So in general, it's wise to think about what kinds of software you need to use regularly, then check and see if that software is available on Windows, Mac, or both. While any software that runs on Windows can be made to run on macOS if you emulate a Windows environment on your Mac using software like Parallels, that requires a fair bit of effort.

This is especially true of PC games, which are generally designed for Windows PCs and only sometimes offer native Mac versions. However, the variety of software available is generally more diverse on Windows than Mac. This is a major selling point of a laptop or desktop PC - the promise that you can download files and software directly to your device, without being limited to what's on offer in an app store.

While the Mac App Store is a bit more vital than the Microsoft Store in terms of apps, both operating systems support a variety of programs and can download and run them directly from the web. You can download third-party apps on both Windows and macOS via the web or the platforms’ respective app storefronts. However, unlike Microsoft Office, iWork is completely free. Microsoft Office is more widely used because there are more Windows machines in the world. Given their similarities, it’s hard to say which OS has better office tools. Where Microsoft Office has Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Apple’s iWork suite has Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Windows and macOS have different names for similar office tools. Microsoft Office and Apple iWork offer similar office tools.

Autocad windows vs mac