I test an upgrade up my old iMac from El Capitan to High Sierra. See the Geekbench 4 scores! The first difference between macOS Sierra and El Capitan comes to the size. If you wonder how much space they will take respectively, here is the answer: the file size of macOS Sierra Public Beta installer is 4.86GB, and that of the final version will stay close to this number. Compared to macOS Sierra, OS X El Capitan takes a larger space to 6.21GB. For instance, according to the page, the last security update for OS X Yosemite was released on September 12, 2017. The last update for OS X El Capitan was in July 2018, and Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that El Capitan's end of life date was August 2018. Snow Leopard Myth. Welcome to our macOS Sierra vs Mac OS X El Capitan comparison review, in which we help you decide which is the best Mac OS for you, and whether you should upgrade your system to macOS Sierra.
The last Sierra is pretty stable actually and I have not noticed any loss in performance since updating my laptop from El Capitan. El Capitan got really stable and I never had any issues with it since 10.11.3 and I have installed it on more than 100 machines in my work.
Most coverage of macOS Catalina focuses on the improvements since Mojave, its immediate predecessor. But what if you're still running macOS High Sierra? Well, the news then it is even better. You get all the improvements that Mojave users get, plus all the benefits of upgrading from High Sierra to Mojave. Let's compare macOS Catalina with macOS High Sierra.
Clean your Mac before you upgrade
Before we get started, if you're planning to upgrade to macOS Catalina from High Sierra, you likely have lots of files on your Mac that you don't need. We call them system junk. They consist of cache files, temporary files that were never deleted, and all sorts of other data macOS stores on your Mac and you'll never need again. Installing a new OS over that lot is not a good idea; it's like layering paint over paint – at some point, you have to sand it down and start again. That time is now before you upgrade. My favorite way to get rid of junk files is to use CleanMyMac X. It's really easy to use, quick, and can free up tens of gigabytes of space.
Once you've got rid of the junk, backup your Mac either with Time Machine or a tool that can make a bootable clone. It's very rare that anything goes wrong when you upgrade, but it's much better to be safe than sorry.
The evolution of the interface
macOS Mojave saw one of the biggest changes to the macOS interface in several years, so if you're still using High Sierra, upgrading to Catalina will allow you to use features like Dark Mode, which changes the look of your Mac and all applications that support it so that they display light text on a dark background.
Mojave also introduced Desktop Stacks, so if you're still running High Sierra, you'll be able to use those for the first time in Catalina too. Stacks allow you to automatically store files of the same type, like photos, PDFs, and screenshots, in a stack on the Desktop. Talking of screenshots, Mojave changed the way screenshots work. Now, instead of just saving your screenshot, it hovers as a thumbnail for a few seconds, so you can click on it to preview and make some basic adjustments before saving or deleting it, just like in iOS. Then there are the new features in the Finder, like the Gallery view and the new Quick Look tools that allow you to make changes to image files when you preview them in the Finder.
Compared to the leap from High Sierra to Mojave, Catalina didn't add too much to the visual interface but made huge improvements to the way you use your Mac with your Voice. You can now control your Mac completely using just your voice, including launching apps, selecting commands, dragging and dropping, and, of course, dictating.
Applications
macOS Mojave and Catalina have brought iOS and the Mac closer. First, there was the addition of Voice memos, Stocks, and Home apps to the Mac. Then, Apple got rid of iTunes and replaced it with TV, Music, and Podcasts to mirror the equivalent apps in iOS. The Mac App Store has also been overhauled since High Sierra, making it easier to find the best apps and allowing developers to offer trial versions.
There's a new FindMy app that replaces Find My iPhone, Find My Mac, and Find My Friends, and it can find your Mac even if it's sleeping or offline. And you'll notice improvements in lots of Apple's built-in apps like Reminders, which is rebuilt in Catalina, Notes, Safari, and Photos. You can now mute entire threads in Mail, just as you can in Messages, and make group calls with FaceTime.
All devices are welcome
In Mojave, Apple added the ability to use your iPhone's camera to scan documents directly on your Mac. And it continued that theme in macOS Catalina by allowing you to use an iPad as a second display for your Mac and as a graphics tablet. A feature called Continuity Markup also allows you to markup PDFs on an iPad and have the changes show up on your Mac. Finally, Mojave added a feature that allowed you to unlock your Mac with an Apple Watch, and Catalina has taken that further by allowing you to authenticate certain actions on your Mac by clicking the button on an Apple Watch. Apple's iOS devices now work much more closely with the Mac than they did in High Sierra.
iCloud
Apple has added a lot to iCloud since High Sierra, turning it into a serious alternative to Dropbox or Google Drive. You can now sync your Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud, meaning they will be the same no matter which Mac you log into your iCloud account from. And you can now share entire folders with other people, rather than just individual files.
More gatekeepers and security checks
There have been some big improvements in this area since High Sierra. In macOS Mojave, Safari made it much more difficult for websites to follow you around the web by preventing so-called ‘fingerprinting.' In macOS Catalina, apps will have to ask permission to access your Desktop or Documents folders, as well as iCloud Drive and external disks. And they'll also have to get your permission before capturing keyboard strokes or taking a photo or video of your screen. And macOS Catalina introduces Activation Lock, which means only you can erase or re-activate your Mac.
What if I don't feel like upgrading?
Many people live happily using older operating systems because old is gold, right? But if your Mac is underperforming and you think that the mere switch to macOS Catalina will solve everything, you'd likely be disappointed. But the more realistic way to improve the performance of your macOS is freeing up its memory and removing old apps. Really. We've seen many good-maintained Macs running the ancient El Capitan that actually performed better than the latest machines.
