--- title: Apple OS X Mountain Lion Reviews meta\_title: 'Apple OS X Mountain Lion Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta\_description: Filter 221 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Apple OS X Mountain Lion works for a business like yours. aggregate\_rating: rating\_value: 4.2 review\_count: 221 scale: '5' date\_modified: '2026-08-09' parent\_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # Apple OS X Mountain Lion Reviews & Product Details OS X Mountain Lion, version 10.8, is the ninth major release of Apple's desktop operating system for Macintosh computers, launched on July 25, 2012. This release introduced over 200 new features, many inspired by iOS, to enhance user experience and system functionality. Key Features and Functionality: - iCloud Integration: Seamless synchronization of Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Reminders, Notes, and iWork documents across all Apple devices. - Messages App: Replaces iChat, bringing iMessage to the Mac, allowing users to send messages to anyone with an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or another Mac. - Notification Center: Provides a unified view of alerts from Mail, Calendar, Messages, Reminders, system updates, and third-party apps. - System-wide Sharing: Enables easy sharing of links, photos, videos, and other files without switching apps, with integrated support for services like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Vimeo. - Facebook Integration: Allows posting of photos, links, and comments directly from apps, adds Facebook friends to Contacts, and enables status updates from Notification Center. - Dictation: System-wide voice input mechanism that converts speech to text, requiring an internet connection. - AirPlay Mirroring: Wirelessly mirrors the Mac's screen to an Apple TV, facilitating presentations and media sharing. - Game Center: Brings the iOS gaming network to Mac, allowing users to play and share games with friends. - Gatekeeper: A security feature that helps protect the Mac from malicious software by allowing users to control which apps can be installed. Primary Value and User Solutions: OS X Mountain Lion enhances the Mac experience by integrating features familiar to iOS users, promoting a cohesive ecosystem across Apple devices. The deep iCloud integration ensures that users' data remains consistent and accessible, while features like Notification Center and system-wide sharing streamline daily tasks. Security is bolstered with Gatekeeper, and productivity is enhanced through tools like Dictation and AirPlay Mirroring. Overall, Mountain Lion offers a more connected, secure, and user-friendly environment for Mac users. * * * Seller [Apple](https://www.g2.com/sellers/apple) Discussions [Apple OS X Mountain Lion Community](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-mountain-lion/discuss) Solution Type All-in-One Show More ## Value at a Glance Averages based on real user reviews. ### Time to Implement 1 month ### Return on Investment 19 months [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-mountain-lion/pricing) ## Top-Rated Alternatives [ ![Windows 7](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Windows 7") Windows 7 4.2/5(903) ](https://www.g2.com/products/windows-7/reviews) [ ![Ubuntu](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Ubuntu") Ubuntu 4.5/5(2,399) ](https://www.g2.com/products/ubuntu/reviews) [ ![Windows 8](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Windows 8") Windows 8 3.7/5(583) ](https://www.g2.com/products/windows-8/reviews) [ View All Alternatives ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-mountain-lion/competitors/alternatives) ## User Insights Average based on 221 real user reviews. Implementation Time 1 month Perceived Cost $$$$$ [Log in to unlock pricing and user insights](/login) ## Apple OS X Mountain Lion Integrations (2) What do users say about integrations? Integration information sourced from real user reviews. [ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Apple iOS ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-ios/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Microsoft 365 ](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft365/reviews) Show More ![samuel r.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "samuel r.") SR samuel r. Managing Director Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 8/12/2025 "Mountain Lion: The Mac Steps Closer to iOS" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Released in July 2012, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) wasn’t a radical redesign—it was a refinement that pulled the Mac deeper into Apple’s growing ecosystem. Borrowing heavily from iOS, it brought iMessage, Notification Center, Game Center, Reminders, expanded iCloud syncing, and the new Gatekeeper security feature. Dictation made its debut, and Safari 6 got a cleaner look with a combined search and address bar. Performance got a welcome boost: faster boot times, snappier app launches, smoother animations, and better battery life on some MacBooks. But not everyone was thrilled. Some longtime Mac users worried Apple was oversimplifying OS X, dropping support for older machines, and making the OS overly dependent on the still-wobbly iCloud. In the end, Mountain Lion wasn’t a revolution, but it was a confident, polished step toward Apple’s vision of a unified, seamless experience across all its devices. For Apple fans in 2012, it was a solid 4stars —for purists, it was the start of a very different future for the Mac Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Here’s the more human, conversational take: ⸻ What I Didn’t Love