What is the best folder sync app for Mac?
By Kayabyte · Last updated 14 November 2026
Short answer: it depends on what you copy and where. For one folder kept in step with an external drive or NAS, a folder sync app is enough: FreeFileSync if you want free, ChronoSync if you also want cloud destinations and a bootable clone, Sync Folders Pro for a low-price Mac App Store app, Pairfold if you want a preview of every change and an archive of whatever a run replaces. For a whole-disk clone, Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper. For history of the whole Mac, Time Machine. Pairfold is our own app, so weigh this page accordingly. We have tested none of the others; the facts come from their own pages (checked 13 November 2026).
Pick by what you want
| You want | Look at |
|---|---|
| Free, open source, any OS | FreeFileSync (free for private use, business licence for companies) |
| Most features: bidirectional sync, cloud destinations, bootable clone | ChronoSync (USD 49.99 on its page, free trial) |
| Cheap Mac App Store app with several modes | Sync Folders Pro (USD 8.99, with in-app purchases) |
| Preview of every change, dated archive of replaced files, runs when a drive connects, USD 12.99 once | Pairfold (macOS 26 or later) |
| A bootable clone of the whole disk | Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper |
| History of the whole Mac, go back to last week | Time Machine |
| Free and in Terminal | rsync, see rsync on Mac explained |
One-way, mirror or two-way?
- Mirror: the second folder is made to match the first, and the first is never changed. Best for a backup copy on a drive or NAS.
- Two-way: changes go both ways, and conflicts need a decision. Best for a working folder on a Mac and on a drive you carry.
- One-way copy without deleting: new and changed files go across, and nothing is removed from the target. See mirror a folder without deleting files.
What to check before you pick
- Does it show what will change before it changes anything?
- What happens to a file it replaces or removes: deleted, or kept somewhere?
- What does it do if the drive is missing or a different disk is mounted?
- Does it run on a schedule or when the drive connects?
- Which drive formats does it handle? exFAT and FAT32 drives round file times, which can make files copy again, see why files copy again on exFAT.
- Price model: one time, subscription or free, and which Mac versions it supports.
About Pairfold
- Preview groups every change as new, changed, to archive and conflicts, with sizes, before anything moves.
- Replaced and removed files go to a dated archive folder, never deleted outright. A missing or different disk stops the run instead of being read as an empty folder.
- Runs by hand, on a schedule or when a disk or share connects, while Pairfold is open in the menu bar.
- APFS, Mac OS Extended, exFAT, FAT32 and network shares mounted in Finder.
- Not supported: bootable clones, cloud destinations, FTP and SFTP, a version browser. macOS 26 or later.
- USD 12.99 once, no subscription: Mac App Store, or a licence for the download from kayabyte.dev (2 Macs, one year of updates, 30-day refund). The download is free for one folder pair with manual sync.
Questions
Is a folder sync a backup? It is a second copy. It follows deletions unless the tool archives them, so keep Time Machine or another copy too, see Time Machine or folder sync.
Which is best for a NAS? Any of the folder sync apps can copy to a network share mounted in Finder; see back up a folder to a NAS.
Detailed comparison? Pairfold vs Sync Folders Pro, ChronoSync and FreeFileSync and Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper alternative.
Apple, Mac, macOS, Finder and Time Machine are trademarks of Apple Inc. Other names are trademarks of their owners. Pairfold is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.