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In a Hurry?
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Introduction
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Discussion
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Pure Sync is the top pick in this category. The only major feature that I found it lacks is the ability to copy open or locked files in the free edition. It has a fairly good set of filters and rules to fine tune what files are included in the job operations. It creates a database during the initial sync operation which it uses to detect file collisions or conflicts, and propagate deletions thereafter. It has a good preview of what files are going to be copied, updated, or deleted when performing a sync job. It has a nice scheduler and supports enabling auto sync for storage such as USB drives. It also has some special options for copying photos from digital cameras. Be aware that while it supports syncing to network locations, syncing with FTP is only supported in the paid version. Over all I was very pleased with its numerous features and ease of use, and heartily recommend it to the average user. FreeFileSync is another solid contender here. In fact I had a hard time choosing between FreeFileSync and PureSync for my top pick. The thing I like the best with this utility is its very clear and informative interface. The preview is very easy to understand, and file collisions and deletions are more readily recognizable than in PureSync. If you require a sync program that can copy files that are in use or locked, FreeFileSync has you covered there too! Unfortunately it only has very basic filters, no auto sync feature, and no direct support for FTP. My final complaint would be that its help file is a little sparse. Those few flaws aside, I found it to be well designed and easy to use. Allway Sync is my third recommendation. It is a very well rounded product with loads of features. It has a very robust filter and rule set and definitely has the edge here over the other two previously reviewed products. It also offers support for FTP, scheduling, and auto syncing. It has a very thorough help file which can be of great benefit especially to those who are new to synchronization programs. One draw back I found is that while it does detect file collisions and deletions, it is not very clear how to choose which versions of conflicting files to keep and which to overwrite. You should also be aware that in the free version of Allway Sync there is a file opreration limit of 40,000 files in any 30 day period. So if you have a large amount of files to synchronize on a daily basis you might need to look at a different choice. Also note that it does not support copying locked files as the developers feel it could compromise data integrity. Honourable Mentions. SyncBack: [5] Supports file compression, and can verify file integrity after job completion. |
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Related Products and Links
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free folder sync synchronization utility |
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