Rclone vs Syncovery (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Rclone grades higher than Syncovery: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Rclone grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Syncovery grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Syncovery
One-time-license file sync and backup for desktops and NAS
Which one is for you
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
Pick Syncovery if
- Fits if you want to pay once for sync and backup instead of a subscription
- Works for people who back up to a Synology or QNAP NAS
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you buy Standard and need cloud, as it has no FTP, SSH, WebDAV, S3 or encryption
- Pricey if you use it for business: $99.90 to $199.00 against private-use prices
- Watch out: a licence includes free upgrades for one year
- Watch out: the dollar prices were read from an order form with a footer dated 2022
- Tight if you run more than 24 jobs at once, since that needs a $299 edition
How we grade them
| 2.8GPARcloneGood | 2.4GPASyncoveryFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree under the MIT licence, with no paid plans. Anyone can download and run it, and you pay only the storage providers you connect. | B$39.90 one-time for Standard, $69.90 for Professional, which adds cloud and protocols. That is under two years of the category's $7 middle subscription. Business use is $99.90 and up. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole program is free with no caps. You do need an account with a provider, as it hosts nothing. | CA trial version is available; its length was not recorded. No free plan is listed. |
| Features | 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. | BUnlimited jobs, one-way and two-way sync, scheduling, FTP, S3, WebDAV, compression and encryption from Professional, plus NAS downloads. Nothing in the listing is missing from Professional. |
| Ease of use | DIt is run from the command line and set up with configuration files. The web GUI is labelled experimental. | CNo rating on record. You build sync jobs and choose settings for each. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CA program for computers and NAS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Synology and QNAP. No phone or web app is listed. |
| Best for | syncing and mounting cloud storage from the command line | one-time-licence sync and backup for desktops and NAS |
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: Rclone and Syncovery. How we grade
Where they differ
- Rclone is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Syncovery can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Rclone | Syncovery | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $39.90 one-time (Standard, private use), $99.90 for business use |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the MIT license; no paid plans. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | A trial version is available; its length was not read. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Nick Craig-Wood and contributors | Super Flexible Software GmbH & Co. KG |
| Price read from | rclone.org | syncovery.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Syncovery
- The order page gives separate prices for private and business use.
- A license includes free upgrades for one year; later versions are sold as upgrades.
- The Standard edition has no FTP, SSH, WebDAV, S3 or cloud support, no encryption and no real-time sync.
- The USD prices were read from the vendor's order form, whose footer is dated 2022; the main purchase page lists several regional order forms.
Key features
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.
Syncovery
- Sync and backup jobs
- Unlimited jobs on every edition, with one-way backup or two-way sync, on a schedule or in real time (not in Standard).
- Cloud and protocol support
- FTP, SSH, WebDAV, S3 and other cloud services are available from Professional upward, not in Standard.
- Compression and encryption
- Not included in the Standard edition.
- NAS and server downloads
- Separate downloads for ASUSTOR, QNAP, Synology, Linux, FreeBSD and FreeNAS, besides Windows and Mac.
- Block-level copying
- Copying changed parts of large files; the file system monitoring service that speeds it up is Premium.
- Remote service
- Syncovery Remote Service and optional internal user management are listed, with the remote service in Premium.
Plans
Rclone
Rclone$0
Free MIT-licensed software; you pay only the storage providers you connect it to.
Syncovery
Standard Edition$39.90
one-time, private use ($99.90 for business use)
No FTP, SSH, WebDAV, S3 or other cloud services, no compression or encryption and no real-time folder monitoring.
Professional Edition$69.90
one-time, private use ($149.90 for business use)
All features except the premium ones; unlimited jobs, up to 12 running at once.
Premium Edition$99.90
one-time, private use ($199.00 for business use)
Adds file system monitoring service, Syncovery Remote Service, NTFS permission copying and priority support; up to 24 simultaneous jobs.
Higher Editions$299.00
one-time and up
For running more than 24 jobs at the same time.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Rclone or Syncovery?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Rclone is free, and Syncovery starts at $39.90 one-time (Standard, private use), $99.90 for business use.
Which has a free plan, Rclone or Syncovery?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Rclone has a free plan. Syncovery does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Rclone and Syncovery run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 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.