dd AlternativesBootable USB Creators & Disk Imaging Tools like dd

dd is described as 'That stands for ‘data duplicator’, is a command-line utility for Unix mainly used for copying and converting data' and is a popular bootable usb creator in the os & utilities category. There are more than 25 alternatives to dd for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Flathub and Flatpak apps. The best dd alternative is Rufus, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like dd are balenaEtcher, Clonezilla, UNetbootin and KDE Partition Manager.

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dd alternatives are mainly Bootable USB Creators but may also be Disk Imaging Tools or Disk Cloning Tools.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of dd.
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dd, that stands for ‘data duplicator’, is a command-line utility for Unix mainly used for copying and converting data.

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dd alternatives page was last updated Dec 8, 2023
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Alternatives
  1. Rufus icon

    Rufus

     1501 likes
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    Formats USB drives to FAT, NTFS, exFAT, and more, while creating bootable USBs from diverse ISOs. Supports MS-DOS/FreeDOS with no external files and offers BIOS or UEFI mode, including bad block check. Ideal for systems lacking an OS or flashing BIOS and lightweight, ad-free.

    68 Rufus alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Rufus screenshot 1
    Rufus screenshot 2
    Rufus screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Optimal performance

    Features

    1.  Create bootable USB
    2.  Portable
    3.  Burn iso
    4.  Windows To Go
    5.  UEFI Support
    6.  Write ISO to SD card
    7.  Create bootable Image
    8.  Create BIOS bootable drive
    9.  Create UEFI bootable drive
    10.  GNU/linux-libre
    11.  USB to FAT
    12.  USB to NTFS

    Rufus VS dd

     
    Comments about Rufus as an Alternative to dd
    Guest
    Negative •Aug 19, 2021
    0

    Does not show normal hard disk partitions in the list of possible targets. So much narrower field of use than dd.

    dd Icon
    Rufus icon

    • Some users think Rufus is a great dd alternative, some don't.

    • Rufus is the most popular Windows alternative to dd.

    • Rufus is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to dd.

    • Rufus is Free and Open Sourcedd is also Free and Open Source
    • Rufus is Lightweightdd is not according to our users
  2. balenaEtcher icon

    balenaEtcher

     631 likes
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    A free, open-source tool for burning images to USB and SD cards. Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. Features validated burning, avoiding accidental wipes, offers a sleek interface, is lightweight and portable, making it ideal for users at any skill level.

    53 balenaEtcher alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    balenaEtcher screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  User friendly
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Create bootable USB
    2.  Graphical User Interface
    3.  Write ISO to SD card
    4.  Portable
    5.  Burn iso
    6.  Create bootable Image
    7.  Validated Burning
    8.  Material design
    9.  Electron based
    10.  Persistent Storage
    11.  Support for S.M.A.R.T. data
    12.  Convert installation CD/DVD to USB

    balenaEtcher VS dd

     
    Comments about balenaEtcher as an Alternative to dd
    Most Recent Comment
    tijmen
    Positive •Feb 15, 2018
    0

    Does the same, but with GUI

    Guest
    Negative •Jul 14, 2020
    1

    doesn't copy as fast, nor does it have a high success rate.

    Guest
    Negative •Apr 12, 2019
    0

    doesnt support windows iso

    dd Icon
    balenaEtcher icon

    • Some users think balenaEtcher is a great dd alternative, some don't.

    • balenaEtcher is the most popular Mac & Linux alternative to dd.

    • balenaEtcher is Free and Open Sourcedd is also Free and Open Source
    • balenaEtcher is Lightweightdd is not according to our users
  4. Clonezilla icon

    Clonezilla

     500 likes
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    Discover a free, open-source solution for disk imaging and cloning. Clonezilla ensures efficient large-scale deployment by simultaneously cloning over 40 computers. Supports unicasting and multicasting for versatile backup, based on Partclone and more for enhanced speed. Ideal for tech pros.

    68 Clonezilla alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • TW flagTaiwan

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Choices to save or restore partition or disk in clonezilla

    Top Clonezilla Features

    1.  Disk Cloning
    2.  Live booting from usb
    3.  Disk Imaging
    4.  Fast cloning
    5.  Portable
    6.  Linux-based
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  NTFS Partition Recovery
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Encrypted Backup
    12.  Schedule Backup

    Clonezilla VS dd

     
    Comments about Clonezilla as an Alternative to dd
    Guest
    Negative •Aug 19, 2021
    0

    Needs a dd-like tool to even install it! If I had that (under Windows), I wouldn't need Clonezilla!

    dd Icon
    Clonezilla icon
    • Clonezilla is Free and Open Sourcedd is also Free and Open Source
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    MiniTool ShadowMaker icon
    MiniTool ShadowMaker

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  6. UNetbootin icon

    UNetbootin

     748 likes
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    Cross-platform tool for making bootable USB and Live USB drives, featuring a built-in downloader for Linux ISO images and rescue disks, supporting BSD and various utilities. No installation required, it runs directly and offers compatibility and community support for many distributions.

