Comparison of file synchronization software
This is a list of file synchronization software. File synchronization is a process of ensuring that files in two or more locations are updated via certain rules.
Definitions
The following definitions clarify the purpose/meaning of column names used in the tables that follow:
Name: Either just the product's name or, if part of a larger product line, the name of the product line and the specific offering. For example, the Dropbox product line includes free, pro, and for Business. Separate table rows for individual product offerings may be included where it helps clarify significant differences between offerings, but multiple offerings may be described in one table row if differences between offerings can be described clearly within one row.
Protocol: Protocols supported by the product.
Programming Language: What computer programming language was used to write the software, if known. For closed-source software this information may not be known.
Windows: Indicates whether the product runs under Windows operating systems. Yes/No, + supported versions (if known).
OS X: Indicates whether the product runs under Mac OS X. Yes/No, + supported versions (if known).
Linux: Indicates whether the product runs under Linux variants. Yes/No, + supported versions (if known).
Other OS: Indicates whether the product is supported under any other operating systems. Values should be No or the names of the other operating systems supported
License: Indicates the licensing model under which the software is published. For open source systems this may be the specific license (i.e. GPL, LGPL, MIT, etc.), for closed source/proprietary/commercial software this may be the model (subscription per user, perpetual per device, etc.)
Portable: If yes, the program is designed to run without needing to modify the configuration of the computer it is run on. The name 'portable' comes from the fact that these applications are intended to be able to be carried with the user on a portable drive and run on any computer it was designed to run on, even if the user does not have administrative privileges on the computer. See Portable Applications.
Detect conflict: Indicates whether the software will detect if the requested operation may result in data loss. See File Synchronization
Detect rename, move: Programs that can detect file (or directory) renames/moves on a given side of the synchronization will save time and bandwidth by repeating the rename/move on the other side of the sync and thus avoid retransmitting the file. Programs that cannot detect file (or directory) renames/moves will behave as if the originally-named file/directory has been deleted and the newly-named file/directory is brand new and transmit the "new" file over to the other side again, even though it actually already existed on that side. (Programs that do rename/move detection commonly do so by calculating and storing hash values of each file so they can detect if two files with different names, modification dates, etc., are identical in terms of their content.)
Prior file versions, revision control: Indicates whether the software allows one to revert to an earlier version of a particular file/directory.
Scheduling or service: Indicates whether the software will run automatically either via a scheduler, or by running as a system service. If no, a user must invoke the software manually each time a synchronization is needed.
Sync to cloud: Is there a "cloud storage" option? If so, what type?
Other Information: Notes that help clarify features already covered in other columns, or additional information that differentiates this software from the competition.
Open source
This is a comparison of free and open source software.
| Name | Protocol | Programming language | Windows | Mac OS X | Linux | Other OS | License | Version | Portable | Detect conflict | Detect rename/move (talk) | Prior file versions, revision control | Scheduling or Service | Sync to Cloud | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloudStore[1] | file system, REST (https) | Java | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | LGPL | 0.9.2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Focus on security[2] | ||
| Conduit | network/web app | Python | No | No | Yes | No | GPL | 0.3.16 | No | Yes | Synchronizes files, website, network apps | ||||
| Create Synchronicity | file system | Visual Basic .NET | Yes | No | Yes (using Mono) | No | GPL | 2011-05-03 = 5.2.1 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (native, via OS) | |||
| DirSync Pro | file system | Java | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes cross-platform | GPLv3 | 2014-07-01 = 1.49 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (creates backup files) | Yes (native + via OS) | sym-links, filter, metadata, contents, auto-sync | |
| Dsynchronize[3] | Yes | 2.30.2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Real-Time sync supported | |||||||||
| FreeFileSync[4] | file system | C++ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | GPL+OpenCandy | 2014-09-01 = 6.9 | Yes (installer option) | Yes | Yes | Yes (versioning + recycler) | Yes | Bundled with OpenCandy adware.[5] | |
| iFolder | file system | C#, Mono | Yes (client software only) | Yes (client software only) | Yes | No | GPL | 2010-7-19 = 3.8.0.3 | No | Yes (centralized database) | Yes (files, not folders) | ||||
| luckyBackup | file system | C++ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 2014-03-16 = 0.4.8 | Yes | Yes | Uses rsync backend | ||||
| OneSync | file system | C# | Yes | No | No | No | GPL | 2010-10-21 = 3.0 | No | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| ownCloud | cloud | PHP, Javascript | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes Unixoid | AGPLv3 | 7.0.1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | iOS,Android, Win, Linux Client |
| rsync | file system or network | C in a Unix-Linux shell | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | GPL v3 | 2011-09-23 = 3.09 | Yes | No | No | No | via OS | client & server operation. Multiple comparison criteria (date, check-sum). | |
| SparkleShare | file system | C# | Yes | Yes | Yes | Android, iOS | Clients: GPL v3, Library: LGPL | 0.8.4 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Uses Git | ||
| SymmetricDS | http/https | Java | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | GPL | 3.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | plug-in APIs for customization | |
| Synkron | file system | C++ | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | GPL v2 | 2011-01-25 = 1.6.2 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | no longer in active development | |
| Synchronizer (krusader) | file system | No | No | Yes | No | GPL v2 | 2012-10-21 = 2.4.0-beta3 | No | Yes | No | No | No | Synchronizer no longer in active development | ||
| Syncthing | network (peer-to-peer) | Go | Yes | Yes | Yes | Android, iOS, BSD, Solaris | MIT | 2014-08-07 = 0.9.2 | Distributed peer-to-peer sync | ||||||
| Toucan[6] | Yes | 3.1.0 | Yes | No | |||||||||||
| Unison | similar to rsync, transfers over network socket, rsh, encrypted ssh, or file systems | OCaml | Yes | Yes[7] | Yes | Yes[8][9] | GPL | 2011-05-11 = 2.40.63 | Yes[10] | Yes (centralized database) | Yes (remote xferbycopying) | Yes (backups) | via OS or helper (sucsynct, fswatcher.py) | best network efficiency, mature and stable; development reached active maintenance[11] | |
| Name | Protocol | Programming language | Windows | Mac OS X | Linux | Other OS | License | Version | Portable | Detect conflict | Detect rename/move | Undo | Scheduling or Service | Sync to Cloud | Other information |
Freeware
This is a comparison of proprietary software released as freeware or gratis.
