Each time a new operating system arrives, there comes an ubiquitous head-to-head battle: is the new one any better than previous one? Is upgrading worth the effort?
MacOS High Sierra may not offer many radical changes to the user experience, but there are plenty of quality of life changes, and its under-the-hood alterations should help future-proof your Mac. High Sierra vs Mojave. When it comes to macOS versions, Mojave and High Sierra are very comparable. The two have a lot in common, unlike Mojave and the more recent Catalina. Like other updates to OS X, Mojave builds on what its predecessors have done. It refines Dark Mode, taking it further than High Sierra.
Today we’re going to answer these questions (and a few more) in regards to the new macOS 10.13 High Sierra and its older twin, macOS Sierra. We’ll drill into new features that are worth upgrading as well as downsides if you decide to install macOS High Sierra Beta. At the same time, we’ll have a closer look at regular Sierra version, which may just be strong enough to stick to many Mac users’ preferences.
So, let’s put all cards on the table and go for an unbiased macOS High Sierra vs macOS Sierra comparison. After a bit of fact-checking, we’ll leave it to you whether or not to upgrade to macOS High Sierra Beta.
Reasons you should upgrade to macOS High Sierra Beta
The macOS 10.13 High Sierra packs a bunch of new features that promise more capabilities for gaming, virtual and augmented reality. Then, there’s a series of small refinements that capitalize on a better, faster and more powerful UI. Here’s why you should probably upgrade to macOS High Sierra.
A better file system
One of the main arguments for the macOS High Sierra is, undoubtedly, the improved file system, which has received a significant speed boost. The new APFS (Apple File System), as it is now called, completely reorganizes how data is stored and processed, making it easy for users to copy files faster. For instance, the new copying algorithm allows to send a file to a new location, without storing both copies on drive. The Time Machine has got more flexible and now requires less drive space to operate. From now on your files are better protected against accidental crashes, which is obviously a strong selling point.
Enhanced graphics, VR and AR in Metal 2
If you’re looking for just one reason to upgrade to macOS High Sierra Beta, this is it. Metal 2 is the improved technology wrapped around GPU settings and, basically, an accelerator for your apps. It’s really a game-changer in macOS High Sierra, leveraging powerful tools for developers that can now benefit from external GPU support.
New high-end editing tools in Photos
The Photos app has evolved with a set of new tools for easy, in-depth editing — Curves, Selective Colors — just to name a few. Amusingly enough, you can now launch external editing tools, like Photoshop, right inside Photos. More live effects and a new sidebar to organize your collections should make photo business more fun in macOS High Sierra.
HD videos that take less space
The new macOS High Sierra also introduces some great space-saving techniques, while maintaining the video quality as high as ever. High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is finally supported, which brings video compression to the next level. To put it short, your smaller size videos will look uber cool in Ultra HD.
Safari takes on speed
When run on macOS High Sierra, Safari could be the fastest browser ever invented. Period. Not to mention it also got safer and a lot less annoying, by giving users more power to block their unwanted ads.
Siri gets smarter
Recently named the world’s most popular voice assistant, Siri has moved one grade up in macOS High Sierra. Compared to the previous OS, it speaks in a more natural voice and can even DJ at your parties. Well, at least create your favorite playlists and answer music-related questions.
Of course, these are just cherries on top of the new macOS 10.13 High Sierra. If you’re already converted by now and can’t wait to hit the Install button, here are some sobering points that may make you change your mind.
Reasons you should stick with macOS Sierra (for now)
When analyzing the new features of macOS High Sierra, everything sounds great in theory. However, keep in mind that, for now, the download is only available to Apple Developers and is in Beta Version, which says a lot of possible issues and bugs will inevitably pop up.
What’s more, depending on how old your Mac is, it’s possible that it won’t be able to support all the improved capabilities that macOS High Sierra brings to the table. From this standpoint, if you’re not willing to risk your system to help Apple test High Sierra, you might be safer with regular macOS Sierra until the official version of macOS 10.13 High Sierra is released.