    56 UNetbootin alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    Welcome screen
    Discontinued

    Last commit to the repository was on Jun 28, 2023, and latest version is from Feb 4, 2021.

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Create bootable USB
    2.  Persistent Linux
    3.  Automatic downloading
    4.  Download ISO Images
    5.  Portable
    6.  Windows To Go
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Portable Linux
    9.  Burn iso

    UNetbootin VS dd

     
    Comments about UNetbootin as an Alternative to dd
    Guest
    Negative •Mar 29, 2020
    1

    can't burn on mac a USB flash drive as a mountable windows installer system

    Guest
    Positive •Jan 2, 2017
    -1

    UNetbootin has graphical interface.

    dd Icon
    UNetbootin icon

    • Some users think UNetbootin is a great dd alternative, some don't.

    • UNetbootin is Free and Open Sourcedd is also Free and Open Source
    • UNetbootin is Privacy focused and Lightweightdd is not according to our users
  7. KDE Partition Manager icon

    KDE Partition Manager

     23 likes
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    KDE Partition Manager is a utility program to help you manage the disk devices, partitions and file systems on your computer. It allows you to easily create, copy, move, delete, resize without losing data, backup and restore partitions.

    29 KDE Partition Manager alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • KDE
    KDE Partition Manager screenshot 1

    KDE Partition Manager Features

    1.  LVM
    2.  LUKS Encryption
    3.  KDE Widget

    KDE Partition Manager VS dd

     
  8. WinDiskWriter icon

    WinDiskWriter

     10 likes
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    A macOS app that creates bootable USB drives for Windows. Patches Windows 11 to bypass TPM and Secure Boot requirements.

    50 WinDiskWriter alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    WinDiskWriter screenshot 1

    WinDiskWriter VS dd

     
  10. USBImager icon

    USBImager

     23 likes
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    USBImager is a really really simple GUI application that writes compressed disk images to USB drives and creates backups.

    18 USBImager alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Raspberry Pi
    Linux

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Disk Imaging
    2.  Write ISO to SD card
    3.  ARM support
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Portable
    6.  Raspberry Pi Development

    USBImager VS dd

     
  11. MiniTool ShadowMaker icon

    MiniTool ShadowMaker

     8 likes
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    Comprehensive backup solution for Windows, securing OS, files, disks through automatic backups, sync methods. Restore data on new hardware; manage disk space efficiently.

    59 MiniTool ShadowMaker alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MiniTool ShadowMaker screenshot 1

    MiniTool ShadowMaker Features

    1.  Incremental Backup
    2.  Disaster Recovery
    3.  Backups and Disaster Recovery

    MiniTool ShadowMaker VS dd

     
  12. Fedora Media Writer icon

    Fedora Media Writer

     3 likes
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    A tool to create a bootable live USB drive with an edition of Fedora. Not only can Fedora Media Writer write an image to your flash drive, it can also download it for you. It offers official editions (Server, Workstation), Fedora spins (KDE Plasma Desktop, Xfce Desktop, Cinnamon...

    47 Fedora Media Writer alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Fedora Media Writer screenshot 1

    Fedora Media Writer VS dd

     
  13. Rollback Rx icon

    Rollback Rx

     100 likes
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    RollBack Rx client is a system restore utility that enables home users and IT professionals to easily restore a PC to a time before certain events occurred.

    45 Rollback Rx alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Rollback Rx screenshot 1

    Rollback Rx Features

    1.  Schedule Backup
    2.  Restore on reboot
    3.  Snapshots
    4.  Time-machine
    5.  Data Protection
    6.  Crash recovery
    7.  PXE
    8.  Persistent Storage

    Rollback Rx VS dd

     

    • Rollback Rx is the most popular commercial alternative to dd.

    • Rollback Rx is Paid and Proprietarydd is Free and Open Source
  14. Easy2Boot icon

    Easy2Boot

     38 likes
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    Flexible and configurable USB drive multiboot solution which also supports UEFI booting.

    49 Easy2Boot alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Easy2Boot screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Multiboot USB
    3.  UEFI Support
    4.  USB to NTFS
    5.  USB to FAT
    6.  Multi boot

    Easy2Boot VS dd

     

  15. Partimage

     2 likes
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    Partimage is open source disk backup software. It saves partitions having a supported filesystem on a sector basis to an image file. Although it runs under Linux, Windows and most Linux filesystems are supported.

    21 Partimage alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Partimage screenshot 1

    Partimage Features

    1.  NTFS Partition Recovery

    Partimage VS dd

     
12 of 37 dd alternatives