--- title: Apple OS X El Capitan Reviews meta_title: 'Apple OS X El Capitan Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 265 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Apple OS X El Capitan works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.4 review_count: 265 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-08-09' parent_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # Apple OS X El Capitan Reviews **Vendor:** Apple **Category:** [Operating Systems](https://www.g2.com/categories/operating-system) **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 265 ## About Apple OS X El Capitan OS X El Capitan, version 10.11 of Apple's Mac operating system, was released on September 30, 2015. Named after the iconic rock formation in Yosemite National Park, this update focused on enhancing performance, stability, and security. It introduced features like Split View for multitasking, a redesigned Mission Control for better window management, and the Metal graphics API for improved graphics performance. El Capitan also brought refinements to built-in apps such as Safari, Mail, and Notes, and introduced the San Francisco system font for improved readability. Key Features and Functionality: - Split View: Allows users to work with two applications side by side in full-screen mode, enhancing multitasking capabilities. - Mission Control: Offers a streamlined view of all open windows and spaces, making it easier to organize and switch between tasks. - Metal Graphics API: Provides developers with a more efficient way to harness the GPU, resulting in faster and more responsive graphics performance. - Enhanced Built-in Apps: Improvements to Safari include Pinned Sites and a mute button for tabs; Mail introduces swipe gestures and improved full-screen support; Notes supports checklists, inline previews, and rich text formatting. - San Francisco Font: A new system font designed for better legibility and consistency across Apple devices. Primary Value and User Solutions: OS X El Capitan aimed to refine the Mac user experience by improving system performance and introducing features that enhance productivity. The addition of Split View and an improved Mission Control facilitated more efficient multitasking, while the Metal API provided a foundation for more powerful graphics applications. Enhancements to native apps and the introduction of the San Francisco font contributed to a more cohesive and user-friendly interface, addressing user needs for both functionality and aesthetics. ## Apple OS X El Capitan Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users praise the **speed and performance** of OS X El Capitan, enhancing productivity and multitasking capabilities. (3 reviews) - Users value the **overall stability** of OS X El Capitan, noting its smooth performance and reliability for multitasking. (3 reviews) - Users commend the **ease of use** of OS X El Capitan, enhancing productivity with its intuitive design and performance improvements. (2 reviews) - Users love the **seamless app integration** in OS X El Capitan, enhancing productivity across devices without issues. (1 reviews) - Users value the **seamless integration** with other Apple devices, enhancing productivity and overall user experience in El Capitan. (1 reviews) - Design Aesthetics (1 reviews) - Users appreciate the **stability and multitasking features** of El Capitan, enhancing productivity and performance. (1 reviews) - Users value the **stability and security** of Apple OS X El Capitan, enhancing their overall user experience. (1 reviews) - User-Friendly (1 reviews) - User Interface (1 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users experience **slow updates** that impact performance, compatibility, and reliability, making the overall experience frustrating. (3 reviews) - Users express frustration with **app incompatibility** in El Capitan, affecting usability and potentially slowing down older devices. (1 reviews) - Users find the **limited compatibility** of OS X El Capitan with newer applications and customization options restrictive. (1 reviews) - Users face **compatibility issues** with newer applications and updates, limiting software options and customization on OS X El Capitan. (1 reviews) - Users report that **hardware limitations** can hinder performance on older systems, necessitating an upgrade for smooth operation. (1 reviews) - Users find the **lack of support** frustrating, as updates bring a steep learning curve with insufficient guidance. (1 reviews) - Limited Customization (1 reviews) ## Apple OS X El Capitan Reviews ### 1. Look isn't all **Rating:** 2.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Caio A. | Desenvolvedor Full Stack, Program Development, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 13, 2016 **What do you like best about Apple OS X El Capitan?** OSX El Capitan seems to be the more consistent OS in the market, it's beautiful and it's fully integrated with Apple ecosystem. For the ones who have Apple devices, it should be the best alternative. **What do you dislike about Apple OS X El Capitan?