| Name | OS | Vendor | Online cloud storage | Remote desktop | Prior file versions, revision control | Comments | Portable | Detect rename | Detect move | Scheduling | Full duplex transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft ActiveSync | Windows | Microsoft | No | No | ? | Syncs mobile devices | |||||
| FTP LiveSync | Windows | CodeStunts | No | No | ? | Focused to sync code and text files between pc and webserver | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| BitTorrent Sync | Windows / Mac OS X / Linux / FreeBSD / Android / iOS | BitTorrent, Inc | No | No | Yes (previous versions moved to trash folder) | Distributed peer-to-peer sync | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Briefcase in Microsoft Windows | Windows | Microsoft | No | No | ? | ||||||
| Cobian Backup | Windows | CobianSoft | No | No | Yes, trash folder | Backup software with folder synchronization feature; remote management; Shadow Copy | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Windows Mobile Device Center | Windows | Microsoft | No | No | ? | Syncs mobile devices; successor to Microsoft ActiveSync | |||||
| Gbridge | Windows | Gbridge LLC | No | Yes, via VNC or RDP | Sync folders, live web browsing, etc. | No | No | Yes | |||
| Microsoft Sync Framework | Windows | Microsoft | ? | No | ? | Syncs files, data, services; a framework, not a tool | Yes | Yes | - | ||
| Microsoft SyncToy | Windows | Microsoft | No | No | No, recycle bin only | Sync local folders | No | Yes | Yes | via OS | No |
| Echosync | Windows | Lumisoft | No | No | No | Sync local and network folders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, via OS (tasks scheduler) | No |
| Magic Mirror Sync | Windows | SOB Soft | No | No | Yes, via VNC or RDP | Sync local and network folders | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, Monitoring synchronizing folder continuously (once a minute) | Yes |
| Windows Live Mesh (discontinued 13 February 2013) | Windows (Vista and greater), Windows Mobile, OSX | Microsoft | Yes | Yes | No, recycle bin only | Sync folders, cloud storage | No | Yes | ? | No, syncs whenever it's online | Yes |
| OmniGroup OmniPresence | OSX, OmniGroup software for iOS, open source framework available | OmniGroup | No | No | No, via local Time Machine backup only | Sync local folders via OmniSync or WebDAV server but not to the server itself | No | ? | ? | No, syncs whenever it's online and not paused | Yes |
| Windows Live Sync (discontinued 31 March 2011) | Windows, OSX | Microsoft | No, browsing only | No | No, recycle bin only | Sync folders, browse devices from website, remote access; was Microsoft FolderShare, 20,000 file limit | No | Yes | Yes | No, syncs whenever it's online | ? |
Commercial
This is a comparison of commercial software released under any type of license.
