EVE-NG won't run on your Apple Silicon Mac.
netplex. will.
EVE-NG has no ARM build, and on an M1/M2/M3 Mac the VMware Fusion + nested-virtualization path doesn't work - and the vendor images are compiled for x86 anyway. The realistic EVE-NG options for Apple Silicon are a cloud VPS or UTM with heavy compromises. netplex. sidesteps all of it: your Mac is a thin client that only needs a browser, and the x86 images run on the netplex. host - not on your laptop.
EVE-NG does not support Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3). The VMware Fusion + nested-CPU-virtualization path isn't supported on ARM Macs, and most vendor images are x86-only. Intel Macs run EVE-NG via Fusion; Apple Silicon users are pushed to a VPS or UTM. netplex. runs the images on its host, so your Mac's CPU architecture never matters.
And why netplex. doesn't care.
Your Mac is just a browser.
No ARM build, x86 images
EVE-NG has no Apple Silicon version, and vendor NOS images are compiled for x86-64 - they won't run natively on an M-series chip.
Fusion + nested virt isn't supported
The supported EVE-NG-on-Mac path is VMware Fusion with nested virtualization, which Apple Silicon doesn't provide - so the normal install simply doesn't work.
Workarounds hurt
That leaves a cloud VPS (extra cost, setup) or UTM emulating x86 (slow). Both are compromises to run what should just work.
netplex. is a thin client
The x86 images run on the netplex. host. Your MacBook - M1, M2, M3 or Intel - only needs a browser. Architecture mismatch disappears.
EVE-NG on Mac vs netplex.
The short version.
| Feature | EVE-NG on Mac Community / Pro |
netplex. tier shown per row |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) | Not supported | Yes — Mac is a browser client |
| Intel Mac | Yes — via VMware Fusion | Yes — any browser |
| What you install on the Mac | Fusion + EVE-NG (Intel only) | Nothing — just a browser |
| Where x86 images run | On your Mac (Intel only) | On the netplex. host |
| Workaround needed on M-series | Cloud VPS or UTM (slow) | None |
| Performance on the laptop | Nested virt overhead | Thin client — host does the work |
| Setup on Apple Silicon | Not officially possible | Open a browser |
EVE-NG facts from eve-ng.net documentation and community sources (2026). netplex. rows are code-verified.
Straight with you
On an Intel Mac, EVE-NG via VMware Fusion works fine - if that's your machine, you're not stuck. The gap is specifically Apple Silicon, where EVE-NG has no supported path. netplex. needs an x86_64 host somewhere to run the images (that part isn't magic) - but your Mac, whatever its chip, only ever needs a browser to drive it.
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