rEFInd
7.1#4 in boot manager softwareFree planFree planLinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows
VisitrEFInd vs Visor Boot Manager
Visor Boot Manager
6.0#17 in boot manager softwareFree planFree planLinuxWindows
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | rEFInd | Visor Boot Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Architectures | Binaries are available for x86, x86-64, and ARM64; the author says x86-64 is best tested and ARM64 is least tested. | The project builds for x86_64 and AArch64 from one source tree. |
| Automatic detection | It scans EFI loaders, legacy loaders and firmware boot entries without requiring every entry to be listed in a configuration file. | With no configuration, Visor detects Windows, UKIs, kernels, and BLS/OSTree deployments and derives a root command line automatically. |
| Documentation | The official documentation covers installation, usage, configuration, themes, Linux boot methods, EFI drivers, Secure Boot, revisions and support scripts. | Configuration, themes, encryption, LUKS, Secure Boot, snapshots, OSTree, filesystem drivers, CLI usage, architecture, and troubleshooting are documented in the project wiki. |
| Installation | The refind-install script automates installation under Linux and OS X, and manual installation procedures for Linux, macOS, and Windows are also available. | Visor can be built with gnu-efi, GCC, binutils, make, and git, or installed from the Arch User Repository. |
| Purpose | rEFInd is a boot manager forked from rEFIt that scans for boot loaders and helps users choose an operating system or utility at startup. | Visor is a minimal, fast graphical UEFI boot manager written in C. |
rEFInd plans
- rEFIndFree
Visor Boot Manager plans
- BSD-2-Clause open-sourceFree
Pick rEFInd if…
rEFInd suits users of EFI-based computers who want a boot menu for multiple operating systems or utilities. Linux users may value its kernel and initrd detection options.
Pick Visor Boot Manager if…
Visor may suit users who want a customizable UEFI menu for Linux and Windows EFI programs, including snapshot or OSTree boot options. It is not suitable for legacy BIOS hardware.