Duplicati vs Rclone (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Duplicati and Rclone share a 2.8 GPA, both have a free plan, and Rclone has no paid plan to buy, against $2 a month for Duplicati.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Duplicati grades higher on ease of use and platforms. Rclone grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Duplicati
Encrypted backup to storage you choose, with a free open-source client
Which one is for you
Pick Duplicati if
- Fits if you want a free backup client and your own pick of storage
- Works for IT teams watching backups on many machines in one console
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you run more than 2 machines, because the free console stops at 2
- Not for you if you want alerts for missed backups or remote management, as those need Pro
- Skip it if you want storage included, since self-managed use brings your own
- Watch out: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup is $0.50 self-hosted or $1.50 managed per user a month, and Enterprise starts at 10 machines
Pick Rclone if
- Fits if you are comfortable in a terminal and want to move files between many providers
- Works for people who want to mount cloud storage as a drive
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a point-and-click app, as it is a command-line program
- Not for you if you need hosting, because it does not store files itself
- Too light for people wanting a polished GUI, since the web interface is labelled experimental
- Watch out: Android is only available as separate builds
- Tight if you want vendor support: it is a free open-source project
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADuplicatiGood | 2.8GPARcloneGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe client is free to download and run, and Pro monitoring is $2 per machine a month billed yearly, under the category's $2.85 line. Storage costs are yours. | AFree under the MIT licence, with no paid plans. Anyone can download and run it, and you pay only the storage providers you connect. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe client and a console plan for 2 machines and the last 200 backups are free. One person could live on that, though alerts need Pro. | AThe whole program is free with no caps. You do need an account with a provider, as it hosts nothing. |
| Features | CBackup with encryption, changed-block uploads and a central console does the job, which is narrower than storage. M365 and Google backup is priced on its own and the console features are gated. | BCopy, sync, bisync, mount as a drive, encryption, compression, hash checks and serving files, across 70+ providers. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | CYou set up each backup job and destination, with no store rating on record. | DIt is run from the command line and set up with configuration files. The web GUI is labelled experimental. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb interface plus Mac, Windows and Linux, and many destinations such as S3, Azure, Dropbox, OneDrive and Backblaze B2. No phone apps. | CA program for computers: Mac, Windows and Linux, with Android only as separate builds. Many storage backends but no phone or web app of its own. |
| Best for | free backup to your own storage | syncing and mounting cloud storage from the command line |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Duplicati and Rclone. How we grade
Price against what you get
Duplicati starts at $2 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Rclone has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Duplicati scores higher, and starts $2 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 8 score higher than Duplicati for less, and none scores higher than Rclone for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Duplicati also covers reports.
- Rclone also covers file sync and file management.
At a glance
| Duplicati | Rclone | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $2 per machine / month, billed annually ($2.50 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | Console Free plan: insights dashboard, monitoring for up to 2 machines and the last 200 backups. | Free and open source under the MIT license; no paid plans. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Duplicati Inc | Nick Craig-Wood and contributors |
| Price read from | duplicati.com | rclone.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Duplicati
- The free console monitors only 2 machines; alerts and remote management need Pro.
- Enterprise starts at 10 machines on a yearly contract and is sold through sales.
- Storage is not included on the self-managed route; extra integrated storage is $0.60 per additional 100 GB per month, billed yearly.
- Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup is priced separately: $0.50 per user / month self-hosted, $1.50 managed, both billed yearly.
Rclone
- It is a command-line program; the web GUI is labeled experimental.
- Android is mentioned only as separate builds, not as a main download.
- It does not host storage itself: you need an account with a supported provider.
- The site points third-party developers to the command line and API for GUI and backup front ends.
Key features
Duplicati
- Bring your own storage
- Back up to S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud, Backblaze B2, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, SFTP, WebDAV or local disks.
- Encryption before upload
- Data is encrypted on the device before it leaves, and the vendor says only the customer holds the keys.
- Changed-block uploads
- Only changed blocks are sent, which cuts bandwidth use, and retention rules decide how long old versions are kept.
- Central console
- A web console shows backup status across machines; paid plans add missed-backup alerts and remote management.
- Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup
- Mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Gmail and Drive can be backed up, self-hosted or as a managed service.
Rclone
- Copy, sync and bisync
- One-way sync makes a destination match a source; bisync keeps two directories matching in both directions.
- Wide provider support
- The site says over 70 cloud storage products support it, including S3 object stores, plus SFTP, WebDAV, FTP and HTTP.
- Mount as a disk
- Mounts local, cloud or virtual filesystems as a drive on Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD.
- Crypt, compress and chunk backends
- Virtual backends wrap another remote to encrypt, compress, chunk or merge it.
- Integrity checks
- Checks MD5 or SHA1 hashes and preserves timestamps, and interrupted transfers can be restarted.
- Serve and remote control
- Can serve files over HTTP, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP and DLNA; an experimental web GUI and a remote-control API are listed.
Plans
Duplicati
Free$0
Insights dashboard, monitoring for up to 2 machines and the last 200 backups.
Pro$2
per machine / month, billed annually ($2.50 billed monthly)
Up to 100 machines. Adds missed-backup alerts, AI backup analysis, remote management and 100 GB of storage per machine.
Enterprise$3
per machine / month, from, 10 machines minimum
For MSPs and large companies; yearly contract sold through sales. Adds organization management, SSO with MFA and agent-based deployment.
Rclone
Rclone$0
Free MIT-licensed software; you pay only the storage providers you connect it to.
Ways to pay less
Duplicati
- Annual discount
Pro costs less when billed annually
The pricing page shows Pro at $2 per machine per month with annual billing selected, against $2.50 as the other displayed figure.
Rclone
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Duplicati or Rclone?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Rclone is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $2 a month for Duplicati. Duplicati starts at $2 per machine / month, billed annually ($2.50 billed monthly), and Rclone is free.
Which has a free plan, Duplicati or Rclone?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Duplicati and Rclone have a free plan.
Which platforms do Duplicati and Rclone run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Duplicati lists a web app and only Rclone lists an Android app. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.