The Best Mini PCs of 2026, According to the Reviews

The Geekom A9 Max is the one to start with: four outlets scored it at an average of 8.8 out of 10, all within a single point. If you can use macOS, the Mac mini M6, which replaced the M4 in September, averages 8.7 across three outlets and is Tom’s Guide’s best mini PC overall.

Update, 3 November 2026. All 13 scores for the original four machines were re-read on the outlets’ own pages and none has changed. Apple’s US store no longer sells the M4 Mac mini new, so the Mac mini M6 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) replaces it here: three outlets have now scored it, PCMag, Tom’s Guide and Wired, which meets the same three-score threshold as every machine on the page. We have added the makers’ own US list prices, read today, a comparison table, a section for readers looking for a Mac mini alternative, and answers to common questions. The M4’s scores and the record of the change are kept below.

Disagreement usually means a machine is unusually good at one thing and weak at another, and reviewers are weighting those differently. Agreement usually means it is simply competent. Which of those you want depends on whether you have a specific job in mind.

Mini PCs compared

Machine	Outlet average	Outlets	Spread	Maker’s US list price, 3 Nov	Chip and graphics	Memory	Size (mm)
Geekom A9 Max	8.8 / 10	4	1.0	$2,079, GEEKOM (HX 370, 32GB, 2TB); $1,499 shown	AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Radeon 890M integrated	DDR5 SO-DIMM, up to 256GB per GEEKOM	135 × 132 × 46 (5.31 × 5.20 × 1.81 in)
Apple Mac mini (M6)	8.7 / 10	3	1.0	$899, Apple (16GB, 256GB); at list	Apple M6, 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU	16GB, to 32GB; fixed at purchase	127 × 127 × 50 (12.7 × 12.7 × 5.0 cm)
Geekom A5 (2025 Edition)	8.7 / 10	3	2.0	Not listed; GEEKOM’s A5 page sells only Ryzen 7 7730U versions	AMD Ryzen 5 7430U, Radeon integrated (TechRadar)	16GB DDR4, to 64GB (TechRadar)	Not stated by GEEKOM
Minisforum AtomMan G1 Pro	8.4 / 10	3	1.4	$2,199, Minisforum (32GB, 1TB); $1,759 shown	AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, Nvidia RTX 5060 discrete	DDR5, up to 96GB	215 × 57 × 315

How we compared the reviews. We took every published numeric score from the named outlets linked in each pick, converted each to a ten-point scale by doubling star ratings out of five and dividing a score out of 100 by ten, and averaged them; the spread is the gap between the highest and lowest. Prices are the makers’ own US list prices, read on 3 November 2026, for the configuration named in brackets; where a store showed a sale, that price follows. Amazon prices are not used. We have not used any of these machines.

The A9 Max’s list price is for the configuration GEEKOM now sells, with a 2TB drive, under the name “A9 Max 2026 Edition”; the same page offers a Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 version. The A5 that three outlets scored, with a Ryzen 5 7430U, is no longer on GEEKOM’s store, so there is no maker’s price for the machine reviewed. Three of the four stores showed a sale price on the day we looked, and these figures move often.

If you want a Mac mini alternative

The reviewers’ averages put the Geekom A9 Max (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) a tenth of a point above the Mac mini M6, on half-star scores, which is less than one outlet changing its mind. The differences that decide between them are in the makers’ spec sheets.

• Close in size: the Geekom A9 Max. GEEKOM gives 5.31 × 5.20 × 1.81 inches against Apple’s 5.0 × 5.0 × 2.0, so it is slightly wider and deeper and slightly lower. It runs Windows 11 on AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370.
• Upgrades later: both Geekoms, not the Mac. Apple’s memory and storage are chosen at purchase. GEEKOM’s A9 Max page lists DDR5 SO-DIMM memory and two M.2 drive slots, and TechRadar lists the A5’s memory as expandable with two spare drive slots. Which configuration of Mac to buy is in which Mac mini configuration to get.
• Ports. Apple lists three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI and 2.5Gb Ethernet on the back and two USB-C ports on the front. GEEKOM lists two USB4 ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports and two 2.5Gb Ethernet ports on the A9 Max, plus six USB-A.
• Gaming: the AtomMan G1 Pro (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), which is not a Mac-sized machine. Minisforum gives 215 × 57 × 315mm and 3.81kg, against the Mac mini’s 0.67kg, and it is the only machine here with a discrete graphics card.
• On a budget: the Geekom A5. It is Tom’s Guide’s budget pick, but check which chip you are buying; GEEKOM’s current A5 is a Ryzen 7 7730U version, not the one reviewed.

The Mac mini M6 replaced the M4 on 22 September

Apple announced a new Mac mini on 25 August, with the M6 and M5 Pro, and availability began on 22 September. When this page was published the Mac mini M4 was the pick, at an average of 9.0 out of 10 from TechRadar’s five stars, Tom’s Guide’s four and a half and CNET’s eight out of ten. Those scores still stand, but on 3 November Apple’s US store offered only the M6 and M5 Pro, so the M6 takes the M4’s place here.

