Duplicati vs Syncthing

Duplicati: what it's good at

Duplicati backs up to almost any cloud destination — S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, OneDrive, FTP and more — with strong client-side encryption applied before anything leaves your machine, plus incremental, deduplicated storage.

• AES-256 encryption before upload
• Works with most cloud storage providers
• Incremental deduplicated backups
• Scheduled automatic runs

Syncthing: what it's good at

Syncthing keeps folders synchronised directly between your own devices over encrypted peer-to-peer connections, with no third-party server ever holding your files. A genuine private alternative to Dropbox-style sync.

• Direct peer-to-peer encrypted sync
• No third-party server stores your data
• File versioning
• Runs on desktops, servers and Android

Which should you choose?

Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.

Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux. Only Syncthing supports Android. Both are open source, so neither locks you in.

We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Is Duplicati better than Syncthing?

Neither is universally better. Duplicati encrypted, incremental backup to any cloud storage, while Syncthing continuous file sync between your devices, with no cloud in between. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.

Are both really free?

Duplicati is open source and Syncthing is open source. Both can be downloaded without paying.

Can I install both?

Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.