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lsof VS RoboCopy

Compare lsof VS RoboCopy and see what are their differences

l
lsof

Lsof lists open files for running UNIX processes. It is a

Rating
0 reviews
Alternatives Is it good?
RoboCopy

Robocopy is a free file copy tool that is included with the Microsoft Windows operating system. It allows one to construct complicated instructions to move, or copy files.

Rating
0 reviews
Alternatives Is it good?
Cyclr
Powerful SaaS integration toolkit for SaaS developers - create, amplify, manage and publish native integrations from within your app with Cyclr's flexible Embedded iPaaS. sponsored
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, RoboCopy seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 50 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 50
Command Line Tools popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
22 vs 134

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

l
lsof
RoboCopy
Website people.freebsd.org docs.microsoft.com
Listed in
Monitoring Tools Command Line Tools Performance Monitoring Accounting +1
File Management Data Replication File Migration File Management Utility +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

l
lsof 0 features
RoboCopy 8 features

No features have been listed yet.

  • High Performance
    RoboCopy is designed for efficient and fast file copy operations, making it suitable for copying large volumes of data quickly.
  • Resumable Transfers
    It can resume file transfers after interruptions, reducing the need to restart the copy operation from scratch.
  • Advanced File Selection
    Supports complex file selection criteria, such as filtering by file size, attributes, and last modified date.
  • Mirroring Capabilities
    Can mirror entire directories, ensuring source and destination directories are kept in sync.
  • Logging and Reporting
    RoboCopy provides detailed logs and reports of copy operations, which is useful for auditing and troubleshooting.
  • Multi-threading
    Supports multi-threaded file copying, allowing parallel transfer of multiple files to improve performance.
  • Robust Error Handling
    Offers robust error handling and retry mechanisms, ensuring higher reliability in copy operations.
  • Access Control Compliance
    Preserves file and folder permissions (ACLs), ownership, and attributes, ensuring compliance with access control policies.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complex Syntax
    The command-line interface can be complex and intimidating for users who are not familiar with command-line operations.
  • No Native GUI
    RoboCopy does not include a graphical user interface (GUI), which may make it less accessible for some users.
  • Overhead for Small Files
    There can be considerable overhead when copying a large number of small files, which may reduce overall performance.
  • Limited Real-Time Monitoring
    Does not offer real-time monitoring or progress indicators in the way that some modern copying tools provide.
  • Potential Data Loss
    Incorrect usage of certain switches (e.g., /MIR) can result in unintended data loss, making it necessary to use caution.
  • Limited Support
    Being a native Windows tool, it primarily supports Windows environments and lacks the cross-platform capabilities of some alternatives.
  • Learning Curve
    It has a steep learning curve for advanced features, requiring users to invest time in understanding its full capabilities.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

l
lsof
RoboCopy

Overall verdict

  • lsof (List Open Files) is a mature, battle-tested Unix/Linux utility that reliably reveals which files, sockets, and resources are opened by processes, making it an indispensable diagnostic tool for system administrators and developers.

Why this product is good

  • Provides comprehensive visibility into open files, network sockets, pipes, and devices tied to running processes
  • Extremely useful for troubleshooting 'device busy' errors, port conflicts, and locating processes holding onto deleted files
  • Highly portable across many Unix-like systems including FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, and Solaris
  • Long history of stable, well-maintained releases with extensive documentation and community support
  • Powerful filtering options let you query by user, process, port, file, or network connection

Recommended for

  • System administrators diagnosing resource and file-locking issues
  • Developers debugging network connections and socket usage
  • Security professionals investigating suspicious process activity and open network ports
  • Anyone needing to identify which process is using a specific file, directory, or port before unmounting or killing

Overall verdict

  • RoboCopy is generally considered a good and reliable tool for file copying and backup purposes, especially in professional and enterprise environments where data integrity and efficiency are critical. Its advanced capabilities make it a preferred choice for users who require more control over their file transfer processes.

Why this product is good

  • RoboCopy, which stands for Robust File Copy, is highly regarded due to its robustness and advanced features that extend beyond what the standard Windows copy command offers. It supports file mirroring, can resume failed copies, and recognizes NTFS attributes and properties, making it ideal for large data transfer tasks. Furthermore, RoboCopy can handle network interruptions effectively and offers extensive options for logging operations, making it suitable for administrators and power users who need to perform complex file transfer tasks with precision and reliability.

Recommended for

    RoboCopy is recommended for IT professionals, system administrators, and power users who need to perform complex file copy operations, including backing up data, file archiving, and synchronizing directories across different locations. It is particularly useful in environments where robust performance and detailed control over the copy process are necessary.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

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lsof 2 videos + Add
RoboCopy 3 videos + Add

8 Basic lsof Commands Every Sysadmin Needs to Know

More videos

  • - HakTip - Network monitoring in Linux with lsof

Robocopy Backup Tutorial for Windows

More videos

  • - Create A Custom Backup Script With Windows Robocopy by Britec
  • - Robocopy vs GS RichCopy 360 Enterprise Backup Software

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
l
lsof
RoboCopy
100% 100%
Command Line Tools
0% 0%
0% 0%
File Management
100% 100%
100% 100%
Performance Monitoring
0% 0%
0% 0%
File Sharing And Backup
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using lsof and RoboCopy. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

l
lsof no reviews yet
RoboCopy no reviews yet

We have no reviews of lsof yet. Be the first one to post

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

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lsof 0 mentions
RoboCopy 50 mentions

Tracking lsof since Mar 2021.

  • Is ultracopier still the very best in terms of open source alternative file copying/merging tool ?
    I used robocopy on a slow network to transfer many gigabyte of data; properly configured with retries and everything worked great. Don't know about your merge needs, so take a look into it and do some tests before actually running it. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Is copying the best way to transfer large amounts of files?
    If you're copying a ton of files that vary in size, using a command prompt robocopy with the multi-thread parameter can make it so you are copying multiple files simultaneously and max out the bandwidth of whatever connection you're... Source: about 4 years ago
  • Game data to new PC
    This would probably work well. Oblivion mod managers edit load order by modifying dates on the files, and I'm not sure if dragging-and-dropping would keep that info. Source: about 4 years ago

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Alternatives to lsof and RoboCopy

When comparing lsof and RoboCopy, you can also consider the following products.

  • htop

    htop - an interactive process viewer for Unix. This is htop, an interactive process viewer for Unix systems. It is a text-mode application (for console or X terminals) and requires ncurses. Latest release: htop 2.

    Compare htop to lsof or RoboCopy:

    htop vs lsof htop vs RoboCopy
  • TeraCopy

    TeraCopy is a compact program designed to copy and move files at the maximum possible speed, providing the user with a lot of features.

    Compare TeraCopy to lsof or RoboCopy:

    TeraCopy vs lsof TeraCopy vs RoboCopy
  • Sysdig

    Sysdig is an open source, system-level exploration that capture system state and activity from a running Linux instance, then save, filter and analyze.

    Compare Sysdig to lsof or RoboCopy:

    Sysdig vs lsof Sysdig vs RoboCopy
  • Ultracopier

    SuperCopier replaces Windows explorer file copy and adds many features: Transfer resuming, transfer...

    Compare Ultracopier to lsof or RoboCopy:

    Ultracopier vs lsof Ultracopier vs RoboCopy
  • v
    vtop

    vtop is a graphical command-line tool that uses unicode braille to chart CPU and memory usage.

    Compare vtop to lsof or RoboCopy:

    vtop vs lsof vtop vs RoboCopy
  • FastCopy

    FastCopy is the fastest copy, delete, & sync software on Windows.

    Compare FastCopy to lsof or RoboCopy:

    FastCopy vs lsof FastCopy vs RoboCopy
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