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 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
- An Operating system (OS) manages the other programs on a computer;[1] most personal computers have an OS installed. 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. (Note: OS X was rebranded macOS in 2016.)
- 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 | Stable version | Portable | Detect conflict | Renames or moves | Propagate deletes | Revision control | Scheduling or service | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduit | Python | Linux, FreeBSD | GPL | 0.3.17 (2010-01-21) | No | Yes | Synchronizes files, website, network apps | ||||
| DirSync Pro | Java | Java SE | GPLv3 | 1.53 (2018-03-07) | 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 | 10.25 (2020-06-18) | Yes (Donation Edition)[2] | Yes[3] | Yes[3] | Yes[3] | Yes (versioning + recycler)[3] | Yes | Older version had OpenCandy Adware/malware, but now funded by donations.[4][5] |
| iFolder | C#, Mono | Windows, OS X, Linux, Solaris | GPL | 3.8.0.3 (2010-07-19) | No | Yes (centralized database) | Yes (files, not folders) | ||||
| InterPlanetaryFileSystem | Go | Windows, OS X, Linux | GPL | 0.4.15 (2018-05-12) | Yes | No (Planned)[6] | |||||
| luckyBackup | C++ | Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD | GPLv3 | 0.4.9 (2017-10-17) | Yes | Yes | Uses rsync backend | ||||
| Nextcloud | PHP, C++, JavaScript[7] | Server: Linux Clients: Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS | AGPLv3 | 17.0.1 (2019-11-07) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes[8] | Yes | Yes | Fork of ownCloud and actively maintained
Windows Phone App |
| OneSync | C# | Windows | GPL | 4.0 (2012-02-19) | No | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| ownCloud community edition | PHP, C++, JavaScript[9] | Server: Linux, FreeBSD Clients: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, Android, iOS | AGPLv3 (Server Edition) / proprietary (Enterprise Edition) | 10.4.1 (17 April 2020) [±][10] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes[11] | Yes | Yes | iOS, Android, Blackberry, Win, Mac, Linux Client; external storage support; encryption app; app framework |
| Pydio Open source home | Server: PHP, Python, C++ Clients: JS, C#, Swift, Java |
Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS | AGPLv3 | 8.0.2 (2017-12-13) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Git[12]) | Yes | ||
| rsync | C in a Unix-Linux shell | Windows, OS X,[13] Linux,[14][15] BSD | GPL v3 | 3.1.3 (January 28, 2018) [±][16] | Yes | No | No | Yes using the --backup flag and a time-stamped --suffix | Yes (via OS) | client & server operation. Multiple comparison criteria (date, check-sum). | |
| Seafile community edition | C99, Python[17] | Server: Linux, Raspbian, Windows Clients: Linux, OS X, Windows, Android, iOS.[18] | AGPLv3 (Server) + Apache License 2.0 (Client) | 7.0.7 (1 April 2020[19]) [±] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (via Seafile Client) | Android and iOS mobile clients |
| SparkleShare | C# | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS | GPL v3 and LGPL | 2.0.1 (2017-12-22) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (Git[20]) | |||
| SymmetricDS | Java | Java SE | GPL | 3.9.4 (2018-02-16) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | plug-in APIs for customization | |
| Synchronizer (krusader) | Windows, OS X, Linux | GPL v2 | 2.6.0 (2017-04-12) | No | Yes | No | No | No | Synchronizer no longer in active development | ||
| Syncthing | Go | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, BSD, Solaris | MPL v2 | 1.3.2 (2019-12-3) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Distributed peer-to-peer sync |
| Synkron | C++ | Windows, OS X, Linux | GPL v2 | 1.6.2 (2011-01-25){[21]} | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | no longer in active development |
| Unison (file synchronizer) | Ocaml | Windows, OS X, Linux | GPL v3 | 2.51.2 (2018-01-28)[22] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes with -backups option | Yes (native watcher + scheduling via OS) | no longer in active development |
| Name | Programming language | Platform | License | Stable version | Portable | Detect conflict | Renames or moves | Propagate deletes | Revision control | Scheduling or service | 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 | |||||
| Resilio Sync | Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, Android, iOS | Resilio, Inc. | No | No | Yes (previous versions moved to archive folder) | Distributed peer-to-peer sync | No | Yes | Yes | Pro only[23] | Yes |
| Briefcase (part of Windows) (removed in Windows 10 build 14942[24]) | 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 | |||||
| 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 is 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 the 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
(discontinued) |
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 | Limited | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| Beyond Compare | Windows, OS X, Linux | Limited | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Box Sync | Windows,[25] OS X,[25] Android, BlackBerry, iOS[25] | Limited | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | Yes | ? | No | |||
