Utilities · head to head
balenaEtcher vs Everything
balenaEtcher
Utilities
Cross-platform tool for flashing OS images to drives
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: balenaEtcher fewer options than Rufus: no partition scheme or target system control; Everything searches filenames only, not file contents, which is the deliberate trade for its speed
- They diverge on capability: balenaEtcher covers Cross-platform, Everything covers Instant results.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which balenaEtcher and Everything actually diverge.
| Attribute | balenaEtcher | Everything |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Open source, no licence fee | Free; donations accepted |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in balenaEtcher
- Cross-platform
- Write validation
- Safe drive selection
- Simple flow
Only in Everything
- Instant results
- MFT-based indexing
- Tiny footprint
- Regex and filters
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
balenaEtcher
- Writing Raspberry Pi OS images to SD cardsnot Everything
- Creating bootable Linux installers on macOS, where options are limitednot Everything
- Anyone who has previously overwritten the wrong drivenot Everything
Everything
- Finding a file by name instantly instead of waiting on Windows Searchnot balenaEtcher
- Locating duplicates and stray files across large drivesnot balenaEtcher
- Navigating a machine with hundreds of thousands of filesnot balenaEtcher
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
balenaEtcher
- Fewer options than Rufus: no partition scheme or target system control
- An Electron application, so it is heavy for a tool that writes a file to a disk
- Earlier versions attracted criticism over analytics collection, which is worth checking in current builds
- Slower than lower-level tools because it validates every write
Everything
- Searches filenames only, not file contents, which is the deliberate trade for its speed
- Windows and NTFS only: no macOS or Linux build, and non-NTFS volumes fall back to slower indexing
- Requires administrator rights to read the Master File Table
Pricing, plan by plan
balenaEtcher
Free- balenaEtcherFree
- Full functionality
- No usage limits
- Community support
Everything
Free- FreeFree
- Core functionality
- Personal use
Which should you pick?
Choose balenaEtcher if
- You need cross-platform.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
- You also want write validation.
Choose Everything if
- You need instant results.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want mft-based indexing.
Questions people ask
- Is balenaEtcher or Everything better?
- Neither clearly leads. balenaEtcher starts at Free and Everything at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, balenaEtcher or Everything?
- balenaEtcher starts at Free and Everything at Free.
- Does balenaEtcher or Everything run on more platforms?
- balenaEtcher runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Everything runs on Windows.
- Can I use balenaEtcher for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is balenaEtcher best used for?
- balenaEtcher is most often used for writing raspberry pi os images to sd cards, creating bootable linux installers on macos, where options are limited, anyone who has previously overwritten the wrong drive. Of those, writing raspberry pi os images to sd cards and creating bootable linux installers on macos, where options are limited are not what Everything is typically brought in for.
- What can balenaEtcher do that Everything cannot?
- balenaEtcher covers Cross-platform, Write validation, Safe drive selection, Simple flow. Everything covers Instant results, MFT-based indexing, Tiny footprint, Regex and filters.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
balenaEtcher: Is balenaEtcher free?
Yes, open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.
Everything: Is Everything free?
Yes, free to use with donations accepted.
balenaEtcher: balenaEtcher or Rufus?
Etcher runs on all three platforms and is harder to misuse. Rufus is Windows only and gives far more control over partitioning and boot targets.
Everything: Why is it so much faster than Windows Search?
It reads the NTFS Master File Table directly instead of crawling the filesystem, so indexing a whole volume takes seconds.
balenaEtcher: Does it verify the write?
Yes, it validates after flashing, which catches failing SD cards and USB sticks before you rely on them.
Everything: Can it search inside files?
Only in a limited way. It is built for filename search, and full content search is not what it is for.