List of tools to create bootable USB

This is a list of utilities for creating a live USB. Only those listed on Wikipedia are included.

Overview

"Multiboot" means that the tool allows multiple systems on the USB stick, as well as a bootloader on the USB flash drive to choose which system to load at boot time. Multiboot is environmental technology since it requires only a single storage device to boot multiple files.
"Persistence" is the ability, for a Linux Live distribution, to save the changes (to e.g. software, documents, parameters, etc) in the live USB across reboots.

class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; text-align: center; font-size: smaller; table-layout:fixed"
scope=col\|Name ! scope=col\|Developer ! scope=col\|Licensing ! scope=col\|Maintained? ! scope=col\|Multiboot ! scope=col\|Persistence support for Linux distributions ! scope=col\|Runs on (OS) ! scope=col\|Target OS
balenaEtcher \|Balena \|{{Free\|Apache License 2.0}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{No}}{{Cite web \|date=2021-11-15 \|title=Multiple ISO on one USB \|url=https://forums.balena.io/t/multiple-iso-on-one-usb/350128 \|access-date=2023-12-26 \|website=balenaForums \|language=en}} \| \|Linux, macOS, Windows \|Anything
DasBoot \|SubRosaSoft \|{{Nonfree\|Freeware}} \|{{No}} \|{{No}} \|{{N/A}} \|macOS \|macOS
dd \|Various developers \|{{Free\|Free software}} (most vendors) \|{{Yes}} \|{{No}} \| \|Unix-like \|Anything
Fedora Media Writer \|The Fedora Project \|{{Free\|GNU GPL v2}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{No}} \| \|Linux, macOS, Windows \|Fedora
GNOME Disks \| Gnome disks contributors \|{{Free\|GPL-2.0-or-later}} \| {{yes}} \|{{No}} \| \|Linux \|Anything
LinuxLive USB Creator (LiLi) \|Thibaut Lauzière \|{{Free\|GNU GPL v3}} \|{{No}} \|{{No}} \| \|Windows \|Linux
remastersys \|Tony Brijeski \|{{free\|GNU GPL v2}} \|{{No}}{{Cite web\|url=http://remastersys.com/\|title=remastersys web page\|website=remastersys.com}} \|{{No}} \| \|Debian, Linux Mint, Ubuntu \|Debian and derivatives
Rufus \|Pete Batard \|{{free\|GNU GPL v3}} \|{{yes}} \|{{No}} \| \|Windows \|Anything
SliTaz TazUSB \|SliTaz \|{{Free\|GNU GPL v3}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{No}} \| \|SliTaz GNU/Linux \|SliTaz GNU/Linux
Ubuntu Live USB creator \|Canonical Ltd \|{{free\|GNU GPL v3}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{No}} \| \|Ubuntu, Windows \|Ubuntu
UNetbootin \|Geza Kovacs \|{{free\|GNU GPL v2+}}{{Cite web\|url=https://unetbootin.github.io/#credits\|title=UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads\|website=unetbootin.github.io}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{No}} \| \|Linux, macOS, Windows \|Anything
Universal USB Installer (UUI) \|Pendrivelinux \|{{free\|GNU GPL}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{Yes}}{{cite web \|title=Universal USB Installer – Boot From USB \|date=8 February 2010 \|url=https://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/ \|access-date=29 January 2023 \|quote=...inherits YUMI's Multiboot bootable USB features.}} \|{{Yes}} \|Windows \|Linux
Ventoy \|longpanda \|{{free\|GNU GPL v3+}}{{Cite web\|url=https://www.ventoy.net/\|title=Ventoy\|website=www.ventoy.net}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{Yes}} \|Linux, Windows \|Anything
Windows To Go \|Microsoft \|{{Nonfree\|Proprietary}} \|{{No}} \|{{No}} \|{{N/A}} \|Windows \|Windows
YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Integrator) \|Pendrivelinux \|{{free\|GNU GPL}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{Yes}} \|{{Yes}} \|Windows \|Linux

class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%; text-align: center; font-size: smaller; table-layout:fixed"

scope=col|Name

! scope=col|Developer

! scope=col|Licensing

! scope=col|Maintained?

! scope=col|Multiboot

! scope=col|Persistence support for Linux distributions

! scope=col|Runs on (OS)

! scope=col|Target OS

balenaEtcher

|Balena

|{{Free|Apache License 2.0}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}{{Cite web |date=2021-11-15 |title=Multiple ISO on one USB |url=https://forums.balena.io/t/multiple-iso-on-one-usb/350128 |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=balenaForums |language=en}}

|

|Linux, macOS, Windows

|Anything

DasBoot

|SubRosaSoft

|{{Nonfree|Freeware}}

|{{No}}

|{{N/A}}

|macOS

dd

|Various developers

|{{Free|Free software}} (most vendors)

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|

|Unix-like

|Anything

Fedora Media Writer

|The Fedora Project

|{{Free|GNU GPL v2}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|

|Linux, macOS, Windows

|Fedora

GNOME Disks

| Gnome disks contributors

|{{Free|GPL-2.0-or-later}}

| {{yes}}

|{{No}}

|

|Linux

|Anything

LinuxLive USB Creator (LiLi)

|Thibaut Lauzière

|{{Free|GNU GPL v3}}

|{{No}}

|

|Windows

|Linux

remastersys

|Tony Brijeski

|{{free|GNU GPL v2}}

|{{No}}{{Cite web|url=http://remastersys.com/|title=remastersys web page|website=remastersys.com}}

|{{No}}

|

|Debian, Linux Mint, Ubuntu

|Debian and derivatives

Rufus

|Pete Batard

|{{free|GNU GPL v3}}

|{{yes}}

|{{No}}

|

|Windows

|Anything

SliTaz TazUSB

|SliTaz

|{{Free|GNU GPL v3}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|

|SliTaz GNU/Linux

Ubuntu Live USB creator

|Canonical Ltd

|{{free|GNU GPL v3}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|

|Ubuntu, Windows

|Ubuntu

UNetbootin

|Geza Kovacs

|{{free|GNU GPL v2+}}{{Cite web|url=https://unetbootin.github.io/#credits|title=UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads|website=unetbootin.github.io}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|

|Linux, macOS, Windows

|Anything

Universal USB Installer (UUI)

|Pendrivelinux

|{{free|GNU GPL}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}{{cite web |title=Universal USB Installer – Boot From USB |date=8 February 2010 |url=https://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/ |access-date=29 January 2023 |quote=...inherits YUMI's Multiboot bootable USB features.}}

|{{Yes}}

|Windows

|Linux

Ventoy

|longpanda

|{{free|GNU GPL v3+}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ventoy.net/|title=Ventoy|website=www.ventoy.net}}

|{{Yes}}

|Linux, Windows

|Anything

Windows To Go

|Microsoft

|{{Nonfree|Proprietary}}