Cua Alternative (2026): NoMac vs Cua
NoMac vs Cua
No Mac to own or host. NoMac gives your agent a fresh Mac with Xcode 27 in about a minute, while Cua runs on Macs you supply yourself.
A Mac for your agent, ready in about a minute.
$0.90/hour · billed per minute · credit never expires
7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase. Prices checked 25 October 2026 from public list prices.
What Cuais
Open-source and source-available software for computer-use agents, including Cua Driver, the Lume macOS VM manager and Cua Spaces. Spaces run on your own Mac or on VMs in your own cloud account; Cua does not host or rent computers. Plans run from free to $30 a seat a month.
NoMac vs Cua at a glance
| NoMac | Cua | |
|---|---|---|
| Who supplies the Mac | NoMac, ready in about a minute | You: your own Mac or your cloud account |
| Billing | $0.90/hour billed per minute, Mac included | A Cua plan, plus your hardware or cloud bill |
| Setup | Sign in and start a Mac | Install Cua on your Mac or your cloud VMs |
| Xcode | Xcode 27 and the iOS 27 Simulator installed | Whatever you install |
| Agent connection | MCP (hosted or local), CLI, REST API and SSH | Cua Driver, on machines you supply |
Why teams choose NoMac
- ✓No Mac to own: NoMac supplies a fresh one, ready in about a minute.
- ✓Nothing to install or host: no VM manager, images or cloud account to set up.
- ✓Xcode 27, the iOS 27 Simulator, Homebrew and CocoaPods ready, with root.
- ✓Your agent drives it over hosted MCP, the CLI, a REST API or SSH, with screenshots, mouse and keyboard when it needs the screen.
- ✓One bill: $0.90 an hour, billed per minute, from prepaid credit that never expires.
The verdict
Cua gives you software and leaves the Mac to you. NoMac gives your agent the Mac itself, ready with Xcode 27, billed per minute.
Switch in two minutes
Give your agent a Mac now. From your project directory:
npm install -g @nomac/cli
nomac login
nomac start --json
nomac sync .
nomac ssh -- xcodebuild -list
nomac stop --json
# or let Claude Code drive it
claude mcp add nomac -- npx @nomac/cli mcp
Or give your agent nomac.app/install and it sets itself up.
Questions
What is the best Cua alternative for AI agents?
NoMac: your agent's own Mac in the cloud. A fresh macOS machine with Xcode 27 and admin rights, driven over MCP, the CLI, the REST API or SSH, at $0.90 an hour, billed per minute. Your agent builds, tests, signs and ships the app from that Mac.
How much does NoMac cost?
$0.90 an hour, billed per minute, from prepaid credit: $10 buys 11.1 hours and never expires. You pay only while the Mac is ready, with a one-minute minimum, and setup is free. No subscription, no overage, and bigger top-ups add up to 20% bonus credit. 7-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase.
Can Claude Code, Codex or Cursor use NoMac?
Yes, in one line: claude mcp add nomac -- npx @nomac/cli mcp, or the hosted MCP endpoint https://mcp.nomac.app/mcp from a cloud sandbox. Your agent starts a Mac, runs commands, reads the output and stops it on its own.
Do I need an Apple Developer account?
Not to build, test or run the iOS Simulator. To publish on TestFlight and the App Store you need only your Apple Developer account, and your agent does the signing and the upload for you.
Does my work carry over between Macs?
Yes. Your account's 20 GB encrypted drive at ~/drive comes with every Mac, so your projects, packages and Xcode's build cache are there and builds stay incremental.
Stop paying for a Mac that waits for you.
Full macOS with Xcode and root, over MCP, CLI, API or SSH. $0.90 an hour, billed per minute, with a 20 GB drive for every Mac. $10 of credit is 11.1 hours.