Most experts agree that the current update looks less of a breakthrough, but rather a scrupulous rework under the hood. That means if you aren’t a software developer or a gamer, you might not even notice the difference.
And the last reason, 32-bit apps will no longer be supported in macOS High Sierra. It concerns quite a few apps, really, (ones that don’t have a 64-bit version) but if some of your favorites are 32-bit, you are really out of luck.
Feature Comparison | macOS Sierra | macOS High Sierra |
| Size on drive | 4.78 GB | about 3 GB |
Graphics | Metal (API) basic | Metal 2, perfect for gaming |
Video | H.264 compression | H.265, 40% Ultra HD |
Photos | Easy photo organization, face recognition | Built-in advanced editor, more effects added |
File System | HFS+, used for 20 years | APFS, faster file operation |
If you are not entirely convinced about switching and yet want your Mac to run better, you can look into some simpler solutions. After all, upgrading your Mac’s OS is a big move, a die-and-reborn type — you cannot predict all possible risks. At the same time, most Macs require cleaning and optimization after some months of use, like repairing disk permissions or re-indexing Spotlight search. This way you’ll boost the performance of your current OS.
How to speed up and optimize your Mac
Final tips before switching to macOS High Sierra
- Backup your most important data
- Remove junk from system folders — CleanMyMac X will do it in just minutes
- Update all your apps (by clicking Check for updates…)
- Delete large & old files to free up drive space
The latter can be done with CleanMyMac, the most popular Mac cleaning app in the world, that finds 74 GB of junk on an average Mac. Check it out — you can download it for free and clean 500 MB of system junk free of charge.
Thanks for getting to the bottom of this article. Hope it helps, folks. Stay tuned!
About Apple security updates
For our customers' protection, Apple doesn't disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until an investigation has occurred and patches or releases are available. Recent releases are listed on the Apple security updates page.
Apple security documents reference vulnerabilities by CVE-ID when possible.
For more information about security, see the Apple Product Security page.
macOS Mojave 10.14.5, Security Update 2019-003 High Sierra, Security Update 2019-003 Sierra
Released May 13, 2019
Accessibility Framework
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory
Description: A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization.
CVE-2019-8603: Phoenhex and qwerty (@_niklasb, @qwertyoruiopz, @bkth_) working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
AMD
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-8635: Lilang Wu and Moony Li of TrendMicro Mobile Security Research Team working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
Application Firewall
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved restrictions.
CVE-2019-8590: The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
Archive Utility
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A sandboxed process may be able to circumvent sandbox restrictions
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.
CVE-2019-8640: Ash Fox of Fitbit Product Security
Entry added August 1, 2019
Bluetooth
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: Due to a misconfiguration in the Bluetooth pairing protocols of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) version of FIDO Security Keys it may be possible for an attacker with physical proximity to be able to intercept Bluetooth traffic during pairing
Description: This issue was addressed by disabling accessories with insecure Bluetooth connections. Customers using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) version of the Titan Security Key by Google should review Android’s June Bulletins and Google’s advisory and take appropriate action.
CVE-2019-2102: Matt Beaver and Erik Peterson of Microsoft Corp.
Entry added September 17, 2019
CoreAudio
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved error handling.
CVE-2019-8592: riusksk of VulWar Corp working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
Entry updated October 8, 2019
CoreAudio
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted movie file may lead to arbitrary code execution
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2019-8585: riusksk of VulWar Corp working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
CoreText
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted font may result in the disclosure of process memory
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking.
CVE-2019-8582: riusksk of VulWar Corp working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
Entry added July 25, 2019
DesktopServices
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A malicious application may bypass Gatekeeper checks
Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
CVE-2019-8589: Andreas Clementi, Stefan Haselwanter, and Peter Stelzhammer of AV-Comparatives
Disk Images
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory
Description: A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization.
