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Utilities · head to head

balenaEtcher vs TreeSize

balenaEtcher logo

balenaEtcher

Utilities

Cross-platform tool for flashing OS images to drives

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TreeSize logo

TreeSize

Utilities

Windows disk space analyser whose free edition may be used commercially, with paid tiers for scheduled reporting

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: balenaEtcher fewer options than Rufus: no partition scheme or target system control; TreeSize it traverses directories rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a local drive scan takes noticeably longer than the fastest alternatives.
  • They diverge on capability: balenaEtcher covers Cross-platform, TreeSize covers Free edition licensed for business.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which balenaEtcher and TreeSize actually diverge.

Attributes where balenaEtcher and TreeSize differ
AttributebalenaEtcherTreeSize
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows

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 TreeSize

  • Free edition licensed for business
  • Network share scanning
  • Reports by age and owner
  • Duplicate file search
  • Scheduled scans
  • Exports

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

TreeSize

  • Deploying one free disk analyser across a company without a personal-use licence problemnot balenaEtcher
  • Reporting on a file server by owner and file age before an archiving or quota decisionnot balenaEtcher
  • Finding duplicate files spread across departmental network sharesnot balenaEtcher
  • Producing a storage report for someone who will read a PDF but not run a scannot 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

TreeSize

  • It traverses directories rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a local drive scan takes noticeably longer than the fastest alternatives.
  • It is Windows only, so file servers running Linux or a NAS appliance need a different tool or a share mounted from a Windows machine.
  • Useful features are spread across three paid tiers, so the single capability a buyer needs frequently sits two tiers above the one they were considering.
  • Scanning large network shares generates significant traffic and takes hours, which means it has to be scheduled rather than run when someone asks the question.
  • Pricing is per licence with separate maintenance, so an accurate total for a team requires a quote rather than a figure from the website.

Pricing, plan by plan

balenaEtcher

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

TreeSize

Free
  • TreeSize FreeFree
    • Folder size analysis and treemap
    • Licensed for private and commercial use
    • Basic exports
  • TreeSize Personal, Professional and Enterprise$undefined/year
    • File search, duplicate detection and full exports
    • Network share and file server scanning
    • Scheduled unattended scans and stored reports

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 TreeSize if

  • You need free edition licensed for business.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want network share scanning.
TreeSize review

Questions people ask

Is balenaEtcher or TreeSize better?
Neither clearly leads. balenaEtcher starts at Free and TreeSize at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, balenaEtcher or TreeSize?
balenaEtcher starts at Free and TreeSize at Free.
Does balenaEtcher or TreeSize run on more platforms?
balenaEtcher runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. TreeSize 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 TreeSize is typically brought in for.
What can balenaEtcher do that TreeSize cannot?
balenaEtcher covers Cross-platform, Write validation, Safe drive selection, Simple flow. TreeSize covers Free edition licensed for business, Network share scanning, Reports by age and owner, Duplicate file search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

balenaEtcher: Is balenaEtcher free?

Yes, open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.

TreeSize: Is TreeSize Free really free for business use?

Yes. JAM Software licenses the free edition for private and commercial use, which is the main reason it appears on corporate machines where other free analysers are not permitted.

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.

TreeSize: Why is it slower than WizTree?

Method. WizTree reads the NTFS master file table; TreeSize walks the directory tree, which is slower but works on network shares and non-NTFS volumes.

balenaEtcher: Does it verify the write?

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

TreeSize: Can it scan a NAS or Linux file server?

It scans them as network shares over SMB, with the speed penalty that implies. There is no agent that runs on the server itself.

TreeSize: What does the Enterprise tier add?

Scheduled unattended scans, stored historical results and reporting across servers, which is the difference between a cleanup tool and a storage reporting system.

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