Boot-US vs Ventoy
Boot-US
boot-us.de
Ventoy
ventoy.netSide by side
| Figure | Boot-US | Ventoy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 1 |
| Spec score · Boot Manager Software | 9.0 (#1) | 7.3 (#20) |
| Disk formats | Boot-US supports disks of any size using MBR and GPT. | Ventoy supports MBR and GPT partition styles and lists FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, UDF, XFS, Btrfs, and Ext2/3/4 for the main partition. |
| Purpose | Boot-US is a universal boot manager for using existing operating systems independently of one another. | Ventoy creates bootable USB drives that can boot ISO, WIM, IMG, VHD(x), and EFI files directly. |
| Support | The author says licensed users' questions should be answered within a working day, while answers for non-licensed users may take from a day to a week. | The site directs users to its forums or the maintainer’s email for general issues and problem reports. |
Plans
Boot-US
- Private PC / public school useFree
- Boot-US 4.x.x · 1 PC€24.50, paid once
- Boot-US 4.x.x, 1 PC$24.50, paid once
- Boot-US 4.x.x · 5 PCs€59.50, paid once
- Boot-US 4.x.x, 5 PCs$59.50, paid once
- Boot-US 4.x.x · 20 PCs€119.50, paid once
- Boot-US 4.x.x, 20 PCs$119.50, paid once
- Boot-US 4.x.x · 100 PCs€299.50, paid once
- Boot-US 4.x.x, 100 PCs$299.50, paid once
In their own words
Boot-US
Boot-US is a boot manager for x86 machines that lets you start existing operating systems independently, including multiple separate Windows systems. It supports both BIOS and UEFI booting and works with MBR and GPT disks of any size. The package has a graphical configuration program for Windows and command-line versions for Windows and 64-bit Linux. It also includes tools to inspect partition details, hide partitions, and back up or restore disks and partitions. The site lists version 4.2.4, including a Linux 64-bit command-line version and a service for restoring UEFI variables when Windows starts or shuts down. SHA256 values are listed for that version’s downloads. The non-licensed package is free for private PCs and public schools, and can be tried for one month. Commercial use requires a license after the trial. Listed licenses are one-time payments, starting at €24.50 for one PC; some password protection functions require a version 4 license. The license page says the software is provided without warranty and used at the user’s own risk.
Ventoy
Ventoy creates bootable drives that start ISO, WIM, IMG, VHD(x), and EFI files directly. After installation, users copy image files to the drive and choose one from a boot menu without extracting them. The project lists support for Windows, WinPE, Linux, ChromeOS, Unix, VMware, and Xen, plus x86 Legacy BIOS and IA32, x86_64, ARM64, and MIPS64EL UEFI. MBR and GPT partition styles are supported, with FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, UDF, XFS, Btrfs, and Ext2/3/4 listed for the main partition. Features include Linux persistence, automated Windows and Linux installation, password protection, themes, and a plugin framework with GUI configuration. Ventoy can be installed on USB drives, local disks, SSDs, NVMe drives, and SD cards. It is open source under GPLv3+ for its own code and free at free.