CVE-2019-8560: Nikita Pupyshev of Bauman Moscow State Technological University
Entry updated May 14, 2019
EFI
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A user may be unexpectedly logged in to another user’s account
Description: An authentication issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2019-8634: Jenny Sprenger and Maik Hoepfel
Intel Graphics Driver
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-8616: Lilang Wu and Moony Li of Trend Micro Mobile Security Research Team working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
Intel Graphics Driver
Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: A memory initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-8629: Arash Tohidi of Solita Oy
IOAcceleratorFamily
Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2018-4456: Tyler Bohan of Cisco Talos
IOKit
Available for: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A local user may be able to load unsigned kernel extensions
Description: A validation issue existed in the handling of symlinks. This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks.
CVE-2019-8606: Phoenhex and qwerty (@_niklasb, @qwertyoruiopz, @bkth_) working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
Kernel
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory
Description: A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization.
CVE-2019-8633: Zhuo Liang of Qihoo 360 Vulcan Team
Entry added July 25, 2019, updated September 17, 2019
Kernel
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2019-8525: Zhuo Liang and shrek_wzw of Qihoo 360 Nirvan Team
Entry added May 14, 2019
Kernel
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: A remote attacker may be able to leak memory
Description: An out-of-bounds read issue existed that led to the disclosure of kernel memory. This was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2019-8547: derrek (@derrekr6)
Entry added May 14, 2019
Kernel
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A local user may be able to cause unexpected system termination or read kernel memory
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking.
CVE-2019-8576: Brandon Azad of Google Project Zero, Junho Jang and Hanul Choi of LINE Security Team
Entry updated May 30, 2019
Kernel
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory
Description: A type confusion issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-8591: Ned Williamson working with Google Project Zero
Messages
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A remote attacker may be able to cause a system denial of service
Description: An input validation issue was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2019-8573: natashenka of Google Project Zero
Entry added July 3, 2019
Messages
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: Users removed from an iMessage conversation may still be able to alter state
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2019-8631: Jamie Bishop of Dynastic
Entry added August 1, 2019
Microcode
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: Load ports, fill buffers, and store buffers in systems with microprocessors utilizing speculative execution may allow an attacker with local user access to potentially enable information disclosure via a side channel
Description: Multiple information disclosure issues were addressed partially by updating the microcode and changing the OS scheduler to isolate the system from web content running in the browser. To completely address these issues, there are additional opt-in mitigations to disable hyper threading and enable microcode-based mitigations for all processes by default. Details of the mitigations can be found at https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210107.
CVE-2018-12126: Ke Sun, Henrique Kawakami, Kekai Hu, and Rodrigo Branco from Intel; Lei Shi - Qihoo 360 CERT; Marina Minkin; Daniel Genkin from University of Michigan; and Yuval Yarom from University of Adelaide
CVE-2018-12127: Brandon Falk from Microsoft Windows Platform Security Team; and Ke Sun, Henrique Kawakami, Kekai Hu, and Rodrigo Branco from Intel
CVE-2018-12130: Giorgi Maisuradze from Microsoft Research; Ke Sun, Henrique Kawakami, Kekai Hu, and Rodrigo Branco from Intel; Moritz Lipp, Michael Schwarz, and Daniel Gruss from Graz University of Technology; Stephan van Schaik, Alyssa Milburn, Sebastian Osterlund, Pietro Frigo, Kaveh Razavi, Herbert Bos, and Cristiano Giuffrida from VUSec group at VU Amsterdam; Volodymyr Pikhur; and Dan Horea Lutas from BitDefender
CVE-2019-11091: Ke Sun, Henrique Kawakami, Kekai Hu, and Rodrigo Branco from Intel; and Moritz Lipp, Michael Schwarz, and Daniel Gruss from Graz University of Technology
Entry added May 14, 2019
Security
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-8604: Fluoroacetate working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
SQLite
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An application may be able to gain elevated privileges
Description: An input validation issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-8577: Omer Gull of Checkpoint Research
SQLite
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A maliciously crafted SQL query may lead to arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2019-8600: Omer Gull of Checkpoint Research
SQLite
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A malicious application may be able to read restricted memory
Description: An input validation issue was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2019-8598: Omer Gull of Checkpoint Research
SQLite
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A malicious application may be able to elevate privileges
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code.
