About HowMuchMac

HowMuchMac answers one question: what will Apple actually pay for this device?

Why it exists

Apple will tell you what your Mac is worth, but only after you have picked a new Mac, chosen its configuration, and reached the trade-in step of the checkout. Most people want the number before committing to any of that — and the “up to” figure on Apple’s trade-in page is the best case for the best configuration, which is usually not the device you own. This site gives you the same number from the same source, with nothing to fill in but a serial number.

Who runs it

HowMuchMac is built and maintained by Chris Panteli. It is a small independent site with no connection to Apple Inc.: no partnership, no data feed, no endorsement, no review of this site by Apple. Apple, Mac, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch are trademarks of Apple Inc., used here only to say which devices a figure applies to.

What it does with your data

A serial number you enter is sent to Apple to get your value and is not stored by us. There are no accounts, no newsletter, no analytics script and no advertising trackers. The privacy page spells out exactly what is and isn’t kept.

How it pays for itself

The site is free to use and carries a single advertisement, for Back Market, which buys used Apple devices for cash. It is there because Apple pays in credit and some people would rather have money — and because one clearly-labelled advert is better than a page full of them. If that link ever earns a commission, a disclosure appears beside it. It has no effect on the figures: Apple’s values are reported exactly as Apple gives them, including on the models where Apple pays well.

Getting a figure corrected

If what Apple offers you differs from what this site says, Apple’s answer is the right one. It usually means Apple has changed its prices and our daily check hasn’t caught up yet — which is normally resolved within a day. How the figures are collected and checked →