Sync vs. Syncthing: Your Own Devices, or Your Own Cloud Drives

Sync vs. Syncthing

Syncthing moves files between your own machines, so at least two of them have to be online at the same moment for anything to happen. Sync sends files to a Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Amazon S3 account you already own, or a USB drive you can hold, and none of those sleep — so a backup started on a phone finishes on the phone, on any of iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows.

Feature comparison

Sync compared with Syncthing, feature by feature
Feature	Sync	Syncthing
Works on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and WindowsThe same tasks and the same drives on every device you own	Yes	Windows, macOS and Linux
Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and Amazon S3 in one appFive services connected from a single install	Yes	NoNo central server; data stays on your own computers
Amazon S3 supportAccess key, secret, bucket and region	Yes	NoIts site states data is never stored anywhere but your computers
USB and external drive supportCopy straight to a drive you can unplug	Yes	Not stated
Private DriveIn-app isolated storage on iPhone, iPad and Android	Yes	Not stated
Five named task operationsBackup, Backup Sync, Restore, Restore Sync and Full Sync	Yes	Not stated
A backup mode that never deletes at the destinationBackup only adds and updates, so a deletion does not travel	Yes	Not stated
Whole-folder tasks, no picking files one at a timeA task takes a source folder, not a hand-made selection	Yes	Not stated
Built-in file manager for every driveBrowse, upload, download, rename and delete inside the app	Yes	Not stated
Share files over Wi-Fi from a built-in web serverOpen a browser on any device on the same network	Yes	Not statedOn iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac
One-time lifetime purchaseBuy once, no recurring charge	Yes	Not stated
Free tierUsable without paying	Yes	Yes

“Not stated” means Syncthing’s own published material does not say either way. We only mark a feature as missing where their material says so.

Pricing

Sync

Free$0

Any one drive, ad-supported
One task, up to 100 MB or 50 files per run
Built-in file manager

Pro Monthly$1.99per month

Every cloud service at once
USB and external drives
Wi-Fi web server, no ads

Pro Yearly$14.99per year

Everything in Monthly
Around 37% less than paying monthly

Pro Lifetime$39.99one-time, yours for good

Everything in Pro, no recurring charge

Syncthing

Syncthing$0

No paid tier
Requires two of your own devices online at once

Syncthing pricing is taken from its own published material and may have changed since we last checked.

Two answers to "where should the copy live"

Syncthing's answer is: nowhere but your own computers. Its site states that none of your data is ever stored anywhere else, and that every device is identified by a cryptographic certificate so only machines you have allowed can connect. The copy lives on hardware you own, which also means it lives on hardware you have to keep switched on.

Sync's answer is that the copy should live somewhere that is awake when you need it — a Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Amazon S3 account you already have, or a USB drive on your desk. It is there whether or not any other device of yours is.

The machines have to be running

This is the practical difference, and it is structural. Continuous synchronisation between your own devices needs at least two of them online at once. If the laptop is shut, the phone has nothing to talk to and the change waits. The usual workaround is to leave a machine running permanently, which is an extra device to own, power and maintain.

A Sync task has no such dependency. The drive is the other end, and it does not sleep, so a backup started on a phone in a hotel finishes there and then.

Sync sends the copy to a provider you already have an account with, rather than keeping it on your own hardware. That is how the backup completes without a second machine of yours being awake.

Sync is not a synchroniser by default

Syncthing keeps locations identical, which means deletions propagate: delete a file on one machine and it goes from the others too.

Sync makes you name the behaviour per task. Backup and Backup Sync copy one way and never delete at the destination. Restore and Restore Sync bring files back. Full Sync is the two-way reconciliation that does mirror deletions, and you pick it deliberately rather than inheriting it.

The same tasks, on every device you own

Syncthing's own downloads cover Windows, macOS and Linux, with Android left to community builds — a shape that suits people comfortable maintaining their own infrastructure.

Sync is one first-party app on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows, with the same drives, the same sources and the same five operations on each. Connect Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Amazon S3, or a USB drive you can unplug, and re-run any task with a tap.

Start free with any one drive, on whichever device is in your hand right now.

The bottom line

A backup only helps if it finishes. Syncthing needs at least two of your own devices online at the same time to move anything, so a change made on a phone waits until a laptop is open. Sync's destination is a Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Amazon S3 account you already pay for, or a USB drive you can hold — none of which sleep, so a transfer started on a phone completes there and then. It is one app on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows, with five named operations so you choose per task whether deletions travel, and $39.99 once if you want it permanently.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Syncthing app for iPhone?

Syncthing's own downloads cover Windows, macOS and Linux, with Android handled by community builds. Sync is a first-party app on iPhone and iPad as well as Android, Mac and Windows, with the same drives and tasks on each.

Can I sync files without any cloud service?

Yes, in both. Syncthing is built entirely around that. Sync can also do it by using local storage or a USB or external drive as the destination — and if you later want a cloud copy as well, it is the same task list rather than a different tool.

Is Syncthing a backup tool?

It is a synchroniser: it keeps locations matching, so a deletion on one device propagates to the others. Sync separates the five operations, and its Backup and Backup Sync modes never delete at the destination, so an accidental deletion leaves the copy intact.

What happens if my other computer is switched off?

A peer-to-peer sync waits until that machine is reachable. A Sync task uploads to a cloud drive or a connected USB drive, so it finishes whether or not any of your other devices are on.