CVE-2019-8602: Omer Gull of Checkpoint Research
StreamingZip
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: A local user may be able to modify protected parts of the file system
Description: A validation issue existed in the handling of symlinks. This issue was addressed with improved validation of symlinks.
CVE-2019-8568: Dany Lisiansky (@DanyL931)
sysdiagnose
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: The issue was addressed with improved permissions logic.
CVE-2019-8574: Dayton Pidhirney (@_watbulb) of Seekintoo (@seekintoo)
Entry updated March 26, 2021
Touch Bar Support
Available for: macOS Sierra 10.12.6, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with system privileges
Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-8569: Viktor Oreshkin (@stek29)
WebKit
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution
Description: Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved memory handling.
CVE-2019-6237: G. Geshev working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative, Liu Long of Qihoo 360 Vulcan Team
CVE-2019-8571: 01 working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8583: sakura of Tencent Xuanwu Lab, jessica (@babyjess1ca_) of Tencent Keen Lab, and dwfault working at ADLab of Venustech
CVE-2019-8584: G. Geshev of MWR Labs working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8586: an anonymous researcher
CVE-2019-8587: G. Geshev working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8594: Suyoung Lee and Sooel Son of KAIST Web Security & Privacy Lab and HyungSeok Han and Sang Kil Cha of KAIST SoftSec Lab
CVE-2019-8595: G. Geshev from MWR Labs working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8596: Wen Xu of SSLab at Georgia Tech
CVE-2019-8597: 01 working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8601: Fluoroacetate working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8608: G. Geshev working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8609: Wen Xu of SSLab, Georgia Tech
CVE-2019-8610: Anonymous working with Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
CVE-2019-8611: Samuel Groß of Google Project Zero
CVE-2019-8615: G. Geshev from MWR Labs working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative
Macos High Sierra 10.14 Download
CVE-2019-8619: Wen Xu of SSLab at Georgia Tech and Hanqing Zhao of Chaitin Security Research Lab
CVE-2019-8622: Samuel Groß of Google Project Zero
CVE-2019-8623: Samuel Groß of Google Project Zero
CVE-2019-8628: Wen Xu of SSLab at Georgia Tech and Hanqing Zhao of Chaitin Security Research Lab
WebKit
Apple Os X 10.13 Download
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may result in the disclosure of process memory
Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.
CVE-2019-8607: Junho Jang and Hanul Choi of LINE Security Team
Wi-Fi
Available for: macOS Mojave 10.14.4
Impact: An attacker in a privileged network position can modify driver state
Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.
CVE-2019-8612: Milan Stute of Secure Mobile Networking Lab at Technische Universität Darmstadt
Entry added May 14, 2019
Additional recognition
CoreAudio
We would like to acknowledge riusksk of VulWar Corp working with Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative for their assistance.
Entry added July 25, 2019
CoreFoundation
We would like to acknowledge m4bln, Xiangqian Zhang, Huiming Liu of Tencent's Xuanwu Lab, Vozzie, and Rami for their assistance.
Entry updated May 14, 2019
Macos High Sierra 10.13 Download
Kernel
We would like to acknowledge Denis Kopyrin for their assistance.
Entry updated May 14, 2019
PackageKit
We would like to acknowledge Csaba Fitzl (@theevilbit) for their assistance.
Safari
We would like to acknowledge Michael Ball of Gradescope by Turnitin for their assistance.
System Preferences
We would like to acknowledge an anonymous researcher for their assistance.