vioscaleAI
Comparison

Rclone vs rsync

On the evidence we track, Rclone leads this comparison with a composite score of 61/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Rclone full profile →rsync full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Rclone61
rsync49
Score
vioscaleAI score
Rclone61 / 100high · 78%
rsync49 / 100low · 47%
Pricing
Free tier
Rclone✓
rsync✓
Model
Price level
Rclonefree
rsyncfree
Transparent
Rclone✓
rsync✓
Integrations
Count
Rclone43
rsync–
Security
Disclosure policy
Rclone✓
rsync✓
Scorecard
Rclone4.8
rsync–
Vulnerabilities
Adoption
Dependent repos
Rclone43
rsync267
Github stars
Rclone60,306
rsync5,285
Activity
Commits last 30d
Rclone100
rsync27
Release
Cadence days
Rclone18
rsync30
History
Rclone20 items
rsync7 items
License
Spdx
RcloneMIT
rsync–
Language
Primary
RcloneGo
rsyncC
Content
Faq
Rclone6 items
rsync3 items

Capabilities

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

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

What each one is

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

Rclone

Leader

A command-line utility that synchronizes files and directories between multiple cloud storage providers and local storage.

Independently observed

rsync

Open-source command-line tool that synchronizes files between computers or locations using efficient delta transfer, available across Linux, BSD, macOS, and other Unix-like systems.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Rclone

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free and open source (MIT license)

as of verify ↗

rsync

Open sourceFree tier

Free and open source (GNU GPL)

  • Open SourceFree
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
Android
Rclone✓
rsync✓
macOS
Rclone✓
rsync✓
Windows
Rclone✓
rsync✓
Linux
Rclone✓
rsync✓
CLI
Rclone✓
rsync✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
Rclone✓
rsync✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Rclone

Leader
44 total
  • Amazon S3
  • Google Drive
  • Microsoft OneDrive
  • Dropbox
  • Backblaze B2
  • Microsoft Azure Blob Storage
  • Azure Files Storage
  • Google Cloud Storage
  • Oracle Cloud Storage
  • Cloudflare R2
  • iCloud Drive
  • Nextcloud
  • ownCloud
  • pCloud
  • Alibaba Cloud OSS
  • Huawei Cloud OBS
  • Tencent Cloud COS
  • OpenStack Swift
  • Rackspace Cloud Files
  • OVHcloud
  • rsync.net
  • Seagate Lyve Cloud
  • IONOS Cloud
  • Mail.ru Cloud
  • +20 more
Independently observed

rsync

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

Rclone or rsync: 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.