10 Best Synctoy Alternatives For File Syncing on Windows 10

How many of us are familiar with the term syncing or backup? About all of us, right. We have used Google Drive that stores our data in the cloud. This means it stores every change you make in your device as a backup. Similar to this concept, there is a free tool for Windows released by Microsoft. This free file sync tool is known as SyncToy. We are here with 10 best SyncToy alternative for Windows 10.

synctoy alternatives

About SyncToy

SyncToy was released on 10 November 2009. SyncToy is a freeware tool released under Microsoft’s PowerToys series. It helps to synchronize files and folders in Windows XP, Vista, and 7+ by using an easy-to-use graphical user interface that is highly customizable. It operates with automatic synchronization, which reduces stress to copy, move, and synchronize files manually. It just a few clicks away to store the entire change in the SyncToy cloud.

To use SyncToy, it is required to create a folder. Any number of folders can be created on the same machine or network or external drives. The synchronization process takes place in three ways:

  • Synchronize: This updates the file in both ways, that means whatever changes are done, whether editing, renaming, or deleting, everything is kept the same on both sides.
  • Echo: Whatever changes made on the left side are copied to the right side. This includes both renames and deletions.
  • Contribute: New files or updated files are copied from left to right. But this only repeats renames. No deletions are copied.

SyncToy Alternative for Windows 10:

Several SyncToy alternatives are also available to do the task of synchronization.

1. GoodSync

GoodSync was released on July 7, 2017. GoodSync helps to back up and synchronize the files present in the device. It can be installed on Windows XP and later, Android, OS X, and iOS. It requires two directories to start the synchronization process, whether it be between computers or any storage device.

It automatically synchronizes the old files that are deleted or overwritten and this automatic synchronization can be scheduled too. GoodSync has the ability to detect the changes and the time when the changes are made without copying the complete file. An important feature of GoodSync is, it can even copy a locked file. It is the top most synctoy alternative.

 2. Syncthing

Syncthing is a free application that is used for open source peer-to-peer file synchronization. This application is made available for different operating systems that include Windows, Linux, Android, Solaris, Darwin, and BDS.

It can sync files between local networks or remote devices using the internet. The data is stored in syncthing and is highly secured and private. The data stored can not be accessed on any other device excluding the computer where the data was originally stored. The communication backup is end to end encrypted using TLS. Hence, communications are safe with syncthing.

 3. FreeFileSync

As the same suggests, it is a free file syncing program. This is an open-source program that is used to back up or synchronize files in the cloud. This free file syncing service is available on Windows, Linus, and OS X. This is a perfect SyncToy alternative for Windows 10. 

The projects here are backed by donations and in return donators get extra features like auto-updater, parallel sync, portable version, and silent installation. It does not copy files every time any file is updated, it does so in bulk and synchronizes the filtered or required files only.

4. rsync

rsync is well known for transferring or synchronizing data between two devices, mainly between computers and external storage or between networked computers. It generally does synchronization by checking the modification time and file size. It is designed for the Unix operating system and written in C. It is a single-threaded application.

It has an important and unique feature, that the copying that takes place is with only one transmission in one direction. rsync uses Zlib and SSH or stunnel for additional data compression and security respectively. It optionally uses compression and recursion to copy and display contents.

 5. IPFS or InterPlanetary File System

The interplanetary file system is a globally launched peer-to-peer network that helps to sync and store files. It can operate with Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, and Windows. It is written in Javascript, C, and python. It shares data in a distributed file system.

The InterPlanetary file system uses content addressing that helps to identify each file in the global namespace. It is designed using ideas from Git, bit torrent, Kademlia, and SFS. IFPS allows its users to host content rather than just receiving it, similar to that of BitTorrent.

 6. SyncBack

SyncBack is an SyncToy alternative that helps its users to copy or store or synchronize their data between two devices or networks. It was released in 2008 and made operational with Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and above. It can be operated on more OS with paid versions. It is available in three versions : SyncBack Free, SyncBackSE, and SyncBack Pro. SyncBack Free can be only operated on Windows while paid versions can be operated on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.

SyncBack free is ideal to use for home or small businesses but for more heavy work, the paid versions will be great as they come with extra features like open file copying, versioning, SFTP, backup to CD/DVD, backup to email servers, etc.

 7. Unison

Unison is an application used to synchronize files on devices. It operates on Windows and several Unix versions like Solaris, Linus, OS X, etc. It has very clear and specific features. It is free to access and GNU Public License licensed the full source code.

It has been established using several similar features from different servers or applications like configuration management packages from Subversion, BitKeeper, distributed file systems from Coda, unidirectional mirroring utilities from rsync, and other synchronizers. But there are several other features that differentiate unison from others in many ways.

 8. Bvckup 2

It is the simplest accessible file synchronizer. It is very fast in backing up data for Windows. The application size is small, easy to install, and the user interface is very excellent.

It is reliable for automatic data synchronization within two devices like between two computers, or between two networks, or between external storage. It functions similarly to that of SyncToy by windows. It can function on any version of Windows. It is considered to be the ideal choice for doing backups in the external USB drives and NAS devices.

 9. DirSync Pro

It is a very trusted file synchronizer. It is small in size but is powerful enough to sync large sized data too. This can sync multiple files at a time. This can be used to transfer files from computers to USB drives.

This has the ability to do backups in bulk, which means you will not be required to transfer or sync files every time you upload. This only transfers the recently made changes or newly uploaded files. This way it spares a lot of time for the user. To run this awesome application, Java JRE 1.7 or above is required.

10. Toucan

It is a small application that is highly recommended for synchronizing, backup, and securing the data in its cloud. It has five synchronization modes and they are copy, mirror, equalize, move, and clean. It stores and backs up your data in the industry-standard zips and 7-zip files.

It also includes command line support and is able to translate to several languages. It can also split up to 7 tabs, which can help you to find required functions easily.

Hope we are able to help you with the Top alternatives to SyncToy for Windows 10. If you’ve ever used any other application, do let us know through the comments. For more technical guides, do follow www.techtipsunfold.