Insync vs Syncthing (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Syncthing grades higher than Insync: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Insync grades higher on ease of use. Syncthing grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Insync
Desktop sync client for Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox
Free trial · from $39.99 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick Insync if
- Fits if you use Linux and want a Google Drive client on the desktop
- Works for people who juggle several Google Drive or Dropbox accounts
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use another cloud, as only Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox are supported
- Watch out: the licence is per cloud account, so Drive plus OneDrive on one email counts as two
- Watch out: support comes with Insync Care, free for year one and $19.99 a year after
- Not for you if you want to move licences between people, as they are non-transferable
- Too light for a phone, since only desktop and server installs are listed
Pick Syncthing if
- Fits if you want folders in step between your own computers with no cloud provider involved
- Works for people with a home server who want a desktop's folders copied to it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want your files on your iPhone, as there are no plans for an official iOS app
- Not for you if you want a cloud copy, since files live only on your own devices
- Not for you if a command-line program with a browser settings page sounds like hard work
- Watch out: devices swap files only when both are online at the same time
- Watch out: there are no sharing links, and help is a community forum unless you pay Kastelo, a separate company
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAInsyncFair | 2.6GPASyncthingGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$39.99 one-time per cloud account, under a year of the category's $7 middle subscription. The sale price has no end date. Two accounts cost twice that, and Insync Care renewals are $19.99 a year. | AFree software with no paid plans at all, where the rest of this category charges around $5 a month for ever. The project lives on donations, and if you want somebody to call, a separate company, Kastelo, sells commercial support. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day free trial for individuals and 15 days for Office. No free plan is listed. | AFree outright on every operating system it supports, source code and all, with no paid tier above it holding anything back and no account to make in the first place. |
| Features | CMultiple accounts, selective sync, one-way sync, a cloud browser and headless Linux. It handles Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox only. | CIt does its one job completely: continuous sync of as many folders as you like, over encrypted and authenticated connections, at home or across the internet. But that one job is smaller than this category's. There's no cloud copy, no sharing links, and devices swap files only when both are online. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You connect each cloud account and choose what syncs. | DWhat you download is a command-line daemon you configure through a page in your browser, on every machine, with tray icons and file-browser integration as separate downloads. Devices do pair by ID with no network fiddling, but this is not install and go. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA program for computers alone: Linux, Windows and macOS. No phone app is listed. | CComputers only: Mac, Windows, Linux and several BSD systems. No phone apps are listed and the team says it has no plans to support iOS officially, so your photos and your phone are out of the picture. |
| Best for | a desktop client for Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox | syncing your own computers with no cloud |
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: Insync and Syncthing. How we grade
Where they differ
- Syncthing is open source, according to its own site.
- Insync also covers file sharing and file management.
In commonLinuxWindowsmacOSFile sync
At a glance
| Insync | Syncthing | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $39.99 one-time per cloud account (shown with $49.99 crossed out) | Free |
| Free plan | None | Syncthing is free software with no paid plans. The project's servers and development grants are funded by donations. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial for the individual license; 15 days for the Office plan | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Insync | The Syncthing Foundation |
| Price read from | insynchq.com | syncthing.net |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Insync
- Support comes with Insync Care: the first year is included, and renewing it costs $19.99 per year.
- The individual license is per cloud account, so Google Drive plus OneDrive on one email counts as two.
- It supports Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox only.
- Licenses are non-transferable; the Server plan prices were not readable, so they are not listed here.
Syncthing
- There is no cloud storage: files live only on your devices, and devices exchange data only when they are online at the same time.
- The Syncthing team says it has no plans to officially support iOS; a separate open source iOS app incorporates Syncthing.
- The base download is a command-line daemon with a web interface. Tray icons and file browser integration come from separate downloads.
- Support is through the community forum; commercial support is sold by a separate company, Kastelo.
Key features
Insync
- Multiple cloud accounts
- Sync several Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox accounts in one app; each added account counts as one cloud account for licensing.
- Selective and one-way sync
- Choose which folders to keep local, and sync in one direction when you do not want changes flowing back.
- Cloud browser
- Browse and manage files in your cloud accounts from the app without syncing them to disk.
- File manager integration
- Sharing and sync actions are listed inside the desktop file manager, along with docs conversion and ignore rules.
- Headless Linux
- A command-line install for Linux servers is listed separately from the desktop apps.
- External drives
- Network drives, external drives and SD cards can be synced.
Syncthing
- Continuous synchronization
- Folders are kept in sync between two or more computers in real time. You can sync as many folders as you need, with other people or only between your own devices.
- No central server
- Data is never stored anywhere other than on your own computers, so there is no cloud account or third-party server holding the files.
- Encrypted, authenticated connections
- All communication is secured with TLS and perfect forward secrecy. Each device has a cryptographic certificate, and only devices you explicitly allow can connect.
- Browser-based interface
- Syncthing is configured and monitored through a responsive web interface served by the program and opened in a browser.
- Works over LAN and Internet
- Devices find each other by ID without IP addresses or advanced configuration. UPnP is used where available, and relays carry traffic when no direct connection is possible.
- Open protocol and source
- The sync protocol is a documented specification and all source code is public, with development and bug reports open for anyone to read.
Plans
Insync
Insync (Individuals)$39.99
one-time per cloud account
Shown as a limited-period offer with $49.99 crossed out and no end date. Includes 1 year of Insync Care and unlimited machines.
Insync Office (Work)$159.99
per year, includes 1 machine
For custom domains; lists Linux integration, dual-boot support and auto-login for servers.
Syncthing
SyncthingFree
The full program for every supported operating system, with source code available on GitHub.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Insync or Syncthing?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Insync starts at $39.99 one-time per cloud account (shown with $49.99 crossed out), and Syncthing is free.
Which has a free plan, Insync or Syncthing?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Syncthing has a free plan. Insync does not, though it has a free trial.
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.