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Raspberry Pi Imager vs flash: catalog facts
Raspberry Pi Imager	flash
Free Free from Raspberry Pi.	Free Free and open source under the MIT license.
Windows, macOS, Linux	macOS, Linux, Command line
Official tool maintained by Raspberry Pi Writes to both SD cards and USB drives	Writes local or downloaded images to SD cards Can set hostname and Wi-Fi settings in supported images
Built mainly around Raspberry Pi use rather than general disk imaging	Supports macOS and Linux Progress display requires pv
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

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