Syncovery vs Unison (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Unison grades higher than Syncovery: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Syncovery grades higher on features and ease of use. Unison grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on 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
Unison
Open-source two-way file synchronizer for Unix, macOS and Windows
Which one is for you
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
Pick Unison if
- Fits if you are happy in a terminal and want conflict-aware sync between two machines
- Works for people syncing a laptop with a Unix server over ssh
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a point-and-click app, as it is run from the command line
- Watch out: the project releases source, and pre-built binaries come from other sources
- Tight if you need help: the README says not to ask in GitHub issues
- Watch out: the maintainers say very few people work on it, so fixes are slow
- Not for you if you want cloud storage sync, as it is two-folder sync
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASyncoveryFair | 2.6GPAUnisonGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree under the GPL-3.0 licence, with no paid editions. Anyone can download and run it. |
| Free plan and trial | CA trial version is available; its length was not recorded. No free plan is listed. | AThe whole program is free with no limits, and you only need the two places to sync. |
| Features | 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. | CTwo-way sync, conflict detection, rsync-style transfers and repeat mode. It does that one job fully, and it is a smaller job: no cloud services or mobile. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You build sync jobs and choose settings for each. | DA command-line program released as source, with pre-built binaries from packaging systems. Help comes from a wiki and mailing lists. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA program for computers and NAS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Synology and QNAP. No phone or web app is listed. | CA program for computers alone: Mac, Windows and Linux. No phone, web or cloud integrations are listed. |
| Best for | one-time-licence sync and backup for desktops and NAS | two-way file sync, free and open source |
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: Syncovery and Unison. How we grade
Where they differ
- Syncovery can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Unison is open source, according to its own site.
- Syncovery also covers file management.
At a glance
| Syncovery | Unison | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $39.90 one-time (Standard, private use), $99.90 for business use | Free |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | A trial version is available; its length was not read. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Super Flexible Software GmbH & Co. KG | Unison open-source project |
| Price read from | syncovery.com | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Unison
- The project releases source code; pre-built binaries come from packaging systems or CI builds.
- The README says not to ask for help in GitHub issues; questions go to the wiki and mailing lists.
- The maintainers say very few people work on it, so bug and feature handling is slow.
- The old project website is archival; development and issues are on GitHub.
Key features
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.
Unison
- Two-way synchronization
- Changes made on either replica are propagated to the other, and updates that do not conflict are applied automatically.
- Conflict detection
- When both sides changed the same file, Unison shows the conflict instead of silently picking a winner.
- Cross-platform pairs
- It can synchronize a Windows laptop with a Unix server, for example, over ssh or directly over TCP.
- Efficient transfers
- Small edits to large files use a compression protocol similar to rsync's, which suits slow links.
- Repeat mode
- With a filesystem monitor, repeat mode propagates changes soon after they happen.
- No special privileges
- It is a user-level program: no kernel changes, superuser rights or FUSE are needed on either host.
Plans
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.
Unison
Free$0
Full source code under the GNU General Public License, version 3; there are no paid editions.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Syncovery or Unison?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Syncovery starts at $39.90 one-time (Standard, private use), $99.90 for business use, and Unison is free.
Which has a free plan, Syncovery or Unison?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Unison has a free plan. Syncovery 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.