Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper alternative: do you need a clone or a folder sync?

By Kayabyte · Last updated 13 November 2026

Short answer: Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper are made to back up a whole disk, and SuperDuper’s own page describes bootable clones of the Mac’s drive. If that is what you need, a folder sync is not a replacement. If you only want one folder, such as projects, photos or music, copied to an external drive or NAS and kept in step, a folder sync such as Pairfold is a lighter and cheaper fit. It is not a bootable clone and has no version browser.

What the vendors say

Carbon Copy Cloner calls itself “Advanced backup and copying for macOS” on its home page (checked 13 November 2026). It lists restoring single files, copying folders, recovering a whole Mac, scheduling, filters, snapshots and backup verification, with a 30-day trial. We did not find prices on that page.
SuperDuper! Classic says it makes bootable backups (clones) of your Mac’s drive, with Smart Update that copies only what changed, scheduling, and Apple silicon support with bootable APFS and HFS+ backups. It offers a free trial. We did not find prices on that page.

We have not tested either. Check their pages for current features and prices.

Which one answers your question

You want	Use
A whole-disk clone you can start the Mac from	Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper
History of the whole Mac, go back to last week	Time Machine, see Time Machine or folder sync
One folder kept in step with a drive or NAS, as plain files	A folder sync: Pairfold, or one of the tools in our comparison
Two folders edited in two places	Two-way sync, see two-way sync with an external drive

What Pairfold does and does not do

Pick two folders, read the preview (new, changed, to archive, conflicts, with sizes), then sync. Mirror makes the second folder match the first and never changes the first. Two-way copies both ways and asks about conflicts.
Files are copied under a temporary name, checked, then put in place. Replaced or 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.
Works with APFS, Mac OS Extended, exFAT, FAT32 and network shares mounted in Finder.
Not supported: bootable clones, FTP, SFTP or cloud services by itself, a browser for old versions.
Needs macOS 26 or later.

Price

USD 12.99 once, no subscription: on the Mac App Store, or as a licence for the download from kayabyte.dev (2 Macs, one year of updates, 30-day refund). The download is free to use for one folder pair with preview and manual sync.

Download Pairfold or see the Mac App Store listing.

Questions

Is Pairfold a Carbon Copy Cloner replacement? Only for copying folders. It does not make a bootable clone of a disk.

Can I use both? Yes. A common setup is Time Machine or a clone for the whole Mac and a folder sync for the folders you want as plain files on a drive or NAS. Keep a second copy somewhere else for anything you cannot lose.

Is Pairfold a subscription? No. USD 12.99 once.

Apple, Mac, macOS, Finder and Time Machine are trademarks of Apple Inc. Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper are trademarks of their owners. Pairfold is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.