Software Alternatives & Reviews

rsync VS FreeFileSync

Compare rsync VS FreeFileSync and see what are their differences

rsync logo rsync

rsync is a file transfer program for Unix systems. rsync uses the "rsync algorithm" which provides a very fast method for bringing remote files into sync.

FreeFileSync logo FreeFileSync

FreeFileSync is a free open source data backup software that helps you synchronize files and folders on Windows, Linux and macOS.
  • rsync Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-31
  • FreeFileSync Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-24

rsync videos

Rsync Backup on Linux

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Properly Use Cloud Storage | Rsync Encrypt Tutorial
  • Review - Setup OpenMediaVault 5.0 beta NAS on Raspberry Pi 4: RPi4 NAS + Configure RSync with x2 shares OMV5

FreeFileSync videos

Simple, Fast, Automated File Backup [FREE] | 2020 [FreeFileSync]

More videos:

  • Review - FreeFileSync: Tips and Tricks
  • Review - FreeFileSync: RealTimeSync
  • Review - FreeFileSync: Folder Comparison and Synchronization

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to rsync and FreeFileSync)
File Sharing And Backup
48 48%
52% 52
File Sharing
62 62%
38% 38
Backup And Disaster Recovery
Cloud Storage
40 40%
60% 60

User comments

Share your experience with using rsync and FreeFileSync. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare rsync and FreeFileSync

rsync Reviews

Linux File Backup - 5 Best Softeware for Linux Desktop and Server
Rsync(secured URL: https://linux.die.net/man/1/rsync) is a famous software among Linux desktop users since it offers command-line system backup services. Besides featuring incremental backups, you can update the complete file directory tree inside the system. Even it is possible to protect file ownership, permissions, links, etc.
Source: www.easeus.com
The Best Free Backup Software and Why it is Difficult to Find One
Rsync is the very definition of bare-bones backup software. It is a backup tool that is made for Unix systems with the ability to operate it both via the graphic interface and the command line. It allows for its users to perform local and remote backups on multiple devices, including incremental backups. Rsync also has the capability to sync systems across the internet with...
Source: www.bacula.org
The Top 17 Free and Open Source Backup Solutions
Rsync is a command line Linux backup tool, but it also offers a graphical user interface. With this software, IT administrators are able to perform incremental backups, as well as local and remote backups. Rsync enables users to update their whole directory tree and file system. The solution is built for UNIX-like systems, and is recommended to users looking to locally back...
11 Best Linux Backup Solutions
Rsync is another feature-rich backup solution available for Linux. It allows for incremental backups, update whole directory tree and file system, both local and remote backups, preserve file permissions, ownership, links, privileges, automated scripts and much more. Rsync is a command-line tool but there GUI or frontends such as Grsync available. Rsync is very popular in...
25 Outstanding Backup Utilities for Linux Systems in 2020
It also has a graphical user interface called Grsync but one advantage with the rsync is that backups can be automated using scripts and cron jobs when used by experienced System Administrators on the command line.
Source: www.tecmint.com

FreeFileSync Reviews

15 Best Rclone Alternatives 2022
As a result, FreeFileSync helps speed up backup procedures by comparing source and target folders and just copying what is needed rather than copying everything. Additional synchronization options are available via the command line just like with rclone.
The 5 Best File Syncing Apps
FreeFileSync is useful for individuals and businesses for comparing multiple folders and synchronizing folders. It provides a robust backup solution. Choose to sync folders in real time, sync on a schedule, or run the sync program at startup.
Review of the File Synchronization Tools
FreeFileSync is a folder comparison and synchronization software, which can create and manage backup copies of all important files. FreeFileSync does not need to copy every file every time but determines the difference between the source folder and the destination folder and transfers only the minimum amount of data required. FreeFileSync is open source software, which can...
8 best Windows 10 file sync software
User feedback: “After wasting $40+ dollars on a competitor’s product, I tried out Freefilesync. FreefileSync was able to compare hundreds of thousands of files […] in 10 minutes, which was taking the competitor’s product over 3 hours.”
12 Free File and Folder Synchronization Tools for windows
Enhanced for maximum performance, FreeFileSync is an open source tool that assists you to sync files and folders for different operating systems like, Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It comes with a simplified interface and offers an optimized usability. Using this tool you can compare data by date, size or content. You simply need to drag and drop the folders you want to...
Source: thegeekpage.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FreeFileSync seems to be a lot more popular than rsync. While we know about 203 links to FreeFileSync, we've tracked only 13 mentions of rsync. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

rsync mentions (13)