About OS X Mountain Lion Mountain Lion was solid, but it had its rough spots. First off, Apple leaned hard on iCloud, and in 2012, iCloud was still like that one friend who swears they’ll be on time but always shows up late—it just wasn’t reliable enough to carry so many new features. Then there was the hardware cutoff. Perfectly fine Macs from just a few years back suddenly couldn’t upgrade, which felt like Apple saying, “Your computer’s too old… even though it still works great.” Not cool. The iOS-style makeover also rubbed some power users the wrong way. Sure, iMessage and Notification Center were nice, but it started to feel like the Mac was being molded into a giant iPhone—closed in, less flexible, and a little less Mac. On top of that, the update didn’t feel like a big leap from Lion. It was more of a “Lion, but with extra iOS sprinkled on top” situation. And Notification Center? Let’s just say the first version was a bit clunky—more like a bulletin board you couldn’t quite organize the way you wanted Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? Mountain Lion’s Big Fixes Mountain Lion’s main goal was to make your Mac feel like it belonged in the same family as your iPhone and iPad. iMessage, Notification Center, and iCloud meant your messages, alerts, and files followed you everywhere. Gatekeeper kept you safer from sketchy apps, and Dictation made jotting down ideas easier. It wasn’t a flashy upgrade, but it made the Mac feel more connected, more secure, and just a bit smoother to use every day Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerSource: Organic ![Ronald V.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Ronald V.") RV Ronald V. Consulting Systems Engineer Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4/28/2026 "Mountain Lion Delivers a More Integrated, Secure, User-Friendly Experience" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Overall, Mountain Lion stands out for strengthening ecosystem integration, improving user experience, and taking meaningful steps toward a more secure operating environment. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Some features felt incomplete, and the overall experience seemed overly dependent on Apple’s ecosystem. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? The main benefit is a more integrated, efficient, and secure user experience, with improved productivity and less operational friction across the Apple ecosystem. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic RK Ratish K. System Administrator Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 3/11/2026 "iOS-Style Features, Stronger Security, and Seamless Apple DIOS device Integration" 5/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? What people liked best about OS X Mountain Lion was its iOS-style features, better cloud integration, improved security, and seamless connection between Apple devices Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? The main dislikes about OS X Mountain Lion were performance slowdowns on older Macs, battery drain, compatibility issues, and the heavy influence of iOS features. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? OS X Mountain Lion solves problems related to communication, notifications, file syncing, security, and sharing. This benefits users by making their Mac more connected, secure, and easier to use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Computer Software](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Computer Software") UC Verified User in Computer Software Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4/21/2026 "Notification Center and iCloud-Style Integration Make Mac Feel Truly Unified" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? If I had to pick one “best” thing, it would be Notification Center plus iCloud-style integration, because that was the moment the Mac started feeling like part of the same Apple experience instead of a separate platform. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Some iOS-ification felt gimmicky, and Mountain Lion was not a huge upgrade. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? It helped solve Mac/iPhone disconnect issues, weak notifications, and some basic security gaps. The result was a smoother, better-synced Mac experience, with easier messaging, reminders, and updates, plus safer app installs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Computer Games](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Computer Games") UC Verified User in Computer Games Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 11/17/2025 "iOS Apps on Mac: A Game-Changer with Mountain Lion" 5/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? The best thing about mountain lion is the fact that apple decided to bring some ios apps to mac, if I remember correctly its the os where imessages were available on mac. And I think we were able to use app store to download things which made everything easier and felt a bit more secure. At that point I used it mostly for school so having imessage and a whole new world of apps was a game changer Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Looking back and comparing it to a more modern OS from apple, UI obviously looks older and the security features did suffice at the time but are measly compared to today Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? Connecting with other apple products - iphone, ipad (and ipod 💔) also I believe moutain lion introduced new touch pad features, which is something that will always make mac os better for me compared to windows or linux Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Pintraj K.