# Alternatives to ChronoSync

ChronoSync, by Econ Technologies, is a macOS application for incremental and bidirectional file/folder synchronization, bootable backups, and drive cloning, with support for SFTP, network shares and cloud services like iCloud, Backblaze and Dropbox. It offers event- and schedule-based automation and is the leading dedicated sync tool in the Mac ecosystem.

ChronoSync ranks #8 of 11 in File sync, with an Alt Score of 74. It is sold as a one-time purchase from $49.99 and available on macOS. 11 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/chronosync/
Category: File sync

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Mac users and administrators who need to back up, synchronize, or clone data across local drives, other Macs, NAS/file servers, or cloud storage, ranging from individuals protecting a personal Mac to admins managing scheduled jobs on multiple machines.
- **What you get**: A macOS app for creating synchronization and backup tasks with rule-based file/folder filtering, incremental (changed-file) copying with conflict detection, versioned archives of overwritten or deleted files, and bootable or data-volume backups, plus connections to local networks, NAS/file servers, and cloud services such as iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and Backblaze B2.
- **How it works**: You configure a synchronizer document pairing a source and target location, optionally run a trial synchronization to preview what will change, and then let ChronoSync copy only modified files on a manual run or a schedule, using safe-copy and change-detection logic to catch conflicts before files are overwritten.

## Profile

- **Pricing model**: One-time (verified 2026-07-30)
- **Starts at**: $49.99 (verified 2026-07-30)
- **Platforms**: macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-30)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [GoodSync](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/goodsync.md) | 93 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 2 | [Seafile](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/seafile.md) | 93 | AGPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 3 | [SyncBackPro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/syncbackpro.md) | 89 | Proprietary | Windows |
| 4 | [Syncthing](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/syncthing.md) | 89 | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 5 | [Syncovery](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/syncovery.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 6 | [Unison](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/unison.md) | 81 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 7 | [rclone](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/rclone.md) | 74 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 8 | [FolderSync](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/foldersync.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 9 | [FreeFileSync](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/freefilesync.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 10 | [Resilio Sync](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/resilio-sync.md) | 40 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| File sync checklist | ChronoSync | GoodSync | Seafile | SyncBackPro | Syncthing | Syncovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time | Freemium | OSS + paid hosting | One-time | Free | One-time |
| Starts at | $49.99 | €29.95/yr | $8/user/month | ? | Free | $39.90 |
| License | ? | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary | MPL-2.0 | Proprietary |
| Platforms | macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Peer-to-peer (no server) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable server | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Selective sync | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Delta sync | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Conflict handling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Untrusted-device encryption | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bandwidth limits | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LAN sync | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File versioning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ignore patterns | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile support | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | No |
| Open source | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |

## Sources

Sources for ChronoSync. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: One-time — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/product/chronosync/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Vendor markets it as a 'Lifetime subscription' but it is a single payment per license, not recurring billing.
  - Quote: “ChronoSync is a Lifetime subscription that includes free updates for life.”
- **Platforms**: macOS — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/overview.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: ChronoSync itself is macOS-only; it can sync to an iPhone/iPad only via the separate free InterConneX companion app.
  - Quote: “SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS macOS 10.14 or newer, Tahoe compatible.”
- **Starts at**: $49.99 — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/product/chronosync/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Cheapest option is a single-Mac license; 2/5/25-packs bring the per-unit price down further.
  - Quote: “Single $ 49.99 ChronoSync Single”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/downloads/downloads.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Quote: “ChronoSync Version 12.0.2 released on May 13th, 2026”
- **Peer-to-peer (no server)**: Yes — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/guide-direct-connect.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Uses a direct Mac-to-Mac connection (Wi-Fi/Ethernet + built-in file sharing) with no central server required.
  - Quote: “Connect your Mac directly to another Mac to backup or sync files using ChronoSync.”
- **Self-hostable server**: Yes — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/guide-network-connections.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: ChronoSync syncs directly to a file server or NAS you control; no vendor-hosted cloud is required.
  - Quote: “a file server or a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device on a local area network (LAN)”
- **Selective sync**: Yes — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/features.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Quote: “narrow your sync/backup tasks by targeting specific folders, Excluding files & folders, filtering files & rules using Rules”
- **Delta sync**: Partial — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/features.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Documented as whole-file incremental copying; no mention of block/byte-level delta transfer.
  - Quote: “Only files that have been modified since your last backup will be copied.”
- **Conflict handling**: Yes — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/features.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Quote: “ChronoSync's unique change detection algorithm makes it ideally suited to detect and report such conflicts.”
- **Untrusted-device encryption**: Partial — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/guide-sync-with-disk-image.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Available when the sync/backup target is an encrypted disk image; not an automatic property of every destination type.
  - Quote: “Choose Encryption if you want to password-protect your data inside and prevent unauthorized access to your files.”
- **LAN sync**: Yes — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/guide-network-connections.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Quote: “connect a ChronoSync Mac to another Mac, a file server or a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device on a local area network (LAN)”
- **File versioning**: Yes — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/features.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Quote: “ChronoSync saves old versions of your files in case you need to go back in time.”
- **Ignore patterns**: Yes — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/features.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Filtering is done via manual excludes and name/date/size/extension-based Rules rather than glob/wildcard ignore files.
  - Quote: “ChronoSync offers multiple methods to exclude files and folders from your sync/backup task.”
- **Mobile support**: Partial — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/chronosync/what-is-chronosync.html> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: ChronoSync itself runs only on macOS; iPhone/iPad access requires the separate free InterConneX companion app.
  - Quote: “InterConneX is a free app that connects directly to ChronoSync running on a Mac.”
- **Open source**: No — <https://www.econtechnologies.com/product/chronosync/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Commercial, license-key-activated product sold from the vendor's store; no source repository or open license is published.
  - Quote: “All content is Copyright 2026 by Econ Technologies, Inc. | All rights reserved.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/