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BurnAware Free is a small Windows disc burner for home use that writes data, audio, video and bootable CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs and creates and burns ISO images, with paid Premium and Professional editions above it.
BurnAware Free is a small, no-fuss program for burning CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs on Windows.
It handles data discs, music CDs, video DVDs, bootable discs and ISO images from one simple start screen.
The Free edition is for home use, and the paid Premium and Professional editions add copying, a video converter and business use.
What BurnAware Free Actually Does
You pick a task, drag files into the window and press Burn. Each task opens its own small window, so you never wade through settings you don't need.
- Data discs. Back up photos and documents to CD, DVD or Blu-ray, including double-layer and M-Disc media.
- Add to a disc later. Keep adding files to a disc you have already burned, if it was left open.
- Bootable discs. Burn Windows or Linux installers and rescue discs.
- Audio CDs. Make CDs from your music files that play in a regular CD player.
- Video DVDs and Blu-rays. Burn a ready-made DVD or Blu-ray folder to disc.
- ISO images. Make an ISO from your files, burn an ISO to disc, or back up a disc to an ISO.
- Disc tools. Erase rewritable discs and view information about the disc and drive.
Free vs Premium vs Professional
| Feature | Free | Premium | Professional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burn data, audio and video discs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Make, burn and back up ISO images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 64-bit version | No | Yes | Yes |
| Video converter, disc copying and spanning | No | Yes | Yes |
| Data recovery and audio grabber | No | No | Yes |
| Command-line burner and Multiburn | No | No | Yes |
| Use at work | No | No | Yes |
The Free edition is licensed for personal use. Premium and Professional are paid and come with a 7-day trial - see BurnAware's edition comparison for details.
The Free edition is a 32-bit program, which runs fine on 64-bit Windows.
What's New in BurnAware 19.4
- Updated burning engine and a faster file-checking step before writing.
- Better video DVD encoding in the editions that convert video.
- Fixes for damaged file dates, which could previously cause errors.
- Fixed a disc that could get stuck while closing a track.
Version 19.3 added a Korean translation, a Settings button on the start screen, Windows 11 compatibility fixes and a memory leak fix. Its new Console Burner is part of the Professional edition only.
See the full list of changes on BurnAware's site.
Bootable USB Instead of a Disc
Most new PCs have no disc drive, so a USB stick is often the easier way to install Windows or Linux. Rufus writes an ISO to a USB drive, and our guide covers installing Windows 11 with Rufus.
Ventoy goes further and boots several ISO files from one stick.
Video DVDs, Music CDs and Protected Discs
BurnAware burns a DVD folder that is already prepared, but it doesn't turn an MP4 into a DVD with menus. For that, use the free DVDStyler or the paid ConvertXtoDVD, then burn the result here.
Going the other way, Exact Audio Copy rips music CDs to files with error checking. BurnAware's own audio grabber is in the Professional edition only.
Copy-protected discs.
BurnAware can't copy protected films. MakeMKV can read them into files - see our MakeMKV guide - but check what the law allows where you live.
To check a finished video disc before handing it out, play it in VLC media player, which plays DVD menus and ISO files directly.
Who Should Look Elsewhere
The tell that Free is not enough: you want to copy a disc straight to another disc, or you need it at work.
- A tiny free burner that also copies discs: AnyBurn.
- Full control over burn settings: ImgBurn, unchanged since 2013 but still reliable - see how to burn an ISO to DVD with ImgBurn.
- Mostly working with ISO files: ISO Workshop.
- A full paid suite: Nero Burning ROM - read is Nero still worth it? first.
CDBurnerXP still works but is discontinued, so BurnAware is the safer long-term pick. More options are in our Burning Tools category.
Quick questions
Is BurnAware Free really free?
Yes, for personal use. Using BurnAware in a business requires the Professional edition.
Can BurnAware Free copy a disc?
Not directly to another disc - that is a Premium feature. Free can copy a disc to an ISO image, which you can then burn.
Does it burn Blu-ray discs?
Yes. It writes data and video to BD-R and BD-RE discs, including high-capacity media, if your drive supports them.
Can I make a bootable Windows disc?
Yes, burn the Windows ISO with the Burn ISO task. For a USB stick instead, use Rufus.
Can it turn MP4 files into a DVD for my TV player?
Not in the Free edition. Create the DVD with DVDStyler first, then burn the result with BurnAware.
Is there a 64-bit version?
Only for Premium and Professional. The 32-bit Free edition works on 64-bit Windows.
Download BurnAware Free 19.4 and see how it handles your discs, or tell us how you got on if you have used it before.
SA
Currently using version 6.6. A great piece of software and that too comes for free.
Pros:
*Easy to use interface
*Burn CD/DVD/Blu-Ray
*Light on system resource
*Smaller file size compared to Nero/Roxio
Cons:
*No CD to CD /DVD to DVD copying is available for free version
Overall a great piece of software for home use. Saves money spent on professional software.
Pros:
*Easy to use interface
*Burn CD/DVD/Blu-Ray
*Light on system resource
*Smaller file size compared to Nero/Roxio
Cons:
*No CD to CD /DVD to DVD copying is available for free version
Overall a great piece of software for home use. Saves money spent on professional software.
AG
Keeps getting better with its updates. Try it out and decided your opinion on it. I use it and works very well.
SH
Absolutely fantastic! Very fast and Reliable. It has all the features for burning DVD Video, Audio CD's and Data. A Must Have App.
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