For the most part, all of the work I do developing my images is spent on a Macbook. If you are not picky on your operating system, using a Windows OS computer is definitely the easier way to go. Most of the programs for astrophotography are native to Windows and alternatives must be found to have success on a Mac.
This is where I spend most of my time when developing an image. Photoshop is used for bringing out the detail of the imaged target and adding the artistic flare to the colors.
As far as free image stacking software goes, this one is the best. This software only operates natively for Windows. Any comparable software programs for the Mac require you to pay up, so for now, I am unable to completely process on my Macbook.