It is substantially faster, by Apple’s own figures. Apple’s comparison against the M4 is 40 per cent faster CPU, twice the storage and graphics performance, and up to four times the AI performance. Apple’s current specifications list 2.5Gb Ethernet as standard.

It is also substantially dearer. Apple’s entry price rose from $599 to $899, a 50 per cent rise, and the Pro tier from $1,399 to $1,699. Both are Apple’s own prices, and Apple’s store showed the same two starting figures on 3 November.

The reviews agree more than they did. The M4 carried the widest spread on this page, two points between TechRadar and CNET. The M6’s three scores, PCMag’s four out of five, Tom’s Guide’s four and a half and Wired’s nine out of ten, sit within one point. If you find an M4 discounted at another retailer, its reviews have not changed; nothing about it got slower when its successor arrived.

What this list is, and is not

Nobody here has set one of these up. Everything above is published testing from named outlets, converted to a common ten-point scale and averaged, with every contributing score linked.

The machines earned their place by appearing as segment picks at PCMag, Tom’s Guide and TechRadar, and by having three named outlets’ scores. That filter does real work in this category, where a large number of near-identical machines are sold under names that get reviewed once or not at all. How the makers’ own ranges are divided is in which GEEKOM mini PC is which and which Minisforum mini PC is which, and GMKtec’s US models are sorted the same way in which GMKtec mini PC is which.

The pattern in the spreads

The Geekom A5 carries the widest argument now. ITPro called it possibly the best mini PC on the market and gave it full marks; TechRadar and Tom’s Guide both stopped at four out of five. When one outlet is a full two points above the other two, the average is the least informative number on the page and the outlier is worth reading in full.

The AtomMan G1 Pro is the other split, 1.4 points from Tom’s Guide’s four and a half down to CNET’s 7.6. The A9 Max is the quiet result: four outlets, one point of variation, and nobody who tested it found something that changed their mind in either direction.

What to actually do

• If macOS works for you, the Mac mini M6 is the current model and its reviews sit close together — but decide your memory at purchase, because that decision is permanent.
• If you want Windows and no drama, the A9 Max is the pick with the most scores and the least disagreement behind it.
• If you are buying cheap, read the ITPro review of the A5 and one of the four-star ones, and check that the chip on sale matches the one reviewed.
• Check what chip you are getting before anything else. Much of the budget end of this category runs on one processor with a hard 16GB memory ceiling — we cover what an N100 can and cannot do separately, and it rules the machine in or out faster than any score.

We will revisit this when new reviews land. If we buy and test these, this page becomes a scored list at the same address.

Questions people ask

What is the best mini PC?

Going by published review scores, the Geekom A9 Max: it averages 8.8 out of 10 across four outlets, all within one point, and PCMag names it the best Windows mini PC overall. If you can use macOS, the Mac mini M6 averages 8.7 across three. These are the outlets’ scores; we have not used these machines.

What is the best alternative to the Mac mini?

On reviews, the Geekom A9 Max, at 8.8 out of 10 from four outlets, a tenth of a point above the Mac mini M6. By its maker’s stated size it is close to the Mac’s footprint, and unlike the Mac its memory and drives can be upgraded later. The Geekom A5 is the budget option.

Is there a Windows equivalent of the Mac mini?

The Geekom A9 Max comes close by the makers’ own figures: about 135 by 132 by 46mm against the Mac mini’s 127 by 127 by 50mm, with Windows 11, upgradeable DDR5 memory and two drive slots. It runs AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, not Apple silicon, so performance differs by task.

How do mini PCs compare?

The four here differ most on graphics and upgrades. Only the Minisforum AtomMan G1 Pro has a discrete graphics card. The Mac mini’s memory and storage are fixed at purchase, while both Geekoms take more memory and extra drives later. The comparison table has each machine’s score, price and key specs.

Is the Mac mini M4 still worth buying?

Its reviews still average 9.0 out of 10 across three outlets, but Apple’s US store no longer sells it new: on 3 November it offered only the M6 and M5 Pro. If you find an M4 elsewhere, its reviews still apply; the M6 is faster by Apple’s own figures and starts higher.

What is the best mini PC for Windows 11?

The Geekom A9 Max, by review average: 8.8 out of 10 from four outlets, and PCMag’s best Windows mini PC overall. For gaming, Tom’s Guide picks the Minisforum AtomMan G1 Pro, which averages 8.4 across three outlets and carries an Nvidia RTX 5060.

Are mini PC reviews reliable?

They are good evidence of speed and features at launch and weaker evidence of fan noise and longevity, which owners tend to report later. Outlets also disagree: the Geekom A5 runs from four out of five at two outlets to full marks at ITPro. Check the configuration reviewed against the one on sale.