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balenaEtchermacUSB
Free

Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence. Balena sells separate commercial device…

 Free

Downloaded from GitHub releases or Homebrew, with an optional support link.

Windows, macOS, Linux macOS
  • Hides system drives, so the classic wrong-disk accident is much harder
  • Verifies the write by reading the media back
  • Downloads official macOS installers from Apple inside the app
  • Handles legacy macOS installers on Apple Silicon
  • An Electron app doing a job a 200 KB tool could do
  • No persistent storage or multi-boot; one image per stick
  • macOS only, and requires macOS 14.6 or newer
  • Licence of the published source is not stated in the research
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Closed source
License: Apache-2.0 License not stated
No account needed No account needed
Works offline Not stated if it works offline

Checked September 21, 2026

Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.