balenaEtcher
6.8#3 in bootable usb softwareFrom $1,720 a yearFree planLinuxmacOSWindows
VisitbalenaEtcher vs USBImager
What both publish
| Fact | balenaEtcher | USBImager |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 | 2020 |
| Linux support | The documentation lists Linux on most distributions for Intel 64-bit systems. | Linux distributions are supported through X11, GTK+, Ubuntu Debian packages, Arch AUR packages, and Raspberry Pi builds. |
| macOS support | The documentation lists macOS 10.13 and later on Intel and Apple Silicon. | macOS builds are supplied as native Cocoa binaries for Intel and ARM Macs. |
| Purpose | Etcher flashes OS images to SD cards and USB drives. | USBImager writes compressed disk images to USB drives and creates backups. |
| Support | The documentation directs users with problems to raise an issue on GitHub, where the balena.io team can help. | The README directs users to the GitLab issue tracker to report problems. |
balenaEtcher plans
- balenaCloud FreeFree
- balenaEtcherFree
- balenaCloud Prototype$159 a month
- balenaCloud Pilot$329 a month
- balenaCloud Production$1,439 a month
- balenaCloud Prototype$1,720 a year
USBImager plans
- FreeFree
Pick balenaEtcher if…
Etcher suits people creating installation media or writing an OS image to an SD card or USB drive on Linux, macOS, or Windows. Users who need persistent storage on a live USB should look elsewhere.
Pick USBImager if…
USBImager suits people who need to write disk images or make backups without relying on command-line tools. It also supports users working with compressed images, archives or microcontrollers over a serial line.