Imgburn

What Imgburn does

ImgBurn is a freeware CD, DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray burning application built for Microsoft Windows environments (Windows 95 through Windows 10, including 64-bit versions), with secondary compatibility on Linux via Wine. Developed by an individual UK-based developer operating under the name LIGHTNING UK!, the software provides five operating modes — Read, Build, Write, Verify, and Discovery — that cover the full workflow of creating disc images, burning files to optical media, validating burn quality, and testing drive/media performance. It supports a broad range of image file formats (BIN, CCD, CDI, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, ISO, MDS, NRG, PDI) and audio formats via DirectShow/ACM codecs (AAC, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA, etc.), and includes advanced features such as booktype/bitsetting control for major drive brands (BenQ, LiteOn, LG, NEC, Optiarc, Pioneer, Plextor, Samsung, Sony), an image queue system with multi-drive sharing, and automatic write speed settings per Media ID.

The product was originally launched circa 2005, with its most recent release (v2.5.8.0) dating to June 2013 — meaning development has been effectively dormant for over a decade. ImgBurn serves primarily individual consumer users who need to back up optical media, create disc images for archival, burn DVD/Blu-ray Video discs, and verify burn quality, with secondary use by small business/IT users who deploy it in corporate environments (though the developer directs those users to internal IT support rather than the developer).

The business model is 100% freeware distribution with voluntary PayPal donations (in USD, GBP, and EUR) funding the developer's hardware purchases for ongoing drive and media testing. There is no licensing revenue, no advertising, no premium tier, and no commercial distribution. Distribution occurs via direct download from imgburn.com and via third-party software portals (BetaNews, MajorGeeks, Softpedia). The product is a sole proprietorship with no corporate entity, no investors, no funding rounds, and no headcount beyond the single developer. An active community forum (48,298 registered members, 24,100 topics, 167,300 posts) serves as the primary support and engagement channel, sustained by a beta team and volunteer translators across multiple languages.

Name

Imgburn

Legal name

LIGHTNING UK!

Website

https://imgburn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ImgBurn is a freeware Windows CD, DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray burning application developed since 2005 by an individual UK-based developer (LIGHTNING UK!), serving individual consumers and small-business users who need to create, burn, and verify disc images, with funding solely from voluntary PayPal donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: ImgBurn is distributed as freeware. The developer relies entirely on voluntary donations from users via PayPal to fund drive purchases for testing, media testing, and continued development. No revenue is generated from advertising, licensing, or premium features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ImgBurn is a lightweight, freeware CD/DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray burning application for Microsoft Windows that supports reading discs to image files, building images from files, writing images to discs, verifying disc readability, and testing drive/media quality. It supports a wide range of image formats (BIN, CCD, CDI, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, ISO, MDS, NRG, PDI) and audio formats, and includes advanced DVD/Blu-ray video disc authoring features with drive-specific booktype/bitsetting support.

Product overview

ImgBurn is a single, unified freeware application for optical disc burning. It offers five distinct operating modes - Read, Build, Write, Verify, and Discovery - that cover the full workflow of creating, burning, and validating disc images. The application is available as a free download and runs on Windows (95 through 10, including 64-bit) and Linux via Wine compatibility layer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ImgBurn A lightweight freeware CD/DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray burning application with five operating modes (Read, Build, Write, Verify, Discovery) that supports a wide range of image formats (BIN, CCD, CDI, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, ISO, MDS, NRG, PDI) and audio formats via DirectShow/ACM. It is targeted at home users and small-business IT staff needing to back up optical media, author DVD/Blu-ray video discs, verify burn quality, and test drives/media, and runs on Windows 95 through Windows 10 (including 64-bit) and on Linux via Wine.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DVDInfoProcoreTechnology or Integration · 26 July 2009DVDInfoPro is recommended by ImgBurn for analyzing burn data captured during the write process. ImgBurn displays write speed, buffer levels and other burn metrics which can be further analyzed using DVDInfoPro to assess the quality of burns produced by a drive. The partnership provides users with comprehensive burn quality analysis capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CDBurnerXP: A free, ad-supported optical disc burning utility for Windows supporting CD, DVD, and Blu-ray. It is the closest direct competitor to ImgBurn in the freeware disc-burning niche, with overlapping format support and a similar user base.
• DeepBurner: A longstanding free and professional disc burning suite for Windows, supporting CD/DVD authoring and image burning. Positions as a direct alternative to ImgBurn for users seeking straightforward optical media creation.
• BurnAware: A Windows disc burning application with a free tier and premium editions, supporting CD/DVD/Blu-ray authoring and ISO image creation. Competes with ImgBurn directly in the consumer/SMB optical media authoring market.

Broad incumbents

• Ashampoo Burning Studio: A commercial-grade optical disc authoring suite from Ashampoo with a free edition. Competes with ImgBurn across the same use cases (CD/DVD/Blu-ray burning, disc images, video disc creation) but operates as a broader commercial software portfolio.
• Roxio Creator (Corel): Corel's premium multimedia suite including disc burning, video editing, and authoring. Overlaps with ImgBurn's DVD/Blu-ray video disc creation capabilities but targets a broader paid software customer.
• CyberLink Power2Go: CyberLink's commercial disc burning and media conversion application. Competes with ImgBurn on CD/DVD/Blu-ray authoring and disc image management, within a broader commercial multimedia suite.
• Nero Burning ROM: The premium incumbent in disc burning software, now part of Nero's broader multimedia suite. Targets the same DVD/Blu-ray authoring workflows as ImgBurn but as a paid commercial product with extensive feature breadth.

Emerging players

• Alcohol 120%: A commercial disc image mounting and burning tool focused on virtual drives and image file management. Adjacent to ImgBurn's Read/Build image workflows, with a stronger emphasis on emulation than authoring.
• Express Burn (NCH Software): A free-tier disc burning application from NCH Software supporting CD/DVD/Blu-ray. Competes with ImgBurn on direct optical media authoring with a freemium commercial model.
• DAEMON Tools: A disc image mounting and virtual drive utility that overlaps with ImgBurn's image file handling capabilities. Has expanded into broader backup and burning features, competing for the same image-centric user base.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/imgburn
• Facebookfacebook.com/imgburn-214193761928924

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Imgburn