| Name | Windows | Mac | Linux | Other OS | Open source | Online backup service | Freeware version | Portable | Detect conflict | File lock | Open file support | Revision control | Detect rename | Detect move | Full duplex transfer | Propagate deletes | Case sensitive | Delta copying (block level transfer) | LAN Sync | Sync any directory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @MAX SyncUp | Yes | No | No | No | No | via other providers | Yes, with limits | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| AeroFS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, iPhone, Android | No | ? | Yes | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | No | |
| Allway Sync | Yes | No | No | No | No | via other providers | Yes, with limits | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |||||||||
| AIMstor | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes, with limits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes through VSS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No case preserving | ||||
| Argentum Backup | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||
| BackupAssist | Yes | No | No | No | No | via Rsync | No | No | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Backup4all | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||
| BatchSync | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes, with limits | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| BestSync | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes, with limits | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes through backup option | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Biscom Verosync | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, iPhone, Android | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Box Sync | Yes[12] | Yes[12] | No[12] | Yes, Android, iOS[12] | No | Yes | Yes, with limits | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | Yes | ? | No | ||||
| CloudMe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, iPhone, Android, Google TV, Samsung TV | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? | ? | No | Yes | No | ? | ? | Yes | ? | No | Yes | |
| Cubby - Free | Yes | Yes | No native client, can access via WebDav | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes Renames older and keeps both | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | No | No | Yes | |||
| Cubby - Pro | Yes | Yes | No native client, can access via WebDav | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes Renames older and keeps both | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Only when using LAN Sync | Yes | Yes | |||
| Distributed Storage | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | via other providers | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||||||
| Dmailer Sync (discontinued) | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||||||
| Dropbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iPhone, BlackBerry | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | No | |
| Easy2Sync for Files | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, for folders | ||||||||||||
| EDpCloud EnduraData | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Solaris, Linux, UNIX | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, case preserving, meta data preserving | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Egnyte | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iPad, iPhone | No | Yes | No | No | No, handled by versioning | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, case preserving | Yes | Yes | ||
| FileRock | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| GoodSync | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iPad, iPhone, USB flash drive | No | Yes, with limits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Handy Backup | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | |||||||||||||
| IBM Connections | Yes | No | No | Yes, Android, iOS | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Inbox Storage | Yes | No | No | Yes, Android, iPhone, Windows Phone | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |||
| Mega | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iPhone, BlackBerry | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| ownCloud | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, but not supported | Yes, with limits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| PowerFolder[13] | file system / network / cloud | Java | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | GPL (Free Version) | 2014-01-01 = 9.1.54 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| RepliWeb | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes, partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Robocopy | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||||||||||||
| SecuriSync[14] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, Android, iPhone, BlackBerry | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| SpiderOak | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iPhone | Partial | Yes | Yes | No | Yes[15] | No | No, one-way sharing only | Yes[16] | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| SugarSync | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes[17] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| SuperFlexible | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes, Linux only | Yes, manual install | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| SyncBack | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Syncdocs | Yes | No | No | No, Google Docs web interface only | No | Yes | Yes, beta only | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | for MS Word only[18] | Yes | |||||
| Synchronize It! | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |||||||||||||
| Syncplicity | Yes | Yes | No | Yes, Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[19] | No | ||||||||
| TeamDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iOS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||||
| Tonido | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Phone | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Ubuntu One (discontinued 2 April 2014) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iPhone, iPad[20] | Partial | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||||||
| vBoxxCloud[21] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iOS, Windows Phone | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Wuala | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android | Partial | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||||||
| ZumoDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Android, iPhone, Palm webOS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Zetta.net | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Preserve file name case & file metadata | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Name | Windows | Mac | Linux | Other OS | Open source | Online backup service | Freeware version | Portable | Detect conflict | File lock | Open file support | Revision control | Detect rename | Detect move | Full duplex transfer, collaborative | Propagate deletes | Case sensitive | Delta copying (block level transfer) | LAN Sync | Sync any directory |
See also
- Comparison of file comparison tools
- Comparison of online backup services
- Comparison of file hosting services
- Comparison of revision control software
- Comparison of browser synchronizers
- List of backup software
References
- Kerner, Sean (2008-02-13). "Get In Sync with File Syncing Software". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
- Kerner, Sean (2008-02-27). "Syncing Software Redux: More Options". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
- ^ http://cloudstore.codewizards.co
- ^ http://cloudstore.codewizards.co/0.9.2/documentation/security.html
- ^ http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/
- ^ http://freefilesync.sourceforge.net/
- ^ Akerlund, Geoff (2014-03-10). "FreeFileSync Review". BackupReview. Archived from the original on 2014-08-18. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
FreeFileSync comes bundled with the OpenCandy malware, and there's no option to not install it. You may want to choose another file sync program.
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- ^ No way to edit jobs via GUI, CLI version just starts GUI
- ^ "Unison File Synchronizer". Cis.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- ^ unison on Android
- ^ "The Portable Freeware Collection - Portable Unison". Portablefreeware.com. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- ^ "Unison File Synchronizer". Cis.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- ^ a b c d "What Is the Box Policy for Browser and OS Support? – Box Help". Box. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ^ http://www.powerfolder.com/
- ^ http://securisync.com/
- ^ Susie Ochs (2009-06-11). "Online Storage Battle: Which Cloud Back-Up Service Reigns Supreme?". MacLife. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ^ "Does SpiderOak backup the whole file every time it changes?". SpiderOak. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "See How SugarSync Stacks up to the Competition". SugarSync (formerly called SharpCast). Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ^ "Syncdocs feature list". Syncdocs Web. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Why Delta Sync Doesn't Matter". 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|1=,|2=, and|3=(help) - ^ "Ubuntu One:Downloads". Ubuntu One. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ 7/24/14 14:00pm 7/24/14 14:00pm (2014-07-24). "vBoxxCloud - Secure File Sharing for Business". vboxx.eu. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
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