Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The best place to buy a MacBook online

So, you’ve decided that MacOS is for you and that you want to pursue the MacBook way of life. Before you hit the buy button, you’ll need to consider quite a few different factors. For one thing, what’s the best MacBook to buy? The answer varies depending on what you want to do with your MacBook. Read our guide and it’ll help you figure out exactly the best type for you.

Once you know what kind of MacBook you want, read our MacBook Air buying guide and MacBook Pro 13-inch buying guide to learn even more about what’s important when picking out a new MacBook.

All caught up? Now you just need to know what retailer to buy from! We’ve got you covered there too. Read on while we check out the best places to buy a MacBook online so you get the best service and save plenty of cash thanks to some great MacBook deals going on.

Buy from third-party partners

Amazon

Denis Charlet/Getty Images / Denis Charlet/Getty Images

Head to Amazon regularly anyhow? Then you’ll be pleased to know that the huge retailer is also the best place to buy a MacBook. That’s because it often discounts many MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros saving you plenty of money when you hit the buy button. Often price matching all the competition, you’re almost always guaranteed the best price at Amazon with plenty of stock meaning you can enjoy the offer without running across the cursed out of stock button.

Amazon also has extensive search features so you can search through the myriad of different MacBook specifications available as well as look out for refurbished models of older MacBooks for those times when you’re on a tight budget. The thousands of options might look initially intimidating but these search tools soon make the process incredibly simple.

Best Buy

Best Buy

If you prefer the flexibility of a brick-and-mortar store combined with the option of browsing extensively online, Best Buy will delight you. It often has MacBooks on sale at a similar price to Amazon and also sometimes bundles in free software packages to sweeten the deal. With certain models, you can pick them up today from your local store with almost all options available for home delivery within two days so you won’t have to wait long for your purchase.

Like with Amazon, you can narrow your options down to specific specifications plus there are a handful of preowned or refurbished options if you’re keen to buy an older model.

Adorama

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Adorama stocks all the latest MacBook models meaning you’re sure of a good deal here. A mixture of rebate offers and extensive financing tools mean you can spread the cost pretty well with reward points also possible via the Adorama credit card.

There are a huge amount of different MacBook options on the Adorama site so it’s really useful that its search tools make it simple to narrow things down. While this isn’t really the place for older refurbished models, you’re sure to find the right configuration for you here, no matter how specific it might be.

Walmart

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Walmart tends to be more of a refurbished MacBook retailer stocking laptops from other retailers that are using them as a storefront. That means if you’re looking for the latest deal, this probably isn’t where you should be heading, but if you want an older refurbished unit, there are plenty of good options here.

As you’d expect, extensive search options mean you can narrow things down so you can find just the right MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for you. Just bear in mind that you won’t be buying from Walmart itself. Instead, you’ll be buying through another retailer listed on the site. Still, this can work out useful for some surprising deals.

Buy from the manufacturer

Alex Blake/Digital Trends

Apple is the simplest place to head to if you’re buying a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. While it rarely discounts anything (other than from its refurbished store), if you want to pick out a very specific configuration, this is the place to go. You can tweak and adjust your purchase to your heart’s content meaning you get the exact setup you want.

Students will appreciate access to the education store too which can offer some great discounts you can’t find elsewhere. Other useful tools include being able to trade in your old computer to get some money off, as well as Apple’s financing scheme.

Editors' Recommendations

Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen is a technology writer with over 10 years of experience. She primarily writes about the best deals coverage…
Best laptop deals: Save on the Dell XPS 14, MacBook Pro 16 and more
The Dell XPS 14 on a white table with the screen open.

There's no shortage of laptop deals online, so narrowing down your choices will be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, we're here to help you out as we've gathered our favorite bargains on some of the best laptops below. These include offers on hardware from the best laptop brands like HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Apple, and Dell, with discounts that will let you pocket hundreds of dollars in savings. Read on to figure out what your next laptop should be, and to learn other important things that you need to know before making your decision.

Today's best laptop deals
HP Chromebook 14a -- $200, was $310

Read more
Best Antivirus Deals: Protect your PC or Mac from just $25
norton 360 deluxe with lifelock deal best buy december 2021 antivirus shutterstock stock image

While anti-virus programs used to be very made-for-purpose, modern anti-viruses include a suite of products that not only protect you against viruses but also against malware, ads, phishing scams, and a lot more. They also tend to give you multiple licenses to protect several devices, and while there are some good free options, going with a good paid digital security suite is important for the fullest coverage. As such, we've gone out and collected some of our favorite deals for anti-virus suites out there to save you the hassle.
NortonLifeLock 360 Deluxe -- $25, was $90

Norton products are a firm fixture amongst the best antivirus software for good reason. They're simple to use and typically cover all the devices you could need to protect. In the case of NortonLifeLock, you get so much more than just antivirus protection too. The software package covers up to five devices at once meaning it will happily work on your Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS systems all at once without a problem. That means all your devices will be regularly monitored for any nefarious files or any other potential issues relating to malware or similar. Real-time protection means there's nothing you need to do other than keep an eye out for any alerts from the service. It's great peace of mind but Norton LifeLock 360 Deluxe goes further than that.

Read more
Best student laptop deals: Laptops for college from $215
online web browser game list

Whether in high school or college, the costs of being a student can add up quickly. A laptop is pretty much a necessity these days, and options among the best laptops don’t often come with discounted prices. Shopping the best laptop deals is a good idea, but we’ve also rounded up some laptop deals with students more specifically in mind. The laptops you’ll find here — for the most part — will hold their own with the best budget laptops, and offer a wide range of hardware configurations and price points. And while you may want to consult our laptop buying guide for more specifics, reading onward you’ll find along with the best student laptop deals a little information on which may be the best choice for you.
HP Laptop 14 -- $215, was $269

The HP Laptop 14 is a popular choice among students because of its entry level price point. It's specs aren't going to blow anyone away, but they're good value for the price and are plenty to get the job done. This build of the HP Laptop 14 has 8GB of RAM and a quad-core Intel Celeron processor. It does check in with just 64GB of storage space -- this may not be enough for some users, but if you aren't planning on loading your laptop up with media this is one that will accompany you well around campus.

Read more