Rufus AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Bootable USB Creators for Mac

Rufus is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best Mac Bootable USB Creator alternative is UNetbootin, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Rufus and 17 are Bootable USB Creators available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac Bootable USB Creator alternatives to Rufus are balenaEtcher, dd, Deepin Boot Maker and Raspberry Pi Imager.

filter to find the best alternatives

Rufus alternatives are mainly Bootable USB Creators, but if you're looking for Disk Imaging Tools or Linux Distros you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, Linux + Create bootable USB, Windows + Free and Mac + Create bootable USB. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Rufus.
More about Rufus
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Rufus alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. UNetbootin icon

    UNetbootin

     757 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    57 UNetbootin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    Welcome screen
     
    |
    13
    585
    Comments about UNetbootin as an Alternative to Rufus
    Comment summary: Users note that UNetbootin is primarily for Linux distributions, whereas Rufus is more versatile in creating bootable USBs across different operating systems. Many find Rufus superior, especially for creating Windows bootable drives, as some highlight difficulties with UNetbootin for the same task. Additionally, while some users appreciate the ease of use and GUI of UNetbootin, limitations such as issues with UEFI mode, supporting only Linux, and compatibility problems are common criticisms.
    Top Positive Comment
    Kandi
    18

    Easy to use. Supports a huge variety of platforms

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    13

    does not do UEFI mode does not recognize external hdd/ sdd does not do windows bootable drives and have issues even with some linux distros does not do multiple booting images on single drive

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    UNetbootin is for Linux Distributions. Rufus is for creating bootable USBs in general, independant from the target OS.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Show more comments
    3 of 13 comments
    Rufus Icon
    UNetbootin icon

    • Most users think UNetbootin is a great Rufus alternative.

    • UNetbootin is the most popular Mac alternative to Rufus.

    • UNetbootin is Free and Open SourceRufus is also Free and Open Source
  2. balenaEtcher icon

    balenaEtcher

     651 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    55 balenaEtcher alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    balenaEtcher screenshot 1
     
    |
    36
    405
    Comments about balenaEtcher as an Alternative to Rufus
    Comment summary: Rufus is praised for its reliability and ability to create bootable USB drives for Windows and Linux, succeeding where balenaEtcher sometimes fails, especially with Windows ISOs. BalenaEtcher, despite its sleek interface and ease of use, struggles with Windows boot disks but is commended for its performance with Linux distros and other OS. Users appreciate its open-source nature, cross-platform capability, and speed, making it a preferred choice for many, though Rufus is favored for specific tasks like Windows installations.
    Top Positive Comment
    espectalll
    9

    It's simple, it's easy, it's slick, and it's multiplatform, May not be for everyone, but surely is for most people.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    59

    Cannot select between gpt and mbr partition styles

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Sebastian
    Positive
    0

    I love this software! Easy to use and works great.

    Show more comments
    3 of 36 comments
    Rufus Icon
    balenaEtcher icon

    • Most users think balenaEtcher is a great Rufus alternative.

    • balenaEtcher is Free and Open SourceRufus is also Free and Open Source
  4. dd icon

    dd

     99 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    dd, that stands for ‘data duplicator’, is a command-line utility for Unix mainly used for copying and converting data.

    39 dd alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
    |
    6
    112
    Comments about dd as an Alternative to Rufus
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

    It's the only one that seems to be able to create BSD flash drives

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    cvanelli
    Negative
    -15

    crappy command line only program.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Considering this has been developed since 1974, it is very good at what it does.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Show more comments
    3 of 6 comments
    Rufus Icon
    dd icon

    • Most users think dd is a great Rufus alternative.

    • dd is Free and Open SourceRufus is also Free and Open Source
  5. Deepin Boot Maker icon

    Deepin Boot Maker

     14 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Deepin Boot Maker is a boot maker developed by Deepin Technology Team. It is simple in interface and easy to operate. It helps users to easily make deepin boot disk.

    46 Deepin Boot Maker alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Deepin Boot Maker screenshot 1
    Deepin Boot Maker screenshot 2
    Deepin Boot Maker screenshot 3
     
    |
    1
    20
    Comments about Deepin Boot Maker as an Alternative to Rufus
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    easy to use and run perfectly on mac

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Rufus Icon
    Deepin Boot Maker icon

    • Most users think Deepin Boot Maker is a great Rufus alternative.

    • Deepin Boot Maker is Free and Open SourceRufus is also Free and Open Source
  9. macUSB icon

    macUSB

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    The easiest way to create legacy macOS bootable drives on modern Macs. Revive old Intel Macs using your Apple Silicon machine — no terminal knowledge required.

    51 macUSB alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    macUSB screenshot 1
    macUSB screenshot 2
    macUSB screenshot 3
     
  10. ROSA Image Writer icon

    ROSA Image Writer

     13 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Optical drives are rapidly disappearing from our computers of all kinds, and consequently installing operating systems from USB flash disks is becoming increasingly popular. ISO images of the ROSA Linux distribution were originally intended for burning to DVD disks, but they can...

    46 ROSA Image Writer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    ROSA Image Writer screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    22
    Comments about ROSA Image Writer as an Alternative to Rufus
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Easy to use, multi-platform

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    -3

    its quick stable & versatile no errors on any I made

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Rufus Icon
    ROSA Image Writer icon

    • Most users think ROSA Image Writer is a great Rufus alternative.

    • ROSA Image Writer is Free and Open SourceRufus is also Free and Open Source
  12. Fedora Media Writer icon

    Fedora Media Writer

     4 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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...

    48 Fedora Media Writer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    Fedora Media Writer screenshot 1
     
  14. MeowUSB icon

    MeowUSB

     7 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Create Windows USB on a Mac MeowUSB simplifies the process of creating a bootable Windows USB on your Mac.

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
12 of 17 Rufus alternatives