Rufus formats USB drives and creates bootable USB sticks from ISO images, with BIOS/UEFI options and MS-DOS/FreeDOS support. Users appreciate its straightforward approach, though some seek alternatives that handle multiple ISOs or offer cross-platform compatibility.
Ventoy leads as the top-ranked alternative, allowing users to boot multiple ISO files from one USB without repeatedly reformatting - just copy new ISOs onto the drive. balenaEtcher appeals to users wanting a simple interface with verification steps, though some report struggles with Windows ISO boot disks. UNetbootin ranks highly as an open-source option with Windows, Mac, and Linux versions.
For specialized workflows, Popsicle can write one ISO image to multiple USB devices simultaneously with a simple click-driven workflow. These Rufus alternatives range from multiboot managers to straightforward image flashers, giving users flexibility in their bootable media creation approach.
Open source options dominate the bootable USB space, with YUMI exFAT, WinDiskWriter, and WoeUSB all offering transparent, community-built tools. Linux users have native support through YUMI exFAT and WinDiskWriter, while WoeUSB focuses specifically on creating Windows installer USBs from Linux systems.
For portable workflows, YUMI exFAT, WinDiskWriter, and dd can run from USB without installation - perfect for technicians who need tools on the go. Users seeking ad-free experiences will find clean interfaces in YUMI exFAT, WoeUSB, and dd without promotional distractions. The command-line tool dd provides the most minimal approach for advanced users who prefer direct ISO writing without graphical interfaces.
WinSetupFromUSB is a Windows program, which prepares multiboot USB flash or fixed disk to install any Windows versions since 2000/XP, boot various Linux and *BSD flavors, as well as many Windows, Linux, DOS based and other utilities. Since version 1.
With iVentoy you can boot and install OS on multiple machines at the same time through the network. iVentoy is extremely easy to use, without complicated configuration, just put the ISO file in the specified location and select PXE boot in the client machine.
RMPrepUSB allows the Windows user to easily and quickly 'roll their own' multiboot USB drive.
Almost everyone thinks EtchDroid is a great Rufus alternative.
EtchDroid is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Rufus.
A utility that can write a raw backup image of your hard drive to a removable device or vice versa.
SARDU (short for Shardana Antivirus Rescue Disk Utility) creates a multiboot all-in-one USB drive, CD or DVD for free (personal and non commercial use). Hard disks, external hard disks and all removable media are supported.
Most users think SARDU is a great Rufus alternative.
The easiest way to create legacy macOS bootable drives on modern Macs. Revive old Intel Macs using your Apple Silicon machine — no terminal knowledge required.
Good but some cannot write some isos, including windows server
Excellent Image writer in USB
Most users think SUSE Studio ImageWriter is a great Rufus alternative.
Use Raspberry Pi Imager for an easy way to install Raspberry Pi OS and other operating systems to an SD card ready to use with your Raspberry Pi.
Enables writing files to CD, DVD, Blu-ray, BDXL, and M-Disc, supports boot, multisession, audio, and video discs, ISO creation, data backup, file recovery, spanning, command-line, and a stable multilingual interface for Windows systems.
Rufus is specialized in make USB Flash Drives bootable. BurnAware only operates on optical discs and cannot help make them bootable.
Some users think BurnAware is a great Rufus alternative, some don't.
Linux Mint's USB Image Writer (mintstick) is an easy to use and dependable means of creating bootable USBs.
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got the lifetime tech licence and honestly you won't believe how much time and nerves it saves the required images / versions.