Comparison
shft vs Apple Migration Assistant
Both tools migrate Macs. Migration Assistant is built for consumers — one user, one machine, no oversight needed. shft is built for the case where any of that breaks down: MDM-managed fleets, renamed accounts, selective categories, audit requirements, developer machines.
| Capability | shft | Migration Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| MDM-aware user mapping | Detects managed accounts, rewrites paths across preferences and configs | No — copies users 1:1, breaks against renamed managed accounts |
| User account remapping | jsmith → john.smith remapped cleanly across the home folder | Manual rename after import, often leaves broken references |
| Selective category migration | Pick categories per Mac — files, prefs, browser, system, keychain, dev tools | All-or-nothing per user account |
| Engineering tools (Homebrew, dotfiles, version managers) | Scanned, migrated, and itemized with a post-migration checklist | Copied as opaque files; nothing reinstalled or verified |
| App compatibility audit | Manifest screen shows compatibility per app before transfer starts | No pre-flight check; broken apps surface after import |
| Migration log / audit trail | Per-device JSON log with file counts, durations, and conflicts | None — Console messages only, not retained |
| Zero-touch MDM deployment | PKG via Jamf, Kandji, Mosyle, or Intune; configuration profile reference | Built in, but interactive — user has to drive every step |
| Resumable transfers | Resumes after disconnects or sleep | Restart from scratch on interruption |
| Conflict policies | Configurable: skip, overwrite, or rename when destination has the file | Implicit destination wins; little visibility |
| Keychain handling | AES-256-GCM in transit, restored directly into system Keychain | Bundled with user account; tied to source machine identity |
When Migration Assistant works fine
- You’re replacing a single personal Mac and bringing over your own account.
- The destination Mac is fresh out of the box and not enrolled in MDM.
- You’re comfortable with an all-or-nothing transfer and don’t need to audit what moved.
- No developer toolchain to preserve, or you plan to re-bootstrap it by hand.
For that case it’s free, native, and works. Use it.
When you need shft
- Refreshing a fleet of 10, 100, or 1000 Macs — IT can’t sit at every desk.
- Destination Macs are already MDM-enrolled with managed accounts that have different usernames.
- Migrating developer machines with Homebrew, dotfiles, version managers, and dev directories that need to land intact.
- Compliance or change-management asks for an audit trail of what moved between two Macs.
- You want to skip categories (no browser history, no Music library) and keep transfers tight.
Ready to move past Migration Assistant?
Personal license is $49 one-time. IT Pro Packs start at $199 for 10 migrations. Credits never expire.