Best Bootable USB Software in 2026
Updated
In short: balenaEtcher is ranked #1 of 39 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Buddi and UNetbootin. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Buddi. The lowest first paid tier on this page is balenaEtcher at $143.33/mo.
A bootable USB tool can help you prepare a drive for operating system images or multiple boot options. Check which platforms are covered—Windows, macOS, and Linux—then compare image downloads, partition schemes, and multiboot support for the setup you have in mind. Persistent storage is another feature to weigh if retaining data matters. The entries also indicate free-plan availability and paid-from pricing, so you can include cost in your assessment. Ventoy, Universal USB Installer, and YUMI start the ranking, with Rufus and WinSetupFromUSB following. Use the listed platform and drive capabilities to narrow the choices to tools suited to your intended bootable USB use.
39 bootable USB software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 balenaEtcher Top pick · 7.3 Free plan · $143.33/mo #2 Buddi Runner-up · 7.1 Free plan · Free
#3 UNetbootin Also great · 7.0 Free plan · Free- Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$143.33/mofirst paid tier About balenaEtcherVisit site - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- No
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree About YUMIVisit site - Free plan LinuxWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- No
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- No
- Multiboot support
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- No
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- No
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Linuxself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - macOSLinuxWindows
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 29.95 one-time
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- No
- Multiboot support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- No
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- Yes
- Multiboot support
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 29.95 one-time
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- No
- Linux app
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Windows app
- Yes
- macOS app
- Yes
- Linux app
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which bootable USB software is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
balenaEtcher is ranked #1 of 39 with a score of 7.3. Buddi is second and UNetbootin third.
How many of these have a free plan?
13 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, balenaEtcher has the lowest first paid tier we found: $143.33/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.