SyncToy Alternatives for Linux

SyncToy is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is FreeFileSync, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to SyncToy and 17 are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to SyncToy are rsync, SyncBack, GoodSync and Unison File Synchronizer.

filter to find the best alternatives

SyncToy alternatives are mainly File Sync Tools, but if you're looking for Backup Clients or Diff Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows + Free and Windows + Free + File Sync. 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 SyncToy.
SyncToy iconSyncToy
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SyncToy is a free PowerToy designed by Microsoft, that provides an easy to use graphical user interface that can automatically synchronize local or network files and folders, but not WebDAV-, "Windows Mobile"...

More about SyncToy
SyncToy alternatives page was last updated May 5, 2025
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  1. FreeFileSync icon
     590 likes
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    Open-source software for syncing and backing up files across Windows, macOS, and Linux by transferring only essential data.

    107 FreeFileSync alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

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

    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 SyncToy

     
    Comments about FreeFileSync as an Alternative to SyncToy
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive May 5, 2025
    0

    Former SyncToy user converted to FFS. Researched a lot of alternatives, found FFS came closest to what I needed. Completely dropped SyncToy now. Happily using FFS for several months.

    Guest
    Positive Aug 29, 2018
    2

    awesome piece of software. Got all I need and even options I did not think of. Will donate to developers for sure after some time.

    Guest
    Negative Mar 2, 2018
    -2

    Sadly was not stable- Crashed for me and never completed.

    SyncToy Icon
    FreeFileSync icon
    • Most users think FreeFileSync is a great SyncToy alternative.

    • FreeFileSync is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to SyncToy.

    • FreeFileSync is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to SyncToy.

    • FreeFileSync is Freemium and Open SourceSyncToy is Free and Proprietary
  2. rsync icon
     266 likes
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    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 most similar programs/protocols is that the mirroring...

    130 rsync alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • Haiku

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  File Sync
    2.  Command line interface
    3.  Schedule Backup
    4.  Folder Sync
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Cloud Sync
    7.  Encrypted Backup
    8.  Delta Backup
    9.  File by file encryption

    rsync VS SyncToy

     
    Comments about rsync as an Alternative to SyncToy
    Guest
    Negative Dec 11, 2020
    0

    Rsync implementations on Windows are very slow when performing a first-time backup; two days or more in unacceptable for a task which SyncToy can perform in a few hours.

    SyncToy Icon
    rsync icon
    • Some users think rsync is a great SyncToy alternative, some don't.

    • rsync is Free and Open SourceSyncToy is Free and Proprietary
    • rsync is Privacy focusedSyncToy is not according to our users
  3. SyncBack icon
     143 likes
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    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.

    96 SyncBack alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • SG flagSingapore

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet

    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 SyncToy

     
    Comments about SyncBack as an Alternative to SyncToy
    alternativetosurfer
    Positive Jun 22, 2018
    0

    Powerful, reliable, and easy to use, with excellent licencing options.

    Guest
    Negative Sep 22, 2018
    -9

    It's an FTP client, not a folder sync client.

    SyncToy Icon
    SyncBack icon
    • Most users think SyncBack is a great SyncToy alternative.

    • SyncBack is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to SyncToy.

    • SyncBack is Freemium and ProprietarySyncToy is Free and Proprietary
    • SyncBack is DecentralizedSyncToy is not according to our users
  4. GoodSync icon
     136 likes
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    A comprehensive solution for file synchronization and backup, GoodSync allows seamless and real-time file sync across desktops, mobiles, and cloud services directly, bypassing third-party servers. Ideal for both personal and professional needs.

    124 GoodSync alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Top GoodSync Features

    1.  2 way sync
    2.  File Sync
    3.  Mirror Backup
    4.  WebDAV Support
    5.  Support for Amazon S3
    6.  Synchronization
    7.  Selective Synchronization
    8.  End-to-End Encryption
    9.  Two-factor Authentication
    10.  Portable
    11.  Visual Comparison
    12.  Real-time sync

    GoodSync VS SyncToy

     
    • Most users think GoodSync is a great SyncToy alternative.

    • GoodSync is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to SyncToy.

    • GoodSync is Freemium and ProprietarySyncToy is Free and Proprietary
  5. 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.

    53 Unison File Synchronizer alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft

    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 SyncToy

     
  6. Synkron icon
     74 likes
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    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.

    68 Synkron alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • SK flagSlovakia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    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 SyncToy

     
  7. DirSync Pro icon
     37 likes
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    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.

    90 DirSync Pro alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    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 SyncToy

     
  8. Syncovery icon
     39 likes
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    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 Features

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

    Syncovery VS SyncToy

     
  9. Bacula icon
     29 likes
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    Bacula is a set of computer programs that permit managing backup, recovery, and verification of computer data across a network of computers of different kinds.

    78 Bacula alternatives

    License model

    • Free PersonalOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenBSD

    Bacula VS SyncToy

     
  10. JFileSync icon
     15 likes
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    JFileSync is a Java application used to synchronize directories of two different file systems. For instance, you want to synchronize a set of directories on your laptop with a set of corresponding directories on your workstation. English and German UI.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Discontinued

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  No registration required
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Portable
    6.  Selective Synchronization
    7.  Synchronization
    8.  Backup profiles

    JFileSync VS SyncToy

     
    Comments about JFileSync as an Alternative to SyncToy
    Guest
    Positive Nov 19, 2018
    0

    Best alternative IMO, functionality wise. You can setup profile to sync between 2 folders, you can preview what file to be synced, can exclude files.

    SyncToy Icon
    JFileSync icon
    • JFileSync is Free and Open SourceSyncToy is Free and Proprietary
    • JFileSync is Privacy focused and LightweightSyncToy is not according to our users
10 of 17 SyncToy alternatives