balenaEtcher vs Easy2Boot
balenaEtcher
etcher.balena.io
Easy2Boot
easy2boot.xyzSide by side
| Figure | balenaEtcher | Easy2Boot |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $143.33/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 1 |
| Spec score · Bootable USB Software | 8.7 (#1) | 7.9 (#8) |
| Open source | Etcher is free and open source, and the maker welcomes community contributions. | The E2B menu system uses open-source components and plain-text scripts, while the download also includes the maker’s closed-source Windows utilities. |
| Purpose | Etcher flashes OS images to SD cards and USB drives. | Easy2Boot creates a multiboot USB drive for booting operating system installers, live systems, and utilities. |
| Support | The documentation directs users with problems to raise an issue on GitHub, where the balena.io team can help. | The site offers a user forum, online live help from the developer, eBooks, and online chat help. |
Plans
balenaEtcher
- 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
- balenaCloud Pilot$3,588 a year
- balenaCloud Production$15,588 a year
- balenaCloud EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
balenaEtcher
balenaEtcher flashes operating system images to SD cards and USB drives, and can create USB installation media from bootable ISOs. Its three-step interface requires no command line. After flashing, it confirms completion to help users check that a card can boot and is not corrupted. To reduce the risk of choosing the wrong target, it warns users and hides system drives by default. Flashing erases the entire target drive and replaces its data. Etcher runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows: listed support covers most Linux distributions on Intel 64-bit systems, Windows 10 and later on Intel 64-bit systems, and macOS 10.13 and later on Intel and Apple Silicon. It can directly flash Raspberry Pi devices that support USB device boot mode. Etcher is free and open source. It does not configure persistent storage for live USB drives, and Windows images may need special boot preparation that Etcher is not designed to perform.
Easy2Boot
Easy2Boot creates a multiboot USB drive for starting operating system installers, live systems and utilities. It runs on Linux and Windows, and the download includes three menu systems based on grub4dos, grubfm and Ventoy. Users add payloads by copying ISO, IMG and VHD files to the USB drive; listed payloads include Windows and Linux images, DOS programs and floppy images. For supported UEFI payloads, .imgPTN partition images can be used for Secure Boot. Easy2Boot can automate Windows installations with drivers, software, configuration, scripts and updates. Linux setup calls for an MBR partition layout and requires partition 4 to remain unused. The download guidance recommends a USB drive between 8GB and 2TB; larger drives may use 4K sectors or lack legacy boot support. Direct Secure UEFI32 booting to the agFM menu is not supported. The menu system uses open-source components and plain-text scripts, but the download also includes closed-source Windows utilities. Easy2Boot is free to use, but not for resale. Support options include a forum, live developer help, eBooks and online chat.