So, here's the cheat-sheet to improve the performance of your Mac:
— Free up space on the startup drive
— Switch to some lightweight browser, other than Chrome, for example, Brave
— Minimize Login Items via Preferences
— Use third-party macOS speed up tools
For example, there's a special instrument that comes with CleanMyMac X that identifies heavy memory consumers on your Mac. The tool is called Heavy Consumers, and you can use it to make your Mac more responsive. Many Apple forums recommend it for slow-performing Macs.
Download the free version of the app and check if it helps your Mac.
When you compare macOS Catalina with macOS High Sierra, the differences are huge, so if you haven't upgraded already, it's well worth it. However, you should definitely take steps to clear the junk from your Mac before installing the newer macOS. CleanMyMac X can do that for you, quickly and easily. Let it decide what to remove, take control, and make the decisions yourself, you can use it however you choose.
Contents
- 7.1 Mac OS X El Capitan VS Yosemite
There are several similarities and differences between the current Mac OS- Yosemite and the newly released Mac OS X El Capitan. Fortunately for users, Yosemite can be upgraded to the new El Capitan for free, or users can easily partition Mac to install both El Capitan and Yosemite. Thus you can switch from one to another.
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Comparison: Mac OS X El Capitan VS Yosemite
El Capitan Vs High Sierra
VS | Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite | |
|---|---|---|
| Apps can load twice faster, while Internet connectivity speeds have also been increased greatly. Opening of PDF files and Word documents are also faster than ever. One advantage El Capitan has over Yosemite is the new Mission control feature that displays apps at the bar on top of your screen- this helps you stay more organized than the Thumbnail feature of Yosemite. | Advantages | The menu bar at the top of the screen is opaque, and the Messages sidebar is translucent. Though some may see more minimalist aesthetics in the increased use of transparency but this serves no useful purpose. |
| You can only install software that has been approved by Apple on the new Mac OS X El Capitan. | Disadvantage | One of the disadvantages of using Yosemite are the lags and slowdowns of apps, likewise the stuttering animations as well as slow Internet connectivity have also been reported. |
| El Capitan also comes with a full screen tweaks and mission control features. The mission control displays the names of existing apps at the top of the screen page, and this has replaced the thumbnail feature on the Yosemite. | Mission Control | The Thumbnail of Yosemite features a simplified menu bar around Yosemite. Height of many window title bars in Yosemite has been reduced. |
| There is a new Spotlight feature on El Capitan that allows you resize windows and move them anywhere on your desktop screen. El Capitan also provides search results from more sources, thus you will get the exact stuff you search for instead of too many results. | Spotlight | The Spotlight icon is located in the top right of the screen, but when you click on it the window opens in the middle of the screen. When first started using Spotlight in Yosemite, it is quite slow. |
| With the new Swipe gesture and improved full screen support, you can now optimize the way you read or manage your mails better on Mac OS X El Capitan – you can use this feature as a quick correspondence handler, and also manage your contacts and calendar much better from your inbox. With one swipe, you can mark an email as read or unread. | Mail in Yosemite doesn't appear to have changed much from Mail in Mavericks, apart from a few slight interface changes. | |
| Mac OS X El Capitan comes with third party editing tools that allows you personalize your photos, by adding more details. The photo app on El Capitan is one of the best you can find on any operating system. The multiple editing extensions on the Photo apps found on El Capitan can allow you add subtle filters and beautiful textures that will make your photos extraordinary. | Photo | Users can transfer images from iPhone to Mac by AirDrop. |
| The new Safari on Mac OS X El Capitan is the perfect browser tool for your Mac device. The New Safari allows you to Pin your favorite websites, thus you can keep them opened, likewise you can mute audios without checking the tab from which the sound is coming from. | Safari | In Safari these menu bars buttons appear on the same level as the address/search bar. Merging the toolbar and title bar will bring help to users. However, this mean that the title of a page in Safari and the name of the document in your word processor will be invisible. |
| The enhanced Maps available on Mac OS X El Capitan provides maximum public transit information you can ever ask for, thus you will never miss your way even in a big city. You will have access to in-built public transport maps, directions and schedules. With El Capitan, you can easily plan your route with just few clicks. | Maps | When you search for a location, a Map of said location including the tools to find directions will appear. |
| One of the things that has made Mac OS X El Capitan more secured is the fact that the use of third party software is restricted, thus you may cope with much fewer bugs, or other threats to your Mac device. The double-coding system and several other password encryption recognition security features on El Capitan also make it more secured than Yosemite. | Security | Yosemite allows more third party software, though it is not lacking the basic Apple security features. the fact that you will need Apple login details and password to access your Mac makes it difficult for someone to break in, likewise Apple provides an iCloud security for all files stored in its cloud system. |
| When it comes to prices, the final price of Mac OS X El Capitan is still being speculated but many believe much difference should not exist between it and Yosemite. For now the upgrade of Yosemite to Mac OS X El Capitan is free and users who want to upgrade to the premium El Capitan will have to pay an amount that is expected not to be more than $60 a year. | Price | The Yosemite costs less than $50 a year while the premium costs more. |
| There is no doubt about the fact that performance in Mac OS X El Capitan is much more better than Yosemite. Launching apps on El Capitan is more than twice faster, likewise switching between apps on the new El Capitan is more than 1.5 times faster than Yosemite. The disk cache optimization included in the new El Capitan. The new user interface on Mac OS X El Capitan also optimizes the latest IOS 9 which makes it more user-friendly than the Yosemite. | Performance | The performance of Yosemite will largely depend on other factors such as the available hard disk space as well as the RAM. You will need a minimum hard disk space of about 2G to download and install the new Mac OS X El Capitan, however, the Yosemite requires much less disk space and RAM size. |
