LibreELEC USB-SD Creator vs USBImager
LibreELEC USB-SD Creator
libreelec.tvUSBImager
bztsrc.gitlab.ioSide by side
| Figure | LibreELEC USB-SD Creator | USBImager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Bootable USB Software | 7.9 (#9) | 8.2 (#5) |
| Founded | 2016 | 2020 |
| Languages | Version 1.5 added Arabic and Korean translations. | The application includes dictionaries for 18 languages and detects the operating system language automatically. |
| macOS support | The current app is available for macOS 14 and newer. | macOS builds are supplied as native Cocoa binaries for Intel and ARM Macs. |
| Purpose | The app selects and downloads a LibreELEC image for an HTPC device and creates bootable USB or SD card media. | USBImager writes compressed disk images to USB drives and creates backups. |
| Support | The project directs users with app problems to its USB-SD Creator Support forum. | The README directs users to the GitLab issue tracker to report problems. |
| Windows support | The current app is available for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. | Windows builds use a native GDI interface, including a simplified write-only variant. |
Plans
In their own words
LibreELEC USB-SD Creator
LibreELEC USB-SD Creator prepares bootable USB sticks or SD cards for an HTPC. It can select and download the latest stable LibreELEC image, show older stable releases, or use a local .img.gz file supplied by the user. Writing the image overwrites all data on the selected target device. LibreELEC describes its operating system as a lightweight Linux distribution built for Kodi on popular media-center hardware. The free, open-source Creator currently runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 and macOS 14 or newer. A Linux build for Ubuntu and Debian derivatives is not currently available. The application checks for updates but does not download or install them automatically. Version 1.5 added Arabic and Korean translations. LibreELEC signs the macOS app to help avoid Gatekeeper issues and provides SHA-256 links for Windows and macOS installers. Support is directed to the USB-SD Creator Support forum. The project says its default configuration is intended for home networks, not security-sensitive networks.
USBImager
USBImager is a free desktop utility for writing disk images to USB drives and creating backups. It reads raw images, compressed formats such as .gz, .bz2, .xz, and .zst, and archives including .zip, .tar, .cpio, and .pax. It can compare a written drive with the source image to verify the result, and create backups in raw or ZStandard compressed format. Images can also be sent to microcontrollers over a serial line. The app is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with a minimalist native interface and 18 language options. The maker says it is intended for people who may be uncomfortable with command-line tools, and that it tries to avoid overwriting the system disk. Synchronized writes are intended to ensure data is on disk when progress reaches 100%. The maker describes it as free of advertisements and privacy concerns and GDPR compatible. One stated limit is that xz compression dictionaries larger than 1 gigabyte are unsupported. The app is open source under the MIT license.