Burn4Free DVD Copy review

A fatally flawed burner that kills its own great potential

TechRadar Verdict

If you can turn a blind eye to the seemingly endless stream of advertising, this is actually a half-decent tool. If, that is.

Pros

  • +

    Burns CD, DVDs and ISOs

  • +

    Multi-lingual

  • +

    It's free

Cons

  • -

    Lots of advertising

  • -

    Awful, sneaky installer

  • -

    Confusing, cluttered interface

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The Burn4Free DVD Copy installer uses an irritating download manager which tries to install a couple of unwanted extras, but they are optional if you keep your eyes open.

Burn4Free DVD Copy

Where to download: http://www.burn4free.com/

Type: DVD burning software

Developer: Sakysoft

Operating system: Windows, Mac

Version: 2017

There's plenty to dislike about Burn4Free DVD Copy (see below), but as a basic burning tool, it is at least functional. There are no fancy extras here whatsoever, but you can burn data CDs, DVDs and audio CDs, and work with ISOs.

You can create discs in one of two ways. The first option is to use the 'Add' button to browse files on your hard drive and add them to a disc, while the second is to activate the fly window. This is a floating panel, onto which you can drag and drop files while hiding the main program window. It's particularly handy if you want to work with files from a number of locations, because it allows for far easier navigation. 

As you're building up file on a disc, Burn4Free DVD Copy provides a percentage bar that fills up showing you not only how much space you're using on the current disc, but what percentage of different sized media. It's a little thing, but a nice touch.

Working with Burn4Free, however, is simply not a nice experience.

User experience

In use, it's very hard to avoid the ads that plague Burn4Free. Forget the ads and adware that blight the installer, there are endless advertisements in the program itself. Fire up the program and you're prompted to upgrade your burner firmware by downloading another program, and to download DVD Ripper. Just about every entry in the Tools menu, as well as the eight buttons in the central toolbar are links to download additional software from the same company – and it's all too easy to click these by accident.

In terms of functionality, Burn4Free is fine, but the ads plastered everywhere make using it a deeply unpleasant experience.

The competition

Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
Freelance writer

Sofia is a tech journalist who's been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.


Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.


Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.


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