Rufus vs balenaEtcher

Struggling to choose between Rufus and balenaEtcher? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Rufus is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like bootable-usb, live-usb, usb-installer, windows-usb, linux-usb.

It boasts features such as Creates bootable USB drives for installing operating systems, Supports ISO and DD images, Provides options for partition scheme and file system, Small size and fast operation, Works on Windows only and pros including Free and open source, Easy to use interface, Wide range of supported operating systems, Actively developed and updated, Fast USB formatting and writing.

On the other hand, balenaEtcher is a Os & Utilities product tagged with open-source, burning, flashing, imaging, iso, img, usb, sd-card, microsd-card.

Its standout features include Cross-platform availability, Intuitive and simple UI, Support for ISO, IMG, ZIP, and DMG images, Validation of images before writing, Support for writing to USB drives, SD cards, and more, Open source and free, and it shines with pros like Easy to use, Reliable burning process, Active development and updates, Lightweight and fast, Works across Windows, Mac, and Linux.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Rufus

Rufus

Rufus is a free and open-source utility software for creating bootable USB drives. It is commonly used to create bootable USB flash drives for installing or running operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, or other tools, on a computer.

Categories:
bootable-usb live-usb usb-installer windows-usb linux-usb

Rufus Features

  1. Creates bootable USB drives for installing operating systems
  2. Supports ISO and DD images
  3. Provides options for partition scheme and file system
  4. Small size and fast operation
  5. Works on Windows only

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Free and open source

Easy to use interface

Wide range of supported operating systems

Actively developed and updated

Fast USB formatting and writing

Cons

Windows only

Limited features compared to similar tools

No verification of written USB drives

Some compatibility issues with certain ISOs

Lacks features like multiboot USB creation


balenaEtcher

balenaEtcher

balenaEtcher is a free and open-source utility used for burning image files such as ISO and IMG files to external devices such as USB flash drives, SD cards, and microSD cards. It has a simple interface with intuitive controls for selecting an image file, target device, and writing the image.

Categories:
open-source burning flashing imaging iso img usb sd-card microsd-card

BalenaEtcher Features

  1. Cross-platform availability
  2. Intuitive and simple UI
  3. Support for ISO, IMG, ZIP, and DMG images
  4. Validation of images before writing
  5. Support for writing to USB drives, SD cards, and more
  6. Open source and free

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Easy to use

Reliable burning process

Active development and updates

Lightweight and fast

Works across Windows, Mac, and Linux

Cons

Limited functionality compared to similar tools

No support for creating bootable Windows USBs

Lacks some advanced options