| ChronoSync | OS X | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (only with APFS) | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 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
(discontinued) |
Windows, OS X | No | No | Renames older and keeps both | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | No | No | |||
| Cubby - Pro
(discontinued) |
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 | Yes | |
| Easy2Sync for Files | Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, for folders | ||||||||||
| Egnyte | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iPad, iPhone | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 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, Android, iPad, iPhone, USB flash drive | Yes | Yes | Yes, beta | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GS RichCopy 360 | Windows | Limited | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Enterprise version only | Yes |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
| Mega | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iPhone, BlackBerry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[26] | Yes | |||
| RepliWeb | Windows, Linux | No | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| Resilio Sync (ex. 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 | |
| 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[27] | No | No | Yes[28] | Yes | |||||||
| ShareFile | Windows, OS X, Android, iPhone | Yes | Yes | Yes[29] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| SugarSync | Windows, OS X, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile | No | No | Yes | Yes[30] | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Syncdocs | Windows, web app | Beta versions only | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Microsoft Word only[31] | Yes | ||||
| Synchronize It! | Windows | No | No | ||||||||||||
| Syncplicity | Windows, OS X, Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[32] | No | |||||||
| Tonido | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Phone | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Tresorit | Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, for Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |||||
| Ubuntu One (discontinued 2 April 2014) | Windows, OS X, Ubuntu, iOS, Android[33] | Yes | |||||||||||||
| Wuala (discontinued) | Windows, OS X, Debian, Ubuntu, Android, iOS | 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
- List of disk cloning software
- Comparison of disk cloning software
- Comparison of file comparison tools
- Comparison of file hosting services
- Comparison of file transfer protocols
- Comparison of revision control software
References
- "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces". pages.cs.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- "Free File Sync Software". Portable Edition. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- "Frequently Asked Questions - FreeFileSync". Features. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- Akerlund, Geoff (June 2014), FreeFileSync comes bundled with the OpenCandy malware., Backup Review, retrieved 2 February 2018
- FFS FAQ, retrieved 27 June 2018
- "Versioning: Commit + Repo Datastructures · Issue #23 · ipfs/notes". GitHub. Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- "Nextcloud". GitHub. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- "Yes on desktop, but NO on mobile - Issue 19".
- "ownCloud". GitHub. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
- "Maintenance and Release Schedule". Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via GitHub.
- "The synchronization process".
- "Files versionning". Pydio. 2017-05-14. Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- "rsync Backups on a Mac". Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- "Arch Linux packages". archlinux. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- "Software packages in "vivid"". ubuntu. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- "NEWS for rsync 3.1.3 (28 Jan 2018)". rsync. 2018-01-28. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- "haiwen/seafile". GitHub. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
- "Seafile clients". Seafile. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
- "Releases". Github. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- Bons, Hylke (2019-02-12), Share and collaborate by syncing with any Git repository instantly. Linux, macOS, and Windows.: hbons/SparkleShare, archived from the original on 2019-02-14, retrieved 2019-02-14
- https://sites.google.com/site/synkrondocumentation/news/synkron162
- https://github.com/bcpierce00/unison/releases
- "Sync 2.x change log".
- "Briefcase - Add to New Context Menu in Windows 10". tenforums.com. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
- "What Is the Box Policy for Browser and OS Support? – Box Help". Box. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- "MEGA - Developers - Documentation".
- 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. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- Citrix ShareFile. "File Versioning". Citrix ShareFile.
- "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.
- "Ubuntu One:Downloads". Ubuntu One. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
Further reading
- 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.