Can you make iOS apps on Windows? 6 ways (2026)

By Sigsten Gustavii· 26 October 2026· 10 min read

Yes, you can make iOS apps on Windows, just not with Xcode on the PC itself: the building happens on a Mac somewhere else, and everything else can happen in Windows.

If you have a Windows PC and an idea for an iPhone app, the internet's answer has long been "buy a Mac". That is no longer the only answer. The building step still needs macOS, because Apple's Xcode only runs there, but that Mac does not have to be yours or sit on your desk. Here are the six ways people make iPhone apps from Windows in 2026, from the simplest to the one we would skip.

Why Windows cannot build iPhone apps on its own

An iPhone app has to be compiled against Apple's iOS SDK, signed with an Apple certificate and uploaded to App Store Connect. Apple ships the SDK inside Xcode, Xcode only runs on macOS, and since April 28, 2026 every App Store upload must be built with Xcode 26 or later, according to Apple's upcoming requirements. Not every step needs the Mac, though:

6 ways to make iOS apps on Windows

1. Use an AI app builder that builds on its own Mac

This is the shortest path if you want the app rather than a new skill. With Borel, you describe the app in plain words in your browser. Borel writes it as a native app in Swift and SwiftUI, the way Apple's own apps are made, and Xcode builds it on Borel's Mac. The app then runs on Apple's iOS Simulator on that Mac, streamed into your browser, where you tap and type as on a phone. That live iPhone is free for everyone.

From there, Pro adds the two steps that usually need a Mac: Borel Companion, a free download for Windows, installs the app on your own iPhone with your Apple ID, and the Publish flow builds, signs and uploads it to App Store Connect from Borel's Mac. The code is yours to download as SwiftUI source.

2. Write React Native and build with Expo

If you already write JavaScript, React Native with Expo is the established developer route. You write the app on Windows, try it on your iPhone through the Expo Go app, and Expo's EAS Build service compiles the iOS version on macOS machines in Expo's cloud. Expo's free plan includes up to 15 iOS builds, and its Starter plan is $19 a month. The result is a cross-platform app rather than a native Swift one, which our guide to SwiftUI versus React Native explains.

3. Use Flutter with a cloud build

Flutter, Google's framework, works the same way in principle: you write Dart on Windows and Android tests run locally, but the iOS build has to happen on a Mac. A cloud build service with macOS machines does that step. Expect some setup for signing certificates and provisioning profiles, which the service will walk you through.

4. Rent a Mac in the cloud

Several companies rent remote Macs by the hour or month. You connect over remote desktop and use Xcode as if the Mac were in front of you. This gives you the full Apple toolchain, simulators included, with no compromises in what you can build. The downsides are lag over the connection, a running bill and the fact that you still have to learn Xcode and Swift. It is the right choice for someone learning iOS development properly without buying hardware yet.

5. Build Swift packages with xtool

xtool is an open-source project that describes itself as a cross-platform Xcode replacement. It runs on Linux, on Windows through WSL, and on macOS, builds a Swift package into an iOS app, and signs and installs it on your device. Swift itself has an official Windows toolchain. This route is for developers who like the command line and do not mind being early: you write code without Xcode's designers or simulators, and you should expect rough edges.

6. Run macOS in a virtual machine (skip it)

You will find guides to running macOS in a virtual machine on a PC. Apple's macOS licence only allows virtual copies on Apple-branded computers already running macOS, so doing it on a Windows PC is outside the licence, and it tends to break with each macOS and Xcode update. We would not build anything you care about on it.

How to test an iPhone app without a Mac

• A simulator in your browser. Borel streams Apple's iOS Simulator from its Mac to your browser, free on every plan. See the iPhone simulator in your browser.
• Your own iPhone with a free Apple ID. On Pro, Borel Companion installs the app over a cable once, then over Wi-Fi, and renews it every 7 days while it runs. A free Apple ID holds 3 of your apps at a time. Our guide to installing an iOS app from Windows shows each step.
• Expo Go, for React Native apps that stay within what the Expo Go app supports.
• [TestFlight](/glossary/testflight), Apple's beta app, once the app is uploaded with a paid Developer Program membership.

How to publish to the App Store from Windows

Publishing needs Apple's Developer Program, $99 a year, on every route. After that, the steps that need a Mac are building the release version and uploading it. On Borel, the Publish flow asks for the store details, connects your App Store Connect account, and Xcode builds, signs and uploads the app on Borel's Mac. You submit it for review from the same window. Everything else, from screenshots to the description, happens in a browser. Our guide to publishing to the App Store from Windows covers it step by step.

What each route costs

Apple's fee is the one line every route shares, and only if the app goes on the App Store or TestFlight. An app for your own iPhone can be installed with a free Apple ID. Our post on what an iPhone app costs to make breaks the money down further.

How to make an iPhone app on Windows with Borel, step by step

1. Sign up at borel.one in any browser on your PC. The free plan gives 5 credits a day.
2. Describe your app in a few sentences: who it is for and what it must do well.
3. Try it on the live iPhone in your browser as soon as Xcode has built it on Borel's Mac.
4. Change it by chatting. Every version is saved, so you can go back.
5. Install it on your iPhone with Borel Companion for Windows, on Pro.
6. Publish with Pro and Apple's Developer Program: Borel builds, signs and uploads it, then you submit it for review.

A packing list app for trips: lists per trip, tick items off, and copy last trip's list as a starting point. Keep it simple and fast.

Add a photo to each trip and sort the trips by date, newest at the top.

Nothing in these steps needs a Mac on your side, and nothing needs code. Our guides to installing an iOS app from Windows and publishing to the App Store without a Mac go deeper on the last two steps.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Downloading an "iOS emulator for Windows". Apple does not make one. Programs sold under that name are either other platforms dressed up or unsafe; the real iOS Simulator only runs on macOS, which is why Borel streams it from a Mac.
• Building on a macOS virtual machine. It is outside Apple's licence on PC hardware and breaks with updates.
• Forgetting the Apple account. Publishing needs the $99 Developer Program, and an organisation also needs a D-U-N-S number, so start early.
• Testing only in a simulator. Try the app on a real iPhone before you submit it; the camera, notifications and touch feel different.

Which way should you pick?

• You do not code and want an app: Borel. No Mac, no setup, a native Swift app, and the App Store from your PC.
• You write JavaScript: React Native with Expo's cloud builds.
• You write Dart: Flutter with a cloud build service.
• You want to learn Swift and Xcode properly: rent a cloud Mac now, and buy a Mac when you are sure.
• You enjoy tinkering: try xtool, and keep your expectations modest.

If you are comparing AI builders specifically, the comparison hub shows which ones make native iPhone apps and which make web or cross-platform ones. The Xcode for Windows alternatives page goes deeper on developer tools.

The bottom line

You cannot run Xcode on Windows, but in 2026 you do not have to. Only the building step needs a Mac, and plenty of services now run that Mac for you. If you want a real, native iPhone app without buying a Mac or learning Xcode, start free on Borel: describe it in your browser, try it on a live iPhone, and install or publish it from your PC when it is ready.

I have never thought a Mac should be the price of making an iPhone app. If you build one from a Windows PC, send it my way.

– Sigsten

Make your iPhone app in Borel

Describe the app you want and see its first screens before you pay anything.