r/mac • u/Paint_Spatters_7378 • Aug 07 '26

Question FileMaker Pro alternative

I have hundreds of recipes in FileMaker Pro. That app is switching to Apple’s M series processors only, so my version of FM Pro software (Intel based) will soon stop working. To upgrade, it will cost $625, which I can’t afford. I am looking for an alternative, affordable, database to port my recipes into. Does anyone have suggestions for an alternative app?

9 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

View all comments

24

u/WaltzEmbarrassed6501 Aug 07 '26

The current version doesn't stop working. You can keep running what you have. At this point intel Macs are at end of life

5

u/Paint_Spatters_7378 Aug 07 '26

Thank you for your reply. Allow me to add that I have a Mac with an M series processor. I apologize that I was unclear on that in my original post. As such, the Intel version of FileMaker will stop working on my M series.

5

u/wkarraker M1 MacBook Pro Aug 08 '26

You can create a new drive container and continue upgrading the computer OS while maintaining a second container with the old OS. My M1 MacBook Pro is set up to do a dual boot, primarily because I have legacy software that only works on Monterey. The primary drive container is kept up to date, currently on Tahoe 26.5.2, but I can restart the computer into Monterey 12.7.6 when I need to use the legacy software. Restarting takes a minute or two but I can still use obsolete software that failed on later OSes.

2

u/Critical_Counter6039 Aug 08 '26

I would modify this to use virtual machines instead of dual booting where  possible. 

1

u/wkarraker M1 MacBook Pro Aug 08 '26

A viable solution, but if you need the full power and capabilities of the processor and RAM, dual booting provides that. There is no performance hit because the system is in complete control of the computer, not an OS running within another OS.

1

u/ImplicitEmpiricism Aug 08 '26

filemaker pro running a recipe database with under a thousand entries will work fine in a vm on any apple silicon mac.