Rufus vs Everything

Rufus: what it's good at

Rufus writes ISO images to USB drives to create bootable installation media for Windows, Linux and diagnostic tools. It is small, portable, notably fast, and the standard choice for making a Windows install stick.

• Creates bootable Windows and Linux USB media
• Notably faster than most alternatives
• Portable — no installation needed
• Handles UEFI and legacy BIOS

Everything: what it's good at

Everything indexes filenames on NTFS volumes almost instantly and returns matches as you type, making Windows Search feel unusable by comparison. It uses very little memory and is a permanent fixture on most power users' machines.

• Near-instant filename search
• Indexes an entire drive in seconds
• Very low resource usage
• Regex and advanced query syntax

Which should you choose?

Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.

Both run on Windows. If open source matters to you, Rufus publishes its source code and Everything does not.

We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rufus better than Everything?

Neither is universally better. Rufus create bootable USB drives quickly and reliably, while Everything instant filename search across your entire drive. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.

Are both really free?

Rufus is open source and Everything is free. Both can be downloaded without paying.

Can I install both?

Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.