Fedora Media Writer vs Unraid USB Creator
Fedora Media Writer
fedoraproject.orgUnraid USB Creator
unraid.netSide by side
| Figure | Fedora Media Writer | Unraid USB Creator |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Bootable USB Software | 8.0 (#7) | 7.9 (#12) |
| Founded | 2003 | 2005 |
| Purpose | Fedora Media Writer writes Fedora images to USB flash drives. | The USB Creator prepares an Unraid USB flash drive from a Windows, macOS, or Linux computer so it can boot a server and continue setup in the onboarding wizard. |
| Support | The project asks users experiencing crashes or writing errors to open an issue on GitHub. | Unraid offers product documentation, community forums, support tickets, and paid one-on-one support sessions. |
Plans
Unraid USB Creator
- Starter$49, paid once
- Unleashed$109, paid once
- Lifetime$249, paid once
In their own words
Fedora Media Writer
Fedora Media Writer creates bootable USB drives by writing Fedora images to them. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and can download the image before writing. A Live Fedora drive can be booted to try Fedora without making permanent changes to the computer. Getting started requires a 4GB USB flash drive.
Writing uses direct access to the device and replaces its existing contents and partition layout. Fedora Media Writer includes a Restore feature to put the drive back into a standard single-partition layout. Image checks can include comparing the USB device with the downloaded ISO or booting it and running a media check. Fedora also advises verifying downloaded images with a checksum file signed by a Fedora Project OpenPGP certificate. Installation options include Fedora's RPM package, Flathub on Linux, Windows releases, and a macOS DMG. The project identifies the software as GPL-2.0 licensed and directs users with crashes or writing errors to open a GitHub issue. It is free: free.
Unraid USB Creator
Unraid USB Creator has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.