FreeFileSync
Open-source software for syncing and backing up files across Windows, macOS, and Linux by transferring only essential data.
Cost / License
- Freemium (Subscription)
- Open Source
Application type
EUPlatforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
- PortableApps.com
- Chocolatey
Features
Properties
- Lightweight
- Privacy focused
Features
- File Sync
- Folder Comparison
- Directory sync
- Side by side version compare
- Folder Sync
- Synchronization
- Support for SFTP
- File Versioning
- Drag and Drop
- Works Offline
- Portable
- Ad-free
- No registration required
- Command line interface
- Cloud Sync
- No Tracking
- Encrypted Backup
- Incremental Backup
- Automatic Backup
- Selective Synchronization
- Decentralized
- Schedule Backup
- Multiple languages
- Dark Mode
Tags
- comparative-analysis
- Data Comparison
- Backup
- google-drive
- FTP
- sftp-clients
- mtp
FreeFileSync News & Activities
Recent News
- POX published news article about FreeFileSync
FreeFileSync releases version 12.5 with improved features and bug fixes for file sync and backupFreeFileSync, a folder comparison and synchronization software, has been a consistent player in the...
Recent activities
- zhiny reviewed FreeFileSync
I've been using this for ages! It's a great app.
- bavoussystems reviewed FreeFileSync
Somehow i find myself using this daily. At first all i wanted was a backup tool that does plain file backups on a timer, which FFS is good for. But then i started using it for just any large file transfer. You get more options than file manager drag-and-drop: interrupt and resume with no problem, shut down or sleep when done, granular comparison between the folders, and comparison based on file content, which would probably catch and fix data corruption (although i haven't had that happen yet)....
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What is FreeFileSync?
FreeFileSync is a folder comparison and synchronization software that creates and manages backup copies of all your important files. Instead of copying every file every time, FreeFileSync determines the differences between a source and a target folder and transfers only the minimum amount of data needed. FreeFileSync is free on Windows, Linux and macOS and has an Open Source version for Linux.
Donation version available with these extra features:
- Parallel file copy
- Auto-updater (Windows)
- Portable version (ZIP)
- Silent installation
Donation amounts are calculated accordingly, e.g. a €20 donation corresponds to one year of updates, a €100 donation to 5 years of updates, etc. See: https://freefilesync.org/faq.php#donation-edition
FreeFileSync Videos
FreeFileSync information
Developed by
Zenju Licensing
Open Source and Freemium product.Pricing
Subscription that costs $2 per month + free version with limited functionality.Rating
Average rating of 4.3Alternatives
106 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
- Chinese
Comments and Reviews
Good news: version 10.0, released on April 27 2018, no longer includes ads in the installer. Previous versions used to bundle optional software that was checked by default.
Yes, and the provider/developer begs for a donation instead. That seems quite fair to me, and in my opinion, if the users find the software useful, they should donate an amount of their choice.
I really loved this program but the malware introduced in the installer has caused me to abandon it. The last time I installed this program (on my fiancee's laptop) the installer got to the page asking to install some kind of adware. While reading through this page, after only a few seconds, the installer jumped to the next page and started installing Freefilesync (and, as I would eventually find out, the adware program I was trying to read about). My hands were not touching her laptop so I know I didn't accidentally hit a key. Just to be certain I uninstalled the program and ran the installer again. For the second time, I watched as the installer jumped to the next page after only displaying the option to opt-out the adware for a very brief few seconds. I, honestly, was not given enough time to reject the install of this adware (yontoo).
I intended to run a scan using Malwarebytes immediately after this but was in a hurry and had to leave to do something. I forgot about this issue and, within the next day, pop-ups and notifications for various obviously fake issues started displaying on her computer. I immediately ran a scan with Malwarebytes and cleaned up the mess that the adware/malware had made.
It is really sad to have to write off such a great program due to such a poor decision by the developers to support their work with malware.
[Edited by ecsa0014, January 29]
I strongly agree. The OpenCandy is a crap. I'll abandon it too.
Fortunately, OpenCandy has now been removed from the installer. There's still an option for installing optional (and needless) software, but that option can be switched off and the program is acceptable for use again.
It now copies a PMofStX.dll to a temporary folder in AppData\Local\Temp that is flagged by several AV programs as a Trojan in 9.8 and 9.9. And 9.9 my AV Web Reputation service complained of a call to a domain.
The provider of the software writes on the website (as of July 2023):
FreeFileSync is completely ad-free! Before version 10, FreeFileSync had shown a single advertisement during installation to help fund the project. Beginning with FreeFileSync 10, the project is now fully relying on donations from users to finance its ongoing expenses in software development and support.
I've been using this for ages! It's a great app.
Somehow i find myself using this daily. At first all i wanted was a backup tool that does plain file backups on a timer, which FFS is good for. But then i started using it for just any large file transfer. You get more options than file manager drag-and-drop: interrupt and resume with no problem, shut down or sleep when done, granular comparison between the folders, and comparison based on file content, which would probably catch and fix data corruption (although i haven't had that happen yet). It worked perfectly with my NAS too. The only thing i don't like is some questionable UI choices: the graphic showing transfer rates is unique but not super useful, and the display of folder comparison can be confusing. Many thanks to the devs!
2 words: Truly + Decent
it is the only decent solution that is truly do real Synchronization (both way) and it truly work on most decent OS
did I said Truly & Decent ??? Really!! ;)
I have multiple "one-way mirror" BUs set up and FFS does those jobs quickly. I will note that a couple of these jobs require that I launch the app as admin because certain files in the backup sets are unreadable otherwise. I know why this is so and this is not a complaint. Worth the small donation requested.
The software itself is pretty good, certainly the best of its kind most of the time, though I sometimes end up resorting to WinMerge for certain tasks due to certain very poor design decisions in FFS that make it a pain to use and even potentially problematic.
What really irritates me, though, is that I can't even make suggestions for improvements regarding these issues, or get help. Despite even having donated, which I now regret, I can't register on the forum (they really should just use GitHub like so many others) and the admin wasn't any help. On top of that, they don't bother to respond to emails. So I'm at the mercy of their poorly thought out design with no way to provide input in the hopes of making it more usable, again, despite having donated (which I did based on the usefulness of the software, not in an attempt to get support, but you would think they would be more helpful either way, though especially for donators).
So as much as I hate to say it, I recommend against donating to this project. I just wish I'd waited a bit longer before doing so myself.