays off.
My overall picks for 2025
- Best overall (my pick): Base 14-inch MacBook Pro (any recent Pro generation — M2 Pro, M3 Pro, or M4 Pro). It’s the most versatile machine for creators and professionals who need sustained performance and pro features.
- Best value: M4 MacBook Air — excellent performance for everyday users, now with 16 GB RAM as standard and dual external monitor support, at a $999 price point.
If the 14-inch Pro is out of budget or overkill for your needs, the M4 Air is an outstanding value and will serve most users brilliantly. If you need maximum performance for professional video, 3D, or very large datasets, consider a Max configuration and consult workflow-specific tests before buying.
Final thoughts
It really comes down to matching the laptop to your workload. For most people: get the M4 Air if you value price, battery life, and portability. Get the 14-inch Pro if you need long-term, sustained performance and pro features. If you fall in between, evaluate older Pro generation deals — sometimes you’ll get 80–90% of the performance for a much lower price.
“You just can’t really go wrong this year — pick the model that best matches your actual workflow and you’ll be fine.”
If you want links to deals, deeper chip-by-chip comparisons, or workflow-specific recommendations, I put together detailed resources and comparisons that dive deeper into each model. But the exercise I started with — listing your tasks and estimating the percentage of time spent on each — will immediately narrow the field and make the right MacBook choice obvious.
