Comparing Synchronizers

[pnachtwey]

First, none of them are perfect. They all have flaws.
The ones I am comparing are robocopy, Syncrhonize it! and Free File sync.
First robocopy.
There is a learning curve to this one but I think it would be the best of the 3 if you use batch files and espcially the job: option. It will take time to make a "job" file but once it is done, you know what it will do. Given all the head aches I have had with Syncrhonize it and FreeFileSync, I think it is the way to go if you are willing to have lots of batch files. Robocopy is relatively fast. The problem is that it isn't very interactive so one must first do a synchronize only making a list of what will happen and then look at the list to make make a job file. Robocopy's error reporting is not good and the output is very long when synchronizing to a NAS. I use Robomirror but it doesn't have a very user friendly interface.
Sycnronize it is