** OS X El Capitan have lots of problems like the new disk utility app, witch became the dumbest disk managing software in the market. El Capitan it's made for new computers, so they expect you to have a new hardware like an SSD, witch a lot of people haven't, so sometimes my mac takes "ages" to boot up witch sucks because Windows 10 boot takes about 50 seconds on my device. **Recommendations to others considering Apple OS X El Capitan:** It's a great operational system, but in some way Apple made it hard to use with the new minimalist design. **What problems is Apple OS X El Capitan solving and how is that benefiting you?** Now, I'm working as a freelancer Developer, so the thing i do the most with OS X is code. ### 2. Not as good as previous version of OSX **Rating:** 2.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Higher Education | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 14, 2016 **What do you like best about Apple OS X El Capitan?** The split view allows me to display two contents in a screen very easily, accelerating my working process. However, it will be better if the split view will not enter the full screen mode since people might want to check the status bar without moving the pointer to the top of the screen. **What do you dislike about Apple OS X El Capitan?** The file preview uses a lot of memory space and doesn't response very frequently. This problem only happens when I upgraded the OSX to El Captain. The operating system seems less stable than the previous versions of OSX. **Recommendations to others considering Apple OS X El Capitan:** If people want to use the split view, then update the OSX will benefit them. Otherwise, I don't think it is necessarily to update to El Captain. **What problems is Apple OS X El Capitan solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am a software engineer and the OSX is good for developing programs. ### 3. Mac OS is great at first but slows down quickly **Rating:** 2.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Education Management | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 30, 2016 **What do you like best about Apple OS X El Capitan?** I like my mac in general and I like the look of El Capitan **What do you dislike about Apple OS X El Capitan?** It is very slow and freezes up alot. I have trouble when I have multiple windows open **What problems is Apple OS X El Capitan solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use it for school and like the programs ## Apple OS X El Capitan Discussions - [Eekekk](https://www.g2.com/discussions/eekekk) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [Why Photos app stuck the ram of my computer?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/50838-why-photos-app-stuck-the-ram-of-my-computer) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [What other ways are you using CAPITAN to help with education?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/36732-what-other-ways-are-you-using-capitan-to-help-with-education) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [What Is the best way to know if updating the OS is going to cause compatibility issues](https://www.g2.com/discussions/14749-what-is-the-best-way-to-know-if-updating-the-os-is-going-to-cause-compatibility-issues) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [What is Apple OS X El Capitan used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-apple-os-x-el-capitan-used-for) - 1 comment - [View Apple OS X El Capitan pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-el-capitan/reviews?filters%5Bnps_score%5D%5B%5D=2§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-08-14+09%3A31%3A39+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=0549481e-f31c-4bc9-b1aa-ea8f9a105607&secure%5Btoken%5D=1e9ca80588aedfde217a224de49ae910d910539e33b72918ef5a8b753c34c048&format=llm_user) ## Apple OS X El Capitan Integrations - [Chrome OS](https://www.g2.com/products/chrome-os/reviews) - [Ekahau AI Pro](https://www.g2.com/products/ekahau-ai-pro/reviews) - [Git](https://www.g2.com/products/git/reviews) - [Visual Studio Code](https://www.g2.com/products/visual-studio-code/reviews) - [Windows Server](https://www.g2.com/products/tidal-media-inc-windows-server/reviews) - [Xcode](https://www.g2.com/products/xcode/reviews) ## Apple OS X El Capitan Features **Memory Management - Operating System** - RAM management - App Management - File Management **Device Management - Operating System** - I/O management **Backup and Recovery - Operating System** - Data backup **Error Detection - Operating System** - System operations monitoring **Additional Functionality** - Generative AI - Data Security - User Interface - Resource Allocation - System Updates - For Developers - AI Copilot - Desktop Interface ## Top Apple OS X El Capitan Alternatives - [Ubuntu](https://www.g2.com/products/ubuntu/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (2,347 reviews) - [Windows 7](https://www.g2.com/products/windows-7/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (874 reviews) - [Android](https://www.g2.com/products/android/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (1,219 reviews)