Active@ ISO Manager vs Alcohol 52%
Active@ ISO Manager
ntfs.comAlcohol 52%
alcohol-soft.comSide by side
| Figure | Active@ ISO Manager | Alcohol 52% |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Spec score · ISO Creation Software | 8.7 (#3) | 9.0 (#1) |
| Company headquarters | The maker lists 7177 Danton Promenade, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 5P3, Canada. | Wikidata records Alcohol Soft's headquarters as Belfast. |
| Documentation | The maker provides step-by-step HTML instructions for creation, disc import, burning, editing, extraction, mounting and automation, plus a five-page PDF guide. | The official manual covers wizards, image finding, device management, options, virtual drives, emulation, network sharing and licensing. |
| Purpose | Authors, edits, and burns CD/DVD-ROM ISO images compatible with ISO 9660 and Joliet standards. | Alcohol 52% emulates CDs and DVDs by creating virtual drives so users can play discs without the physical media. |
| Rating on Softpedia | 4.8 out of 5 from 28 user votes. | 4.1 out of 5 from 171 votes |
| Support | The maker lists email support and phone availability from 9am to 6pm Eastern time. | The maker offers manuals, FAQs, a support forum staffed by its support team, and direct email contact. |
| What it does | Active@ ISO Manager creates, edits, extracts and burns CD/DVD-ROM ISO images. | Alcohol 52% creates virtual CD/DVD drives so disc images can be used without the physical media. |
| Windows support | The version history says version 23 improved support for Windows 11. | Current downloads support Windows versions except Windows 98 and ME, including Windows 7 through 11. |
Plans
Active@ ISO Manager
- Active@ ISO Manager FreewareFree
- Active@ ISO Manager FREEWAREFree
Alcohol 52%
- Alcohol 52% 15 day trialFree
- Alcohol 52% 15-day trialFree
- Alcohol 52% Free EditionFree
- Alcohol 52%$27, paid once
In their own words
Active@ ISO Manager
Active@ ISO Manager is a Windows utility for authoring, editing, extracting, rebuilding, and burning ISO images compatible with ISO 9660 and Joliet standards. It can create images from existing CD/DVD-ROMs or from files and folders, then extract files, change image contents, and assemble the result again. The listed image format is ISO. Burning support includes CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, rewritable discs, dual-layer DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray. Command-line parameters automate authoring and burning, while saved settings retain entered parameters for repeated image creation. The creation guide describes adding a boot image and selecting floppy or HDD emulation. The product page lists version 26.0.1, dated February 1, 2026, as a maintenance release; version 23 improved Windows 11 support. The Freeware plan costs nothing and uses a Windows Installer. LSoft says its Professional edition is available only in the Active@ Data Studio Desktop Suite. LSoft Technologies is a privately owned North American company founded in 1999, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Alcohol 52%
Alcohol 52% creates virtual CD/DVD-ROM drives so users can play discs without the physical media. It supports up to 31 virtual drives and can mount optical images in formats including CCD, CUE, ISO, BWF, CDI, MDS, and NRG. The listed downloads are for Windows, excluding Windows 98 and ME. A free 15-day evaluation period is available, with capabilities limited only by the number of virtual drives available. The Free Edition is also listed at free and is marked not for business use. A paid single licence costs 27.00 USD once and includes lifetime free upgrades; online activation is required. The maker describes home users backing up game CDs and movie DVDs, as well as librarians and school administrators archiving recordable media. DVD titles protected with CSS cannot be backed up due to legal restrictions. Support options include manuals, FAQs, a support forum, and direct email contact. The privacy policy says users may choose to join the Bright Data network for some premium features and can turn that setting off in the app.