I wish I had known this when I first started because I delayed myself for 3 years before biting the bullet and buying a Mac.
Had I known about running Xcode on Windows or about the solutions below, I might’ve started building iPhone apps much earlier!
Rent a Mac
Before committing to buying a new Mac, you can actually “rent” one for development. You’ll remotely access the Mac and Xcode through your PC.
It’ll be like having the Mac desktop in a window on your Windows Desktop.
The really nice thing about this option is that the cost is really low and it’s the fastest option to get up and running.
If you decide that app development isn’t for you, you just cancel your plan.
1. MacStadium
These guys were featured in the recent Apple keynote when they introduced the updated Mac Mini! They have the newest Macs available.
(Use coupon code “CODEWITHCHRIS” for 50% off your first month. If you do, please let me know in the comments below. I’ll get a small kick back at no extra expense to you so thank you for supporting my site!)
If you go down this route for iOS app development, make sure you get my Xcode cheatsheet with references and keyboard shortcuts for Windows users.
There are a couple other companies that provide this service:
2. MacInCloud
This is the most well known service out of the three. You won’t have to install Xcode because it comes preinstalled. You can also do pay-as-you-go so it’s a pretty low commitment. Some people complain that it’s slow but you can try it out for yourself since it’s only about a buck an hour!
3. XcodeClub
XcodeClub is run by Daniel who is a passionate developer himself. From the reviews I see, the service is fast and friendly. The pricing is less flexible than MacInCloud and you’ll have to commit to at least a month.
Virtualize MacOS
If you’re a little more technically savvy, you can use virtualization software and run a “virtual Mac” on your PC.
The services above are essentially doing the same thing on their servers and then they charge you a fee to access the virtual machine.
By setting it up yourself on your own PC, you essentially cut the middle man out of the equation.
Unfortunately it does take a little bit of technical know-how to get this up and running.
The two most popular pieces of software to do virtualization are VirtualBox and VMWare Workstation.
You can download them below and then use Google to find a guide on how to install the latest MacOS (Mojave) with either VirtualBox or VMWare Workstation.
After that, spin up your new virtual Mac and download Xcode. This is as close as you’ll get to running actual Xcode on Windows!
4. VirtualBox
VirtualBox is open source software which means that it’s free. That probably explains why it’s a lot more popular than VMWare Workstation when it comes to running MacOS on your Windows machine!
5. VMWare Workstation
Unfortunately you’ll have to pay for this piece of software and at the time of this writing, a license costs about half the price of a brand new Mac Mini which is perfectly suitable for iOS app development. I would recommend you try VirtualBox first or try to buy a used Mac Mini.
Build a “Hackintosh”
You can also build a “Hackintosh” which is a PC that has been customized to run MacOS.
This requires the most effort out of all the options presented so far but it can work for someone who wants a separate physical computer running MacOS.
6. Hackintosh.com
A great resource for all things Hackintosh. The first How-To section contains links to a number of great tutorials for building your own Hackintosh and installing High Sierra.
7. Hackintosh Subreddit
I love looking for Reddit communities on anything that I’m interested in because there are always interesting conversations happening. Reddit provides a way to have a dialogue with like minded individuals, to get help and to help others!
8. Hackintosh Articles on 9to5mac.com
I included this link because it contains up to date news and articles for Hackintosh builds.
Third Party Solutions
Lastly, there are many third party solutions that you can use to do iOS development on Windows.
You won’t be using Xcode in these solutions but you’ll be able to generate an app that can run on iOS devices.
Check out these great Xcode alternatives:
9. React Native
Use JavaScript to build native mobile apps.
10. Xamarin
Use C# to build a mobile app that you can deploy natively to Android, iOS and Windows.
11. Appcelerator
Build native mobile apps using JavaScript.
12. PhoneGap
Build hybrid cross-platform mobile apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Using Xamarin still requires a mac machine and xcode right?
Thanks for the post
Any way to get Xcode working in virtualBox which would support iPhone connection ? I have a VM running fine for now, but iPhone is not recognised…
Thank you
Wow, I find your work very useful and I am beginning to increase my interest in coding and app development
Nice Artical. Keep Up Is Good Work..
if I use the virtual machine to download Xcode using the App Store in mac.
Xcode will be downloaded for free? or I have to pay?
Free
I wonder if Unity would be another good option because you can build iOS and Android apps from the same code base, but Unity might be overkill and is harder to learn.
Don’t you need a Mac in order to make an IOs build? I think you do.
Thank you very much for sharing
where can i download the xcode app for window
How could I get Xcode11 on my iMac that only can run up to Xcode10.1 because it has a max macOS of High Sierra? Is there a way? Thanks!
Upgrade to Catalina.
Chris, Virtualbox is decent, but the FREE VMWare player that you failed to mention is a much better VM manager, not some open source school project.
Best is to use hackintosh. I have one that I am using to develop. VM’s are really slow and not really usable macstadium and such are expensive and doesn’t give you the opportunity to test your apps with apple devices you own and also need a Internet connection.
I have iPad but not the pc or MacBook. How can I do it
use realvnc for iOS to connect to MacStadium
Need to access xcode from my Apple IPAD to windows 10 PC
I have Apple Ipad and need to use xcode on my windows how can I do that
you can build a virtual machine with an ISO, like I did
Where do you get the iso file?
Buy from Appstore, or phone a friend 🙂
how to get xcode software?
Thank you
You can download Xcode from the App Store on your Mac.
Which is most effective for the non savvy technical person, but want to learn how to build and app? MacStadium or Rent a Mac?
Definitely, Windows is the most preferable user-friendly platform which is accessed by a huge number of users as it is too much easy accessible by the beginners. It is providing the codes of X-box for the Windows-based systems.
Thanks!
I prefer using virtualBox. I’m already working with React Native and in Xcode using my own mac, but in the company I work, I’m using windows and I think Virtual Box is the better option. Other option i used in another company I worked for was Ionic (it’s the mobile friend of angular like React native is the mobile friend of React). The only problem with ionic I saw in that time is that it generates the app and we need to run in our machine, which brings us to Android studio or xcode again, so virtual box is the best option for someone who does not have a mac.
I am using Dell laptop, so how can do an app with Xcode?
Wouldn’t Flutter be a great tool for this?
Awesome list, I’ve been looking to try develop some of my own mobile apps and was wanted to do so with windows. Your list is exactly what I need thanks.
Great synopsis – thank you for sharing.