Comparison of file synchronization software
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
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 of columns used in the tables that follow.
- Name
- It may contain a product name, or product name plus edition name, depending on what is discussed.
- Operating system
- Platform
- Operating system (OS) is a computer program that makes a computer usable, hence all computers must have it. The operating system column lists the name of the operating systems on which the corresponding synchronization software runs. Platform is a broader term; it is used as the column name because some of the software in the table were OS-independent but required a certain software platform like Java SE or .NET Framework.
- Programming language
- Programming language was used to write the software, if known. For closed-source software this information may not be known.
- 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
- Renames/moves
- When a file/directory in given side of the synchronization is renamed/moved, the program repeats renaming/moving the file/directory to the other side of the synchronization. This feature saves bandwidth when operating on remote systems but increases the analysis duration. Programs that support this feature 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. Programs which do not support this feature, 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.
- 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.
- Online storage
- Is there an online file 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.
- Indicates whether the software allows mobile devices pass-through access to NAS shares.
Open source
This is a comparison of the free and open-source file synchronization software.
| Name | Programming language | Platform | License | Version | Portable | Detect conflict | Renames or moves | Revision control | Scheduling or service | Online storage | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduit | Python | Linux, FreeBSD | GPL | 0.3.17 | No | Yes | Synchronizes files, website, network apps | ||||
| DirSync Pro | Java | Java SE | GPLv3 | 2014-07-01 = 1.49 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (creates backup files) | Yes (native + via OS) | sym-links, filter, metadata, contents, auto-sync | |
| FreeFileSync | C++ | Windows, OS X, Linux | GPL | 2016-01-01 = 7.8 | Yes (installer option) | Yes | Yes | Yes (versioning + recycler) | Yes | Bundled with OpenCandy.[1] | |
| iFolder | C#, Mono | Windows, OS X, Linux, Solaris | GPL | 2010-7-19 = 3.8.0.3 | No | Yes (centralized database) | Yes (files, not folders) | ||||
| luckyBackup | C++ | Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD | GPLv3 | 2014-03-16 = 0.4.8 | Yes | Yes | Uses rsync backend | ||||
| OneSync | C# | Windows | GPL | 2010-10-21 = 3.0 | No | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| ownCloud | C++, Java, PHP[2] | Server: Linux, FreeBSD Clients: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, Android, iOS |
AGPLv3 | 8.1.1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | iOS, Android, Blackberry, Win, Mac, Linux Client; external storage support; encryption app; app framework |
| Syncthing | Go | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, BSD, Solaris | MPL v2 | 2015-12-06 = 0.12.7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Distributed peer-to-peer sync |
| rsync | C in a Unix-Linux shell | Windows, Linux,[3][4] BSD | GPL v3 | 2015-12-21 = 3.1.2 | Yes | No | No | No | Yes (via OS) | client & server operation. Multiple comparison criteria (date, check-sum). | |
| Seafile community edition | C99, Python[5] | Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD | GPLv3 (community edition) | 2015-03-31 = 4.1.2 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Android and iOS mobile clients |
| SparkleShare | C# | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS | GPL v3 and LGPL | 0.8.4 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Uses Git | ||
| SymmetricDS | Java | Java SE | GPL | 3.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | plug-in APIs for customization | |
| Synkron | C++ | Windows, OS X, Linux | GPL v2 | 2011-01-25 = 1.6.2 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | no longer in active development | |
| Synchronizer (krusader) | Windows, OS X, Linux | GPL v2 | 2012-10-21 = 2.4.0-beta3 | No | Yes | No | No | No | Synchronizer no longer in active development | ||
| Unison | OCaml | Windows, OS X,[6] Linux, FreeBSD, Android[7][8] | GPL | 2011-05-11 = 2.40.63 2015-8-4 = 2.48.3 | Yes[9] | Yes (centralized database) | Yes (remote xferbycopying) | Yes (backups) | Yes (since 2.48.3) | best network efficiency, mature and stable; development reached active maintenance[10] | |
| Name | Programming language | Platform | License | Version | Portable | Detect conflict | Renames or moves | Revision control | Scheduling or service | Online storage | Other information |
Freeware
This is a comparison of the freeware (proprietary software release free of charge) file synchronization software.
