Comparison

lsyncd vs Unison

On the evidence we track, Unison leads this comparison with a composite score of 38/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
lsyncd30
★Unison38
Score
vioscaleAI score
lsyncd30 / 100low · 32%
Unison38 / 100medium · 59%
Pricing
Free tier
lsyncd✓
Unison✓
Model
Price level
lsyncdfree
Unisonfree
Transparent
lsyncd✓
Unison✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
lsyncd3
Unison0
Github stars
lsyncd6,067
Unison5,528
Activity
Commits last 30d
lsyncd0
Unison5
Release
Cadence days
lsyncd162
Unison132
History
lsyncd2 items
Unison20 items
License
Spdx
lsyncdGPL-2.0
UnisonGPL-3.0
Language
Primary
lsyncdLua
UnisonOCaml
Market
Availability
lsyncd–
Content
Faq
lsyncd4 items
Unison5 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for file sync. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Deployment model
lsyncdSelf hosted
UnisonSelf hosted
Peer to peer p2p network routing
lsyncd✗
Unison✓
Client server architecture cloud host
lsyncd-
Unison✗
Block level delta sync transfer speed
lsyncd✗
Unison✓
Self hosted linux docker deployment
lsyncd-
Unison✓
Synology qnap nas hardware integration
lsyncd-
Unison-
Aws s3 azure blob external mounts
lsyncd-
Unison-
Active directory ldap identity sync
lsyncd-
Unison-
Version history and conflict resolution
lsyncd-
Unison✓
End to end encryption keys in transit
lsyncd-
Unison-
SOC2 type ii
lsyncd-
Unison-
ISO 27001
lsyncd-
Unison-
Pricing model
lsyncdFree open source
UnisonFree open source

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

lsyncd

Watches a local directory tree for changes using filesystem event notifications (inotify or fsevents) and efficiently synchronizes them to a remote target using rsync or SSH, without requiring block-level mirroring or filesystem modifications.

Independently observed

Unison

Leader

Unison maintains multiple copies of files and directories on different hosts or disks, automatically propagating non-conflicting changes between replicas. It detects conflicting updates, works offline after synchronization, and runs as a user-level program without requiring kernel modifications or elevated privileges.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

lsyncd

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Unison

Leader
Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
macOS
lsyncd✓
Unison✓
Windows
lsyncd✗
Unison✓
Linux
lsyncd✓
Unison✓
CLI
lsyncd✓
Unison✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
lsyncd✓
Unison✓
Still deciding?

lsyncd or Unison: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.