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Pintraj K.") PK Pintraj K. Devops engineering Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 3/11/2026 "Excellent UI Updates—A Big Improvement Over the Previous Version" 5/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? The UI changes are excellent, and it’s much better than the previous version. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? As of now, there’s nothing I dislike. The updates for the OS have been better so far. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? The indexing, the application’s performance, and the application’s compatibility. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Tamas S.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Tamas S.") TS Tamas S. QV Analyst Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 2/12/2026 "One of the Best Optimized Operating Systems" 5/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Its one of the best optimised operating systems. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? It’s a bit confusing first, if you come from an other operating system. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? Better optimisation and improved battery life mean I can stay productive for longer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic ![Verified User in Computer Software](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Computer Software") UC Verified User in Computer Software Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4/14/2026 "Still good for revitalizing older Macs" 3/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? This installs and still runs smoothly on older Mac hardware Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Many newer versions of software no longer support this OS Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? Repurposing and refreshing old MacBooks, iMacs, and the like Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Design](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Design") UD Verified User in Design Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 1/23/2026 "Nice Interface and Cool Features Like Group Chat Polls" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? It’s a nice interface and has cool features. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Its moved things around and may be tricky getting used to. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? It performa faster and improved trackpad scrolling. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Leonora M.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Leonora M.") LM Leonora M. CyberSecurity Consultant Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 10/31/2025 "Fast, User-Friendly Software with Easy Uninstall—Partitioning Needs Improvement" 2.5/5 What do you like best about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? The software is quick and user-friendly, making it a pleasure to use. I also appreciate how simple it is to uninstall when needed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? I encountered an issue with the disk partitioning process. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple OS X Mountain Lion solving and how is that benefiting you? I primarily use it for design work and video editing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic ## Questions about Apple OS X Mountain Lion? Ask real users or explore answers from the community Get practical answers, real workflows, and honest pros and cons from the G2 community or share your insights. [ Ask about Apple OS X Mountain Lion ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-mountain-lion/discussions/new) GU Guest User • Last activity over 2 years ago Is OS X Mountain Lion free? 1 Upvote 1 [ Join the conversation ](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-os-x-mountain-lion-free) ![Abdillah Z.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Abdillah Z.") AZ Abdillah Zarkasy • Last activity over 5 years ago better this app is updated to increase capacity 1 Upvote 1 [ Join the conversation ](https://www.g2.com/discussions/42281-better-this-app-is-updated-to-increase-capacity) [ View all Discussions ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-mountain-lion/discuss) ## Pricing Insights Averages based on real user reviews. ### Time to Implement 1 month ### Return on Investment 19 months ### Perceived Cost $$$$$ [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-mountain-lion/pricing) Apple OS X Mountain Lion Comparisons ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_fb03e3ee10eb2580ca8fc8a37cd589c7/apple-macos-sierra.jpeg "Product Avatar Image") macOS Sierra 4.5/5(484) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/apple-os-x-mountain-lion-vs-apple-macos-sierra) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_ee59f4628496af6c043b6fc02782c7d7/apple-os-x-el-capitan.jpg "Product Avatar Image") OS X El Capitan 4.4/5(265) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/apple-os-x-el-capitan-vs-apple-os-x-mountain-lion) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_bed616139052a54ed9edfb8911a5b7bc/windows-7.png "Product Avatar Image") Windows 7 4.2/5(903) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/apple-os-x-mountain-lion-vs-windows-7) ##### ##### Apple OS X Mountain Lion Features Memory Management - Operating System RAM management Device Management - Operating System I/O management Backup and Recovery - Operating System Data backup Error Detection - Operating System System operations monitoring [ View More Features ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-os-x-mountain-lion/features) ## Work at Apple? 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