| Name | Operating system | Vendor | Online 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 | |||||
| BitTorrent Sync | Windows / Mac OS X / Linux / FreeBSD / Android / iOS | BitTorrent, Inc | No | No | Yes (previous versions moved to archive folder) | Distributed peer-to-peer sync | No | Yes | Yes | No, syncs whenever it's online | Yes |
| Briefcase in Microsoft Windows | Windows | Microsoft | No | No | ? | ||||||
| AOMEI Backupper | Windows | AOMEI Technology | No | No | ? | Free Backup software with file synchronization feature | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 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 | |||||
| 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 |
| Windows Live Mesh (discontinued 13 February 2013) | Windows (Vista and greater), Windows Mobile, OSX | Microsoft | Yes | Yes | No, recycle bin only | Sync folders, online 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 in field of file synchronization. These programs only provide full functionality with a payment. As indicated, some are trialware and provide functionality during a trial period; some are freemium, meaning that they have freeware editions.
| Name | Operating system | Freeware version | Portable | Encrypts files | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @MAX SyncUp | Windows | Limited | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Allway Sync | Windows | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| AIMstor | Windows | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes through VSS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Case preserving only |
|||
| Argentum Backup | Windows | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |||||||||
| BackupAssist | Windows | No | No | Yes | |||||||||||
| Backup4all | Windows | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||||
| BatchSync | Windows | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| BitTorrent Sync | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Amazon Kindle Fire, FreeBSD | Limited | No | Yes, optional | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Box Sync | Windows,[11] OS X,[11] Linux,[11] Android, BlackBerry, iOS[11] | Limited | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | Yes | ? | No | |||
| ChronoSync | OS X | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloudike | Windows, OS X, iPhone, Android | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| CloudMe | Windows, OS X, Linux, iPhone, Android, Google TV, Samsung TV | Yes | No | Yes | ? | ? | No | Yes | No | ? | ? | Yes | ? | No | |
| Cubby - Free | Windows, OS X | No | No | Renames older and keeps both | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | No | No | |||
| Cubby - Pro | Windows, OS X | No | No | Renames older and keeps both | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | LAN Sync only | Yes | |||
| Distributed Storage | Windows, Linux | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||
| Dmailer Sync (discontinued) | Windows | Yes | |||||||||||||
| Dropbox | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iPhone, BlackBerry | Yes | No | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | |
| Easy2Sync for Files | Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, for folders | ||||||||||
| Egnyte | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iPad, iPhone | No | No | No, handled by versioning | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Case preserving only |
Yes | Yes | |
| Gladinet | Windows, OS X, Android, iPad, iPhone, Windows RT, Blackberry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GoDrive | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, iOS | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| GoodSync | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iPad, iPhone, USB flash drive | Yes | Yes | Yes, beta | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Handy Backup | Windows, Linux | Yes | No | ||||||||||||
| IBM Connections | Windows, OS X, Android, iOS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| MediaFire | Windows, OS X, Android, iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Mega | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iPhone, BlackBerry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| RepliWeb | Windows, Linux | No | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| Robocopy | Windows | Yes | No | No | |||||||||||
| SecureSafe | Windows, OS X, Android, iOS | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | |||
| SpiderOak | Windows, OS X, Debian, Fedora, Slackware, Android, iOS | No | No | Yes[12] | No | No | Yes[13] | Yes | |||||||
| ShareFile | Windows, OS X, Android, iPhone | Yes | Yes | Yes[14] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| SugarSync | Windows, OS X, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile | No | No | Yes | Yes[15] | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| SyncBack | Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||||||
| Syncdocs | Windows, web app | Beta versions only |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Microsoft Word only[16] | Yes | ||||
| Synchronize It! | Windows | No | No | ||||||||||||
| Syncplicity | Windows, OS X, Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[17] | No | |||||||
| TeamDrive | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |||
| Tonido | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Phone | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Ubuntu One (discontinued 2 April 2014) | Windows, OS X, Ubuntu, iOS, Android[18] | Yes | |||||||||||||
| Wuala (discontinued) | Windows, OS X, Debian, Ubuntu, Android, iOS | Yes | Yes | ||||||||||||
| XXL Cloud / XXL Box | Windows, OS X, Android, iOS | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Yintersync | Windows | Limited | During transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||||
| ZumoDrive (discontinued) | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iPhone, Palm webOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||||||
| Zetta.net | Windows, OS X, Linux | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Preserve file name case & file metadata | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Name | Operating system | Freeware version | Portable | Encrypts files | 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 |
See also
- Backup software
- Comparison of browser synchronizers
- Disk cloning
- Comparison of file comparison tools
- Comparison of file hosting services
- Comparison of revision control software
References
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