Software Alternatives & Reviews

USBImager VS Balena Etcher

Compare USBImager VS Balena Etcher and see what are their differences

USBImager logo USBImager

A very minimal GUI app that can write compressed disk images to USB drives.

Balena Etcher logo Balena Etcher

Flash OS images to SD cards & USB drives, safely and easily.
  • USBImager Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20
  • Balena Etcher Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-22

USBImager videos

How to Create Bootable USB Linux Media with usbimager

More videos:

  • Review - Which Flashing Tool is the FASTEST? | Raspberry Pi Imager VS Etcher VS USBImager!

Balena Etcher videos

Wish.com 2000MW Laser Etcher Review

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Make Bootable USB in Windows 10 or Bootable SD // Etcher Tutorial
  • Review - Linux App Review / Etcher

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to USBImager and Balena Etcher)
Utilities
19 19%
81% 81
Bootable USB
18 18%
82% 82
OS & Utilities
39 39%
61% 61
Boot Disk Utilities
10 10%
90% 90

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare USBImager and Balena Etcher

USBImager Reviews

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Balena Etcher Reviews

7 Best Rufus Alternatives To Create Bootable USB In 2022
So these were some of the best Rufus alternatives that you can try. Suppose you’re still confused about which one to use. In that case, we’d recommend ‘balenaEtcher’ and ‘Ventoy.’ For Linux users, ‘WoeUSB’ for Windows media creation, ‘Ventoy,’ ‘balenaEctcher,’ and ‘Popsicle’ will all do the job.
Source: fossbytes.com
10 Best Rufus Alternatives in 2022 (USB Bootable Tools)
If you are searching for an easy-to-use tool to create bootable USB drives, Etcher might be the best pick. It’s a full-fledged bootable USB tool available for Windows and macOS. The user interface of Etcher is quite simple to use, and it supports all sorts of system images like DMG, ISO, IMG, etc. Etcher is an open-source tool, and it’s entirely free to use.
Source: techviral.net
14 Rufus alternatives for Linux, Mac, and windows
Now, Balena has a host of other solutions. This includes cloud, balenaOS, balena Engine, and even their flashing hardware called balenaEtcherPro. Balena Etcher is perfect for creating ready-to-go bootable drives. But, It does not provide options for persistence. They still support a wide range of iso images including Windows iso.
Rufus Alternatives – 8 Best USB Bootable Software For Linux
WoeUSB comes in wherein Etcher falls short. It is compatible with Windows ISO and even recommended by Etcher. Similar to Etcher, even WoeUSB doesn’t show you internal drives. It automatically detects the removable USB drives and you just have to select the appropriate one and click on Install. It handles all the complexities by itself. WoeUSB supports Windows from Vista to...
Source: techwiser.com
8 Free USB Bootable Software For Windows
Etcher is the new kid on the block and the easiest to use bootable software in this list. The main reason to build Etcher was to escape the complexity of selecting multiple options and settings with different Operating-system. It just requires few clicks to convert your SD card or USB into a bootable drive. It supports Windows, Linux based OS and even macOS. Etcher also has...
Source: techwiser.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Balena Etcher should be more popular than USBImager. It has been mentiond 15 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

USBImager mentions (8)

  • Day 4: (Re)Installing NixOS on my Macbook Pro
    I downloaded the minimal nixos-t2-release and used USBImager to write the resulting ISO to my usb drive. Balena Etcher is a good choice as well. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Need to remove old kernels to free up the boot partition
    In good English you can read it on the support page. Support.popos.com and second, use usbimager, it is a little tool for Windows an several Linux distro’s. Just follow the link: https://gitlab.com/bztsrc/usbimager For windows take the first one. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Usbimager – A non-electron based alternative to Balena Etcher
    I've used USBImager for several months now. It is exactly the kind of app I love: Minimal, does one thing well, no-bloat. https://gitlab.com/bztsrc/usbimager. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Usbimager – A non-electron based alternative to Balena Etcher
    Https://gitlab.com/bztsrc/usbimager should be ok too. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • How do i make a bootable USB for Windows?
    For a rufus alternative USBImager (gitlab) has worked well for me. Source: over 2 years ago
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Balena Etcher mentions (15)

  • How long does a dd to memory stick write of the img file take?
    Consider using BalenaEtcher.app It usually transfers at the maximum data rate possible and includes checks so you don't accidentally overwrite the wrong disk. Source: about 1 year ago
  • This is my first time installing linux, can someone tell what this can be?
    Tbh if I were you I would just flash the Debian image to a USB with Rufus or BalenaEtcher and boot from the USB. Just make sure to disable secure boot before doing so, otherwise the USB won't boot. Also you should probably uninstall the Debian loader from Windows. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Best way to create a windows install usb stick on macOS Monterey without using terminal
    You can download the iso and use something like https://balena.io/etcher. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Flexible distro for an absolute noob who wants to learn hands-on
    The live mode only works with an USB. You can set it up with Balena Etcher (http://balena.io/etcher/). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Hey guys, I really need some help. I have no idea what to do.
    Ah on mac, that explains a little bit. So rufus does not exist for mac, but you can use something like balena etcher steps are: 1. Download the iso (keep in downloads folder, not on usb) 2. Open etcher and select the iso and the usb stick (verify it’s the right one) 3. Start etching (will ask for admin password) 4. When it’s finished put usb in your new computer and boot it 5. When the monitor displays a logo... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing USBImager and Balena Etcher, you can also consider the following products

Rufus - Rufus is a piece of software that allows you to transform a portable drive, like a flash drive or other USB drives, into a bootable drive that can be used for a variety of purposes. Read more about Rufus.

SUSE Studio ImageWriter - Utility for writing raw disk images & hybrid isos to USB keys.

YUMI - YUMI (Your USB Multiboot Installer), is a tool that allows you to boot multiple ISO files from one USB drive.

Deepin Boot Maker - Deepin Boot Maker is a boot maker developed by Deepin Technology Team.

UNetbootin - UNetbootin is a utility for creating live bootable USB drives. The name of the software is short for Universal Netboot Installer, and its most prevalent use has been to create bootable versions of Linux distributions on a USB drive.

WinUSB - multiboot - WinUSB - simple, portable and lightweight tool, lets you create multiple Windows bootable USB flash...