rsync Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to rsync for Linux if you are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is Syncthing, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to rsync and many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to rsync are FreeFileSync, Rclone, Duplicati and Restic.

filter to find the best alternatives

rsync alternatives are mainly File Sync Tools, but if you're looking for Backup Clients or Online Backup Tools you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to rsync.
rsync iconrsync
  267
  • ...

rsync is a software application for Unix which synchronizes files and directories from one location to another while minimizing data transfer using delta encoding when appropriate. An important feature of rsync not found in...

More about rsync
More about rsync
rsync alternatives page was last updated May 24, 2023
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
  1. Syncthing icon

    Syncthing

     809 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Open-source, peer-to-peer service offering encrypted file synchronization, ensuring data privacy and user-autonomy without relying on cloud storage or central servers, suitable for various uses.

    127 Syncthing alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • SE flagSweden
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    • Termux
    • Terminal
    Syncthing screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Peer-To-Peer
    2.  Decentralized
    3.  Folder Sync
    4.  File Sync
    5.  Real-time sync
    6.  End-to-End Encryption
    7.  Synchronization
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Large File Transfer
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Portable

    Syncthing VS rsync

     
    Comments about Syncthing as an Alternative to rsync
    ikaz
    •Jul 6, 2022
    4

    Cannot sync between 2 local directories.

    rsync Icon
    Syncthing icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Syncthing is a great rsync alternative.

    • Syncthing is the most popular Windows, Mac, Linux & Self-Hosted alternative to rsync.

    • Syncthing is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to rsync.

    • Syncthing is Free and Open Sourcersync is also Free and Open Source
    • Syncthing is Decentralized and Lightweightrsync is not according to our users
  2. FreeFileSync icon

    FreeFileSync

     588 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Open-source software for syncing and backing up files across Windows, macOS, and Linux by transferring only essential data.

    105 FreeFileSync alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Chocolatey
    Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  File Sync
    2.  Directory sync
    3.  Folder Comparison
    4.  Side by side version compare
    5.  Support for SFTP
    6.  Synchronization
    7.  Folder Sync
    8.  Drag and Drop
    9.  File Versioning
    10.  Portable
    11.  Command line interface
    12.  No registration required

    FreeFileSync VS rsync

     
  4. Rclone icon

    Rclone

     164 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Rclone ("rsync for cloud storage") is a command-line program to sync files and directories to and from different cloud storage providers.

    90 Rclone alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Solaris
    • FreeBSD
    • NetBSD
    • OpenBSD
    Rclone screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  File Sync
    3.  Cloud Sync
    4. MEGA icon  MEGA integration
    5. Google Drive icon  Google Drive integration
    6.  Backup to Cloud Storage
    7. Nextcloud icon  Nextcloud integration
    8.  Synchronization
    9. Microsoft OneDrive icon  Onedrive integration
    10.  End-to-End Encryption
    11.  Multiple Account support
    12.  Portable

    Rclone VS rsync

     
    Comments about Rclone as an Alternative to rsync
    Guest
    Positive •Feb 15, 2019
    0

    Supports a wide variety of cloud services, easy to set up with most I've tried.

    varian93
    Positive •Aug 31, 2018
    0

    It works very well on many platforms. The only complaint is that, much like rsync, you have to familiarize yourself with a bunch of "command line" parameters to be able to use it.

    rsync Icon
    Rclone icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Rclone is a great rsync alternative.

    • Rclone is Free and Open Sourcersync is also Free and Open Source
    • Rclone is Lightweightrsync is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    SyncBack icon
    SyncBack

    SyncBack allows for backing up, synchronizing, and restoring files on Windows. It offers a free version, SyncBackSE and Pro for more features, including local networks and cloud backups. Ideal for individuals and large organizati...

    https://www.2brightsparks.com
    Learn More
  6. Duplicati icon

    Duplicati

     343 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Duplicati stores encrypted, incremental backups with AES-256 encryption and GPG, compatible with Windows, Linux, MacOS. Supports cloud services like OneDrive, Google Drive, and includes a built-in scheduler, auto-updater. Run backups through a web interface or command line.

    132 Duplicati alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DK flagDenmark
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Duplicati screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Incremental Backup
    2.  Schedule Backup
    3.  Automatic Backup
    4.  Encrypted Backup
    5.  Data deduplication
    6.  File Versioning
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Scheduling
    9.  Local Storage
    10.  Cloud Sync
    11.  Guided configuration
    12.  AES-256 Encryption

    Duplicati VS rsync

     
    Comments about Duplicati as an Alternative to rsync
    Christian Westrom
    Positive •Dec 10, 2021
    1

    Duplicati is not discontinued anymore. There is a 2.0 version in beta.

