UNetbootin vs WinDiskWriter
UNetbootin
unetbootin.github.ioWinDiskWriter
github.comSide by side
| Figure | UNetbootin | WinDiskWriter |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Bootable USB Software | 8.4 (#3) | 6.9 (#34) |
| License | UNetbootin is released under GNU GPL version 2 or later; site materials use Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0. | The public repository identifies WinDiskWriter as licensed under GPL-3.0. |
| Purpose | UNetbootin creates bootable Live USB drives for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions without burning a CD. | WinDiskWriter creates bootable Windows installer USB drives from macOS. |
| Support | The FAQ directs users to GitHub Issues for bug reports and GitHub Pull Requests for patches. | The author invites financial support through cryptocurrency donations listed in the README. |
Plans
In their own words
UNetbootin
UNetbootin creates bootable Live USB drives for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions, allowing installation without burning a CD. It can download a supported distribution or use a Linux ISO already on the computer, and the listed targets are a USB drive or hard disk. Built-in downloads include Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, Linux Mint, and FreeBSD, as well as system utilities such as Parted Magic and SystemRescueCD. The site says most Linux ISO files should work, though some require extra boot options or changes, and some cannot boot from USB as-is. Non-Linux operating system ISOs should not be expected to work because they use a different boot mechanism. UNetbootin is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, and is free; donations are accepted. The source code is available on GitHub under GNU GPL Version 2 or above. Linux download options include an Ubuntu PPA, 32-bit and 64-bit binaries, packages for several distributions, and source code.
WinDiskWriter
WinDiskWriter has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.