Software Alternatives & Reviews

Syncthing VS rsync

Compare Syncthing VS rsync and see what are their differences

Syncthing logo Syncthing

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

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.
  • Syncthing Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-18
  • rsync Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-31

Syncthing videos

Why We Use Syncthing, The Open Source Private File Syncing Tool instead of NextCloud

More videos:

  • Review - Setup and Review of SyncThing, The Open Source File synchronization tool
  • Review - Syncthing for Syncing Both Computers & Phones

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Syncthing and rsync)
Cloud Storage
85 85%
15% 15
File Sharing And Backup
42 42%
58% 58
File Sharing
69 69%
31% 31
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

Syncthing Reviews

15 Best Rclone Alternatives 2022
With this tool, you can synchronize files between multiple computers without hassles. Syncthing is not very different from rclone as it also supports command-line functionality. Also, it’s a free and open source application with all source code available on GitHub.

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Syncthing seems to be a lot more popular than rsync. While we know about 826 links to Syncthing, 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.

Syncthing mentions (826)

  • Ask HN: Best useful tools that are helpful in your business?
    We use syncthing to share files between our machines. It avoids is having to use dropbox / OneDrive etc. You just choose a folder and it automatically syncs it in the background. https://syncthing.net/. - Source: Hacker News / 13 days ago
  • LocalSend: Open-source, cross-platform file sharing to nearby devices
    This very hn entries is bust contradicting your statement. Also what about syncthing[1] (for recurrent/permanent sync) and croc[2] (for one time copies) ? I have used both for a number of years already. [1] https://syncthing.net/ [2] https://github.com/schollz/croc. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Ask HN: How best to sync a subset of my files with a friend?
    I would use syncthing, which is open source at https://syncthing.net/. After minimal setup, it just works(tm). You have a normal directory in your filesystem, that is synced to the other peers (which you set up in the "minimal setup"). I have been using it for years, and it works well. It has no problems crossing os'es (i.e. Windows -> linux, linux -> mac) For windows I usually recommend - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Free and Open Source Alternative to Airdrop
    Do consider Syncthing particularly if you are using Android. If using apple iOS you'd need the möbius sync client. https://syncthing.net/ https://www.mobiussync.com/ One thing that it beats the cloud / centralized sync on is because the connection is direct between devices when the initial transfer is completed the file is completely there on the other device. With a cloud type of sync you do the transfer twice.... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Willow Protocol
    So something like https://syncthing.net/ ? - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
View more

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 / 10 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

What are some alternatives?

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

Nextcloud - With Nextcloud enterprises host their own secure cloud solution for storage, collaboration & communication from any device, anywhere.

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

FreeFileSync - FreeFileSync is a free open source data backup software that helps you synchronize files and folders on Windows, Linux and macOS.

Dropbox - Online Sync and File Sharing

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

Google Drive - Access and sync your files anywhere