Clover Bootloader vs EasyBCD
Clover Bootloader
github.comEasyBCD
neosmart.netSide by side
| Figure | Clover Bootloader | EasyBCD |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Boot Manager Software | 8.0 (#9) | 8.3 (#6) |
| Purpose | CloverBootloader is a bootloader for macOS, Windows and Linux in UEFI and legacy modes. | EasyBCD is a Windows bootloader editor and dual-boot configurator. |
| Support | The project README points users to AppleLife, InsanelyMac and macos86.it support forums. | NeoSmart directs technical support inquiries to its support forums and says premium technical support may be purchased through sales. |
Plans
In their own words
Clover Bootloader
Clover Bootloader starts macOS, Windows and Linux systems on Macs and PCs with UEFI or BIOS firmware. It can launch through UEFI directly or use CloverEFI to emulate UEFI, and supports UEFI and legacy boot modes. Its graphical interface can be customized with themes, icons, fonts, backgrounds, animations and mouse pointers. Users can create boot entries for other operating systems, while the interface can save preboot logs, screenshots and OEM ACPI tables for diagnostics. Settings are held in an XML config.plist file in EFI/CLOVER. When firmware Secure Boot is enabled, Clover’s Secure setting limits booting to signed binaries. The repository links to a separate theme manager and theme collection, and its README points users to AppleLife, InsanelyMac and macos86.it forums. Build procedures are provided for macOS and Ubuntu 19.10. Clover incorporates OpenCorePkg libraries for kext injection and patching. It is free under the BSD 2-Clause License, which permits source and binary redistribution. The releases page lists version 5175 as latest, with six assets.
EasyBCD
EasyBCD is a Windows bootloader editor for setting up multiboot systems and changing boot menus. It can configure systems involving Windows, Linux, macOS, and BSD, and boot from USB drives, ISO images, and virtual disks. Users can add, rename, remove, configure, and reorder boot entries, including entries for recovery utilities or safe mode. The tool can back up and repair a bootloader, and its NeoGrub scripting can hide partitions, change active flags, and support complex boot setups. EasyBCD supports BIOS and UEFI. Personal, non-commercial use is free; the Commercial plan costs $39.99 as a one-time purchase. NeoSmart advises care when modifying boot settings and says EasyBCD cannot fix a PC that will not boot, directing users to EasyRE for that situation. The latest release listed in the changelog is version 2.4.0.237, dated November 28, 2018.