Boot-Repair vs rEFInd
Boot-Repair
help.ubuntu.comrEFInd
rodsbooks.comSide by side
| Figure | Boot-Repair | rEFInd |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Boot Manager Software | 7.7 (#12) | 8.3 (#8) |
| Installation | The project page describes running Boot-Repair from a Boot-Repair-Disk or installing it in an Ubuntu, derivative, Debian, or derivative live environment. | The refind-install script automates installation under Linux and OS X, and manual installation procedures for Linux, macOS, and Windows are also available. |
| Purpose | Boot-Repair fixes common boot problems, such as GRUB issues or problems booting Ubuntu or Windows after installing another operating system. | rEFInd is a boot manager forked from rEFIt that scans for boot loaders and helps users choose an operating system or utility at startup. |
| Support | The project directs users to share the Boot-Info report on their OS support forum to get help. | The maker invites users with problems or comments to email [email protected]. |
Plans
In their own words
Boot-Repair
Boot-Repair is free Linux software for restoring access to operating systems after boot failures. It addresses common GRUB problems and situations where Ubuntu or Windows no longer starts after another operating system is installed. Its Recommended Repair can reinstall GRUB and recover access to previously installed systems. Advanced options provide partition-table and boot-sector backups, GRUB setting changes, restoration of a Windows-compatible MBR, and filesystem repair. Boot-Repair can produce a Boot-Info diagnosis for sharing with helpers by email or on a forum. You choose whether to upload that report to Pastebin or keep it local; uploaded reports are described as expiring after some days. Boot-Repair-Disk starts the tool automatically and also includes OS-Uninstaller and Boot-Info. It can also run from Ubuntu, Debian, and derivative live environments. The project describes automatic backups and says the software is distributed without warranty.
rEFInd
rEFInd is a free boot manager, forked from rEFIt, that scans for boot loaders and lets users select an operating system or utility at startup. It is intended for EFI-based computers, not older BIOS-based machines, and works with EFI 1.1 and UEFI 2.x. It can find EFI loaders, BIOS/CSM/legacy loaders, and boot options saved in firmware NVRAM. For Linux, rEFInd can detect kernels with EFI stub support, locate initrd files, and read kernel options from a refind_linux.conf file. It supports text and graphical operation, with configurable resolution, backgrounds, icons, and fonts. It can communicate with Shim to authenticate boot loaders using valid UEFI Secure Boot keys, Shim keys, or Machine Owner Keys. Included filesystem drivers cover ext2/3, ext4, Btrfs, ReiserFS, HFS+, and ISO-9660; the NTFS driver is not compiled by default. Downloads include ZIP, RPM, Debian, CD-R image, and USB flash drive image packages. Installation scripts and manual procedures cover Linux, macOS, and Windows. The maker describes it as beta-quality, with uneven testing across architectures.