Short answer: one Mac can drive several iPhones, each holding up to eight accounts, so a single computer can serve several models. With Farmero, four phones at once is the largest setup measured on one Mac so far, which is up to 32 accounts. Past a handful of phones, USB power and bandwidth are the limit, so use a powered hub and plan a second Mac rather than stretching one.
Capacity
| Setup | Phones | Max accounts (8 per phone) | Models at 5 accounts each (assumption) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac ports only | 1–2 | 8–16 | 1–3 |
| Mac + powered hub | 3–4 | 24–32 | 4–6 |
| Two Macs + hubs | up to 8 | up to 64 | up to 12 |
Four phones on one Mac is the largest measured so far, not a hard ceiling; treat anything above it as untested on your hardware. The Rack plan covers eight iPhones on two Macs; see plans and limits. How many accounts a model needs is in accounts per model.
What limits one Mac
- Power. Phones that are working and charging draw more than a Mac's ports can supply. A phone that browns out drops off USB mid-run, which looks like a software bug.
- Bandwidth. Every phone charges and receives clips over the same cable.
- Cables. Short, certified data cables; charge-only cables do not show the phone at all.
- Sleep. Auto-lock off on every phone.
Hardware detail: running several phones and USB hub for an iPhone farm.
Keeping models separate on one computer
Separation comes from the phones, not from the Mac:
| Layer | How to separate |
|---|---|
| Phone | One model per phone where possible; labels on the phone and cable |
| Accounts | Up to eight per phone; profile header checked before each action |
| Network | Optional proxy per phone |
| Content | A folder per model; only approved files queued |
| People | Operators assigned per model; access log |
Mapping and labeling are covered in phone setup per model.
Using the Mac itself
The Mac does not need to be a dedicated machine, but it does need to stay awake and plugged in during runs. Farmero keeps data on the Mac: nothing leaves it except clips (only when the cloud fallback is used) and a licence check with the machine id. Clips normally reach the phone over the USB cable, measured at about 11 seconds, with a signed-link cloud fallback at about 25 seconds when there is no cable.
Plan capacity with headroom. If one Mac comfortably runs four phones, treat the fourth slot as a spare rather than a place for the next model, so a failed phone can be replaced without moving accounts around in a hurry. When the roster grows past that, add a second Mac and split models between them.
Running it with Farmero
Farmero is a Mac app for macOS 14+ that drives iPhones on iOS 17+ over USB. It switches accounts on each phone itself, confirms every post on the profile, stops and saves evidence when it cannot identify a screen, and resumes after crashes or disconnects. The web hub shows the fleet, accounts, content and schedule in one place. Automating these apps may breach their terms, and nobody can promise an account will never be restricted.
FAQ
How many iPhones can one Mac run?
With Farmero, four at once is the largest measured so far. Beyond a handful, power and USB bandwidth set the limit.
Do I need a separate computer per model?
No. Separation comes from phones, accounts and access, not from separate computers.
Does the Mac need to be a new one?
It needs macOS 14 or later. Any Mac that runs macOS 14 meets the software requirement; USB power is the bigger constraint.
What happens if the Mac restarts mid-run?
Farmero resumes after crashes and disconnects. A post it could not confirm is marked uncertain, not retried.