Softwr

Utilities · head to head

balenaEtcher vs Paste

balenaEtcher logo

balenaEtcher

Utilities

Cross-platform tool for flashing OS images to drives

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paste logo

Paste

Utilities

Subscription clipboard manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad with iCloud sync between devices

From
$29.99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only balenaEtcher has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: balenaEtcher fewer options than Rufus: no partition scheme or target system control; Paste it is an ongoing subscription, unlike the free, one-time-cost alternatives Maccy and the built in macOS clipboard, so the cost compounds every year it is used.
  • They diverge on capability: balenaEtcher covers Cross-platform, Paste covers Clipboard history.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which balenaEtcher and Paste actually diverge.

Attributes where balenaEtcher and Paste differ
AttributebalenaEtcherPaste
Starting priceFree$29.99/year
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer user per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxMac, iOS

Identical on both: 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 Paste

  • Clipboard history
  • iCloud sync
  • Pinboards
  • Rich content support
  • Search and filter
  • Setapp availability

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 Paste
  • Creating bootable Linux installers on macOS, where options are limitednot Paste
  • Anyone who has previously overwritten the wrong drivenot Paste

Paste

  • Someone who regularly copies something on their iPhone, such as an address or code, and needs it moments later on their Macnot balenaEtcher
  • A user organising reusable snippets like email signatures or boilerplate text into named pinboardsnot balenaEtcher
  • A team member already paying for Setapp who wants Paste included rather than purchased separatelynot balenaEtcher
  • Anyone who has outgrown a local-only clipboard manager because they now work across multiple Apple devicesnot 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

Paste

  • It is an ongoing subscription, unlike the free, one-time-cost alternatives Maccy and the built in macOS clipboard, so the cost compounds every year it is used.
  • Sync depends on iCloud, so a user without a reliable iCloud connection or who disables iCloud for privacy reasons loses the entire reason to pay for it over Maccy.
  • It has no Windows or Android app, so sync only works within the Apple ecosystem.
  • Because it preserves rich content and images, the synced history can grow large enough to be noticeable in iCloud storage use over time.
  • A user who only ever uses one Mac gets no benefit from the subscription cost over a free local-only tool like Maccy.

Pricing, plan by plan

balenaEtcher

Free
  • balenaEtcherFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Paste

$29.99/year
  • Paste$2.49/month
    • Billed annually at roughly 29.99 USD per year
    • Covers Mac, iPhone and iPad apps under one subscription
    • iCloud sync between all devices

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.
balenaEtcher review

Choose Paste if

  • You need clipboard history.
  • You work on Mac, iOS.
  • You also want icloud sync.
Paste review

Questions people ask

Is balenaEtcher or Paste better?
Neither clearly leads. balenaEtcher starts at Free and Paste at $29.99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, balenaEtcher or Paste?
balenaEtcher has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for balenaEtcher and $29.99/year for Paste.
Does balenaEtcher or Paste run on more platforms?
balenaEtcher runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Paste runs on Mac, iOS.
Can I use balenaEtcher for free?
Yes. balenaEtcher has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paste starts at $29.99/year.
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 Paste is typically brought in for.
What can balenaEtcher do that Paste cannot?
balenaEtcher covers Cross-platform, Write validation, Safe drive selection, Simple flow. Paste covers Clipboard history, iCloud sync, Pinboards, Rich content support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

balenaEtcher: Is balenaEtcher free?

Yes, open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.

Paste: Is Paste free?

No. It is a subscription, priced around 2.49 to 3.99 US dollars a month or roughly 30 dollars a year, though it is also available through the Setapp bundle.

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.

Paste: Does Paste sync between my Mac and iPhone?

Yes, that is its main differentiator, using iCloud to sync clipboard history across Mac, iPhone and iPad.

balenaEtcher: Does it verify the write?

Yes, it validates after flashing, which catches failing SD cards and USB sticks before you rely on them.

Paste: Is there a free alternative that does not sync?

Yes, Maccy is free, open source and Mac-only with no sync, for users who do not need cross-device history.

Share

Related pages

More on balenaEtcher

More on Paste

Keep looking

Other head to heads