I've been a Mac admin for a long time! Back when Jamf was still called Casper, and VMware Essentials made for an awesome homelab. macOS administration used to feel empowering. You owned your tools. You learned them deeply. You built things that lasted.
Then the M1 MacBook Air changed everything.
Apple Silicon finally made fast, efficient macOS virtualization possible in a way it never really was before—and that's when this side project started. At first, it was just scratching my own itch: testing beta builds, validating MDM profiles, spinning up CI runners, and managing Macs without fighting the tooling every step of the way.
Over time, that itch turned into CiderStack.
It's close now. It works. It solves real problems. But it needs care and perspective beyond just me—and that's why I'm putting it out into the world.
I don't want your $9 or $10 a month. I don't want to rent you access to something that runs entirely on your hardware. I want to sell you a product you actually remember using. One you own. One that doesn't disappear because a credit card expired.
Buy it once. Use it for years.
That's the deal.
That philosophy doesn't stop at how CiderStack is built—it extends to how it's sold.
Why Perpetual Licenses
A Brief (and Honest) Rant About Modern Software
Look, I get it. SaaS is great for recurring revenue. Investors love it. MBAs love it.
But the people actually using the software? Not so much.
I'm tired of monthly fees for tools that could easily be a one-time purchase. I'm tired of losing access to software I've already paid for because a card expired. I'm tired of companies holding workflows hostage behind subscriptions.
CiderStack runs on your hardware. It doesn't need my servers. It doesn't phone home. So there's no reason you should pay me every month.
Buy it once. Own it forever.
Free updates for your major version. That's it. That's the deal.
Who Is CiderStack For?
We built CiderStack to serve a wide range of users—because powerful tools shouldn't be locked behind enterprise pricing.
Solo Developers
Test across multiple macOS versions without buying multiple Macs.
IT Administrators
Safely test macOS betas, MDM profiles, and configurations before rolling them out.
CI/CD Teams
Spin up ephemeral macOS runners with TTL-based cleanup. Integrate cleanly with GitHub Actions and modern pipelines.
Mac Fleet Operators
Managing dozens of Macs? Fleet Manager gives you visibility and control across your entire infrastructure.
Homelabbers
Got a rack full of Mac minis? We see you. CiderStack was built by—and for—people like us.
Students & Learners
Learning macOS development or administration? We offer student pricing because education matters.
We Want Your Feedback
CiderStack isn't built in a vacuum. It's shaped by real workflows, real frustrations, and real feedback.
What's working? What's broken? What feature would make your day easier?
We read everything.
Why "CiderStack"?
I like cider.
You need apples to make cider. And when you're stacking Apple Silicon Macs, the name kind of writes itself.
Simple, intentional, and built to last. No subscriptions required.
(Also, the .com domain was available.)
A Special Thank You ♥
To Lily,
Thank you for believing in me and supporting my various side projects, even when it quietly took over evenings and weekends. This wouldn't exist without you.