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Rufus vs burning an ISO to a disc
Rufus writes a bootable ISO to a USB flash drive; burning does the same job to a CD, DVD or Blu-ray. Use Rufus when the target boots from USB, and burn a disc when you need optical media or a USB stick isn't an option. cdBurner handles the disc side from your browser.
Knowing this helps you pick the right disc and settings the first time, so your burns read everywhere and last. When you're ready, cdBurner applies sensible defaults automatically.
Quick facts
- Rufus targets USB sticks; burning targets discs
- Some old or locked-down PCs boot only from disc
- Both write a bootable image sector-for-sector
Good to know
- Once the concept is clear, the burner handles the rest — open cdBurner and it picks sensible defaults for you.
- Not sure which disc to buy? Compare capacities in CD vs DVD vs Blu-ray.
Why cdBurner is different
cdBurner reinvents disc burning: a clean web app that drives the optical drive on your own machine. Nothing else works this way.
- 100% free — no trial, no watermark, no nag screens.
- Private — files are written locally and never uploaded to a server.
- No bloatware — one small signed helper, not a heavy install.
- Built on Windows' native IMAPI2 engine, so your discs read everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install software to burn discs?
Not a heavy program. cdBurner runs in your browser and only adds a tiny one-time burn agent so the page can reach your drive.
Which disc should I use?
It depends on size: a CD for audio and small jobs, a DVD for video and backups, a Blu-ray for large archives. See CD vs DVD vs Blu-ray.
Is cdBurner really free?
Yes — completely free and ad-supported. No trial, no watermark and no paid tier.