GRUB AlternativesBoot Managers and other similar apps like GRUB

GRUB is described as 'GNU GRUB is a multiboot boot loader. It was derived from GRUB, the GRand Unified Bootloader, which was originally designed and implemented by Erich Stefan Boleyn' and is a very popular Boot Manager in the os & utilities category. There are more than 10 alternatives to GRUB for Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD and Chrome OS. The best GRUB alternative is rEFInd - Boot Manager, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like GRUB are Libreboot, Limine, iReboot and Grub2Win.

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GRUB alternatives are mainly Boot Managers but may also be Operating Systems. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of GRUB.

GRUB

169

Boot Manager
Free • Open Source

GNU GRUB is a multiboot boot loader. It was derived from GRUB, the GRand Unified Bootloader, which was originally designed and implemented by Erich Stefan Boleyn.

More about GRUB

GRUB alternatives page was last updated Sep 3, 2024

rEFInd - Boot Manager
rEFInd is a fork of the rEFIt boot manager for computers based on the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) and Unified EFI (UEFI). Like rEFIt, rEFInd is a boot manager, meaning that it presents a menu of options to the user when the computer...
12 rEFInd - Boot Manager alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
+1
rEFInd - Boot Manager VS GRUB
Is this a good alternative to GRUB?
- Most users think rEFInd - Boot Manager is a great GRUB alternative.
- rEFInd - Boot Manager is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to GRUB.
- rEFInd - Boot Manager is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to GRUB.
- rEFInd - Boot Manager is Free and Open SourceGRUB is also Free and Open Source

Libreboot
Libreboot is a free software project based on coreboot, aimed at replacing the proprietary BIOS firmware contained by most computers. Libreboot is a lightweight system designed to perform only the minimum number of tasks necessary to load and...
9 Libreboot alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Linux
- BSD
Libreboot VS GRUB
Is Libreboot a good alternative to GRUB?

Limine
Limine is an advanced x86/x86_64 BIOS and UEFI bootloader that supports modern PC features such as Long Mode, 5-level paging, multi-core startup, and more thanks to the stivale and stivale2 boot protocols.
5 Limine alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Limine VS GRUB
Is Limine a good alternative to GRUB?

iReboot
iReboot is NeoSmart Technologies' simple yet effective reboot helper tool. iReboot sits in your taskbar at startup (only taking up 400KB of memory!) and lets you choose which operating system you want to reboot into.
25 iReboot alternatives
License model
- Free Personal • Proprietary
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Windows
iReboot VS GRUB
Is iReboot a good alternative to GRUB?

Grub2Win
Safely dual boot Windows and Linux without touching the Windows MBR.

Grub2Win installs to Windows 8, Windows 7, XP, 2000 or Vista. It boots native, open source GNU grub version 2.00 code. Everything is contained in one 7 MB directory on your Windows C: drive.

The simple Windows.
19 Grub2Win alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
Grub2Win Features
Portable
Show all NaN Grub2Win features ▾
+2
Grub2Win VS GRUB
Is Grub2Win a good alternative to GRUB?

Linux Loader
The development of LILO as classic bootloader for GNU/Linux systems was restarted in June 2010. Because of the simpleness LILO has some advantages comparing with Grub and Grub2. But nowadays LILO is not the bootloader for all situations. But LILO is longtime proved and stable.
21 Linux Loader alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Linux
Linux Loader VS GRUB
Is Linux Loader a good alternative to GRUB?

GRUB4DOS and WINGRUB
GRUB for DOS is the dos extension of GRUB. It enables dos users to run the configuration console directly in real mode. The project also contains an utility called WINGRUB, an GUI intends to help configuring and installing GRUB in the WINDOWS environment.
17 GRUB4DOS and WINGRUB alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Discontinued
It was last updated in 2013.

GRUB4DOS and WINGRUB VS GRUB
Is GRUB4DOS and WINGRUB a good alternative to GRUB?

rEFIt
rEFIt is a boot menu and maintenance toolkit for EFI-based machines like the Intel Macs. You can use it to boot multiple operating systems easily, including triple-boot setups with Boot Camp. It also provides an easy way to enter and explore the EFI pre-boot environment.
25 rEFIt alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Mac
Discontinued
rEFIt is no longer maintained since 2013. The author suggested to check out rEFInd - Boot Manager , a fork of the original program.

rEFIt VS GRUB
Is rEFIt a good alternative to GRUB?

Clover EFI bootloader
This is EFI-based bootloader for BIOS-based computers created as a replacement to EDK2/Duet bootloader http://www.tianocore.org . To compile it needs to place Clover sources into edk2/ folder.
8 Clover EFI bootloader alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Clover EFI bootloader Features
UEFI Support
Show all NaN Clover EFI bootloader features ▾
+4
Clover EFI bootloader VS GRUB
Is this a good alternative to GRUB?

Plop Boot Manager 6
The Plop Boot Manager is a small program to boot different operating systems.
11 Plop Boot Manager 6 alternatives
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Plop Boot Manager 6 VS GRUB
Is Plop Boot Manager 6 a good alternative to GRUB?

Visual BCD Editor
Visual BCD Editor - advanced GUI version of bcdedit utility. Automatic boot loader creation - Windows 7|Vista|XP|VHD. Fix boot manager and dual boot problems.
17 Visual BCD Editor alternatives
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application types
- Boot Manager
- Operating System
Platforms
- Windows
Visual BCD Editor Features
No Tracking
Ad-free
Portable
Boot from USB without BIOS
Show all NaN Visual BCD Editor features ▾
Visual BCD Editor VS GRUB
Is Visual BCD Editor a good alternative to GRUB?

BootIt Bare Metal
BootIt Bare Metal is a boot manager and partition manager software utility. Whither you want to do non-destructive repartitioning or boot multiple operating systems, this is the product for you.
19 BootIt Bare Metal alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application type
- Boot Manager
Platforms
- Windows
BootIt Bare Metal Features
Portable
Multi boot
Show all NaN BootIt Bare Metal features ▾
+3
BootIt Bare Metal VS GRUB
Is BootIt Bare Metal a good alternative to GRUB?
- BootIt Bare Metal is the most popular commercial alternative to GRUB.
- BootIt Bare Metal is Paid and ProprietaryGRUB is Free and Open Source