Comparison

Syncthing vs Unison

On the evidence we track, Syncthing leads this comparison with a composite score of 56/100. 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.
★Syncthing56
Unison38
Score
vioscaleAI score
Syncthing56 / 100medium · 58%
Unison38 / 100medium · 59%
Pricing
Free tier
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
Model
Syncthingcommercial
Price level
Syncthingfree
Unisonfree
Transparent
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Syncthing175
Unison0
Github stars
Syncthing89,382
Unison5,528
Activity
Commits last 30d
Syncthing16
Unison5
Release
Cadence days
Syncthing7
Unison132
History
Syncthing20 items
Unison20 items
License
Spdx
SyncthingMPL-2.0
UnisonGPL-3.0
Language
Primary
SyncthingGo
UnisonOCaml
Market
Availability
Syncthing–
Content
Faq
Syncthing5 items
Unison5 items

Capabilities

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

Capabilities
Deployment model
SyncthingP2p client
UnisonSelf hosted
Peer to peer p2p network routing
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
Client server architecture cloud host
Syncthing✗
Unison✗
Block level delta sync transfer speed
Syncthing-
Unison✓
Self hosted linux docker deployment
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
Synology qnap nas hardware integration
Syncthing-
Unison-
Aws s3 azure blob external mounts
Syncthing✗
Unison-
Active directory ldap identity sync
Syncthing✗
Unison-
Version history and conflict resolution
Syncthing-
Unison✓
End to end encryption keys in transit
Syncthing✓
Unison-
SOC2 type ii
Syncthing-
Unison-
ISO 27001
Syncthing-
Unison-
Pricing model
SyncthingFree open source
UnisonFree open source

What each one is

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

Syncthing

Leader

Syncthing automatically synchronizes files between multiple computers in real-time while encrypting all communication and storing data only on your own devices. It operates without central servers, giving you complete privacy and control over where your data is stored and who can access it.

Independently observed

Unison

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.

Syncthing

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free and open source

as of verify ↗

Unison

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
Web
Syncthing✓
Unison✗
macOS
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
Windows
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
Linux
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
CLI
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
Syncthing✓
Unison✓
On-premise
Syncthing✓
Unison✗
Still deciding?

Syncthing 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.