Every question, one place.
What Macfax verifies, why the proof holds, what Premium costs, and what the macOS app reads from your Mac. Can't find something? Email support@macfax.com.
What Macfax verifies, how the proof holds, and what a buyer can do with a report.
What does Macfax actually check?
Identity (serial, Activation Lock, Find My, iCloud, MDM), spec match (chip, memory, storage, GPU), and tamper integrity (chassis ↔ logic-board, Secure Boot, FileVault). Premium reports also run hardware-health diagnostics: SSD wear, battery cycles, CPU/GPU burn-in, memory test.
How does Macfax prove the report wasn't faked?
Every report is signed at issuance by a key held inside the Secure Enclave of the Mac that produced it. The signature is server-validated; a report that doesn't verify never gets published. The report URL is hosted by Macfax, so what a buyer reads is the canonical record.
How is this different from Apple's Coverage Check or a PDF report?
Apple's Coverage Check tells you whether a serial is real. Nothing about case-swap fraud, hardware health, or whether the device is locked. A PDF can be edited in 30 seconds. Macfax is hosted at a URL, signed at the device, and impossible to forge after the fact.
Does the report expire?
No. The issue date is shown prominently so buyers can judge freshness themselves. Re-running the diagnostic on the same Mac is free, always, for Basic or Premium.
Can the buyer verify the report on receipt?
On Premium reports, yes. The buyer downloads the Macfax app and re-derives the device-binding fingerprint on the Mac in front of them; if it matches the report, the device hasn't been swapped. Basic reports publish the same fingerprint, but the in-app re-verification flow is Premium-only. That's the differentiator.
What if my Mac fails one of the checks?
The report shows the actual result. Sellers can iterate-to-clean (sign out of iCloud, disable Activation Lock, factory reset) and re-run for free. The money-back guarantee covers the rare case where Premium burn-in surfaces an unfixable problem.
Free Basic, Premium at $49, and how the upgrade path works.
What's the difference between Basic and Premium?
Basic is free: identity, authenticity, spec match, in under a minute. Premium is $49: adds hardware health, burn-in, photo set, PDF export, and the buyer-verifiable device binding. Same app, same download.
What's free about the Basic report?
Everything. No card, no account, no trial. The Basic report covers identity, authenticity, and spec match, and it produces a publicly shareable URL that buyers can rely on. We run it on every Mac you list.
What does the $49 Premium upgrade cover?
Hardware health (SSD wear, hours, lifetime writes; battery cycles), sustained CPU and GPU burn-in, a 30-minute memory test, photo set with on-screen serial, PDF export, and the device-binding fingerprint that buyers can re-verify on receipt.
Why $49 for Premium?
A Mac listing typically clears $1.5k to $20k. $49 is a small fraction of that for a signed, verifiable hardware report with a buyer-verifiable device binding, and Premium is money-back guaranteed.
Can I upgrade a Basic report to Premium later?
Yes. The report URL stays the same; anywhere you've pasted it (eBay, Swappa, DMs) keeps working, the contents just get richer. You can upgrade from the report page or from the Macfax app, on the same Mac that issued the Basic.
Why no subscription?
Sellers list a Mac maybe twice a year. A subscription would mean charging for time you're not using the product. One-time pricing matches the actual usage pattern.
Can I expense Premium?
Yes. The Premium report URL doubles as a receipt; a PDF receipt is also emailed. Tax IDs and business names can be added at checkout.
What the macOS app reads, what versions it runs on, and what permissions it asks for.
What does Macfax read from my Mac?
Device identifiers (model, serial, chassis serial, logic-board serial), SMART data, battery cycle count, system_profiler output. On Premium runs it also exercises CPU/GPU/memory for burn-in. Nothing is uploaded during the preview; the signed payload only goes out at publish time.
What macOS versions are supported?
Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or later) on macOS 14 or newer. Intel Macs are not supported; they lack the Secure Enclave primitives the diagnostic relies on.
Will it ask for sensitive permissions?
It uses standard macOS diagnostic interfaces. No kernel extensions, no full-disk access prompt. The first launch asks macOS to confirm an internet-downloaded app, which is normal.
Is the download really free?
Yes. The Basic report is free, no card, no account. You only pay if you choose to upgrade to Premium for the full hardware verification ($49, money-back guarantee).
Ready when you are.
Download the macOS app, run a Macfax report, drop the URL into your listing.