    Guest
    Negative •Nov 21, 2015
    1

    Duplicati does not transfer raw files, it only transfers zips of files

    rsync Icon
    Duplicati icon
    • Duplicati is Freemium and Open Sourcersync is Free and Open Source
    • Duplicati is Privacy focusedrsync is not according to our users
  7. Restic icon

    Restic

     63 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    restic is a program that does backups right. The design goals are: Easy, Fast, Verifiable, Secure, Efficient, Free.

    55 Restic alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Arch Linux
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenBSD
    Restic screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Encrypted Backup
    2.  Data deduplication
    3.  Incremental Backup
    4.  Remote backup
    5.  Command line interface
    6.  Data Compression
    7.  Schedule Backup
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Portable
    10.  File Versioning
    11.  Ad-free

    Restic VS rsync

     
  8. SyncBack icon

    SyncBack

     143 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    SyncBack allows for backing up, synchronizing, and restoring files on Windows. It offers a free version, SyncBackSE and Pro for more features, including local networks and cloud backups. Ideal for individuals and large organizations like hospitals, ensuring data protection and recovery.

    95 SyncBack alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • SG flagSingapore

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    SyncBack screenshot 1

    Top SyncBack Features

    1.  Schedule Backup
    2.  AES-256 Encryption
    3.  File Versioning
    4.  End-to-End Encryption
    5.  Cloud Sync
    6.  Incremental Backup
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Selective Synchronization
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  Portable
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Decentralized

    SyncBack VS rsync

     
    Comments about SyncBack as an Alternative to rsync
    Guest
    Negative •Nov 21, 2015
    -2

    Only supports insecure remote backups, very irresponsible

    rsync Icon
    SyncBack icon
    • SyncBack is Freemium and Proprietaryrsync is Free and Open Source
    • SyncBack is Decentralizedrsync is not according to our users
  10. Unison File Synchronizer icon

    Unison File Synchronizer

     95 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Unison is a file-synchronization tool for POSIX-compliant systems (e.g. *BSD and GNU/Linux), macOS and Windows, with the caveat that the platform must be supported by OCaml. It allows two replicas of a collection of files and directories to be stored on different hosts (or diffe.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Unison running in KDE terminal window

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Bidirectional sync
    2.  Synchronization
    3.  File Sync
    4.  2 way sync
    5.  Command line interface
    6.  Folder Sync
    7.  Decentralized
    8.  Support for Rsync
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  No Tracking
    12.  Gtk

    Unison File Synchronizer VS rsync

     
  11. Déjà Dup icon

    Déjà Dup

     77 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Déjà Dup is a simple backup tool. It hides the complexity of doing backups the Right Way (encrypted, off-site, and regularly) and uses Duplicity as the backend.

    88 Déjà Dup alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Déjà Dup screenshot 1

    Déjà Dup Features

    1.  Encrypted Backup
    2.  Schedule Backup
    3.  Incremental Backup
    4.  Remote backup
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Selective Synchronization

    Déjà Dup VS rsync

     
  12. Back In Time icon

    Back In Time

     51 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Back In Time is a simple backup tool for Linux, inspired by "FlyBack project".

    55 Back In Time alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Back In Time screenshot 1

    Back In Time Features

    1.  Incremental Backup
    2.  Schedule Backup
    3.  Time-machine

    Back In Time VS rsync

     
  13. Syncovery icon

    Syncovery

     39 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Back up your data and synchronize PCs, Macs, servers, notebooks, and online storage space.

    68 Syncovery alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Syncovery screenshot 1

    Syncovery Features

    1.  Schedule Backup
    2.  Encrypted Backup
    3.  File Versioning
    4.  Remote backup

    Syncovery VS rsync

     
  14. DirSync Pro icon

    DirSync Pro

     37 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    DirSync Pro is a small, but powerful utility for file and folder synchronization. Java JRE 1.7 or above is needed to run DirSync Pro.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Basic
    Discontinued

    No activity/development anymore. Last stable version from 2018-03-07, last development version from 2018-12-28.

    DirSync Pro Features

    1.  Incremental Backup
    2.  Command line interface
    3.  Folder Sync
    4.  Tree view

    DirSync Pro VS rsync

     
  15. Synkron icon

    Synkron

     74 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Synkron is an application for folder synchronisation and folder-backups that allows you to configure your synchronisations in detail. Despite having many features, the user interface of Synkron is very user-friendly and easy to use.

    69 Synkron alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • SK flagSlovakia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    Main window
    Discontinued

    Last Update: 2014-10-11, see https://sourceforge.net/projects/synkron/

    Synkron Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Folder Sync
    3.  Synchronization
    4.  Multiple languages

    Synkron VS rsync

     
12 of 44 rsync alternatives