  • Which synchronization tool are you using together with the pCloud Crypto Folder?
    Rsync can be used to synchronize a local disk to the pCloud drive p. Works similarly as the Sync option of the pCloud Drive app. May be useful if one prefers a bulk upload once a day over a continuous synchronization. Source: 5 months ago
  • Advanced Backup and Disaster Recovery Strategies
    Tools that can be used to handle this include Rsync, Duplicati, Cohesity. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Use rsync to Sync a Node Project to Dropbox and Ignore the node modules Folder
    To overcome this issue, you can use rsync, a powerful command-line tool for synchronizing files and directories, along with a bash script that excludes the node_modules folder and also filter out anything in a .gitignore file that you specify. In this article, I'll guide you through the process of setting up and using this bash script to sync your Node.js project while ignoring the node_modules folder. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • i have seen a video about syncthing and I am interested, but I would have a slightly different use case
    Rsync will probably work better for this use case. Source: 12 months ago
  • [Q] paperless-ngx: migrate to new host with UTF8 files?
    Give rsync a try, it should handle UTF filenames just fine. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

FreeFileSync mentions (203)

  • Ask HN: What Underrated Open Source Project Deserves More Recognition?
    FreeFileSync https://freefilesync.org/ I have been a happy user for years and have made a donation too. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Which synchronization tool are you using together with the pCloud Crypto Folder?
    FreeFileSync messed up my pCloud database a couple times at first (causing disappearing files in the Crypto Folder, mirroring of the same files over and over again). Pcloud support provided an easy way to fix the database. To fix the root cause, one needs to exclude FreeFileSync's temporary files from the backup: pCloud Drive > Settings > Backup/Sync Exclusions, exclude sync.ffs_lock and *.ffs_tmp. Source: 5 months ago
  • Why are file backups so slow on Windows 11?
    As per Apprehensive_Arm_754 answer below, https://freefilesync.org is the solution to my particular problem, since it allows all kind of simple rules and logic to apply, so I can make sure that the copy only happens in one direction, and only ever by file date etc. Much appreciated. Source: 5 months ago
  • Why are file backups so slow on Windows 11?
    I use this one: https://freefilesync.org. Source: 5 months ago
  • Is it possible to sync Calibre configuration between Mac and Windows continuously?
    It was me, I'd probably play around with setting up shared folders of preferences and plug-ins and whatnot on something like dropbox or Google Drive. There are various folder sinking tools on both platforms such as free file sync on Windows. Since they are two completely different platforms, I don't know how interchangeable some of the preferences or plugins would be. I haven't used a Mac in a 100 years. Source: 6 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing rsync and FreeFileSync, you can also consider the following products

Duplicati - Free backup software to store backups online with strong encryption. Works with FTP, SSH, WebDAV, OneDrive, Amazon S3, Google Drive and many others.

Syncthing - Syncthing replaces proprietary sync and cloud services with something open, trustworthy and...

GoodSync - GoodSync provides highly reliable file backup and synchronization for both individuals and businesses.

SyncBack - Backup software for the PC: powerful, easy to use solution for backing up and synchronising files on a local/network drive, the cloud, FTP server and more.

Borg Backup - Deduplicating backup program with compression and authenticated encryption

Allway Sync - Free File Synchronization, Backup, Data Replication, PC Sync Software, Freeware, File Sync, Data Synchronization Software | Allway Sync – File Synchronization That Works . DownloadAllway Sync – Free Software Downloads, Free File .