Pairfold vs Sync Folders Pro, ChronoSync and FreeFileSync

By Kayabyte · Last updated 13 November 2026

Short answer: If you want the most features and a bootable clone option, look at ChronoSync. If you want free and open source and don’t mind its own interface, look at FreeFileSync. If you want a cheap Mac App Store app with several sync modes, look at Sync Folders Pro. Pairfold is our own app, so weigh this page accordingly: it is built around a preview of every change, an archive of replaced and removed files, schedules and runs when a disk connects, and clear stops when a disk is missing. We have not tested the other apps. The facts about them come from their own pages on 13 November 2026 and may have changed.

At a glance

	Pairfold	Sync Folders Pro	ChronoSync	FreeFileSync
Source of facts	Our app page and tests	Mac App Store page	Econ Technologies page	freefilesync.org
Price (13 Nov 2026)	See the Pairfold page	USD 8.99, with in-app purchases	USD 49.99 on its page, free trial	Free for private use, business licence for companies; donation edition
Mirror and two-way	Yes	One-way, two-way and mirror backup	Unidirectional and bidirectional	Yes (compares and syncs two folders)
Preview before changes	Yes, grouped list	A preview mode	Not checked	Compares and shows before sync
Archive of replaced files	Yes, dated folder	Not checked	Not checked	File versioning is mentioned in a user review on its page
Run when a drive connects	Yes, while Pairfold is open	Not checked	Not checked	Not checked
Bootable clone	No	No	Yes	No
Platform	macOS 26 or later	iOS, iPadOS, macOS 14 or later	macOS 10.14 or newer, “Tahoe compatible”	Windows, macOS, Linux

“Not checked” means we did not find it on the page we read, not that the app lacks it.

Sync Folders Pro

From its Mac App Store page: USD 8.99, developer Vadim Zybin. Its page lists bidirectional, one-way and mirror backup, a preview mode, exclusion filters and an event log. The page marks the 9 sync modes, multiple simultaneous folder pairs and mirror backup as in-app purchase features (“All App Features”, USD 4.99). The latest version listed on that page is 1.2, dated 15 January 2022. A good fit if you want a low price and one or two pairs; check what the purchase unlocks before you buy.

ChronoSync

From the Econ Technologies page: USD 49.99 with a free trial. It keeps two sets of folders identical with unidirectional and bidirectional options, makes incremental backups to drives, network volumes and several cloud services, and can make a bootable clone of your startup drive. It lists macOS 10.14 or newer, “Tahoe compatible”. The page also lists ChronoSync Express as a separate product without details; the Mac App Store lists ChronoSync Express at USD 29.99. A good fit if you need cloud destinations or a bootable clone.

FreeFileSync

From freefilesync.org: open source, for Windows, macOS and Linux. Free for private use, with a paid business licence for commercial use, and a donation edition that adds email delivery of sync logs. It compares source and target folders and can compare file content. It is a download from its site, not from the Mac App Store. A good fit if you want free and are happy with its interface.

Where Pairfold is different, and where it is not

Different: the preview groups every change as New, Changed, To archive and Conflicts before anything moves; replaced and removed files go to a dated archive; a missing or different disk stops the run; files only in iCloud are left alone and never downloaded in bulk; no account, no analytics, no network access of its own.
Not different, or behind: no bootable clone, no cloud destinations, no FTP or SFTP, no version browser, pairs of folders only, macOS 26 or later.

Steps with Pairfold

Open the Pairfold page and follow the link to get the app.
Click New Pair and choose both folders.
Choose Mirror or Two-way, then Check and Preview.
Click Sync.

Get Pairfold: see the app page for where to get it

Questions

Which is best for a backup to an external drive? For a plain copy of a folder: any of the four can do it. If you need a bootable clone, ChronoSync. If you want it free, FreeFileSync. If you want an archive of what each run replaced and runs when the drive is connected, Pairfold.

Have you tested the others? No. This page repeats what their own pages say, dated above.

Is Pairfold open source? No.

Apple, Mac, macOS and Time Machine are trademarks of Apple Inc. ChronoSync is a trademark of Econ Technologies. Other names belong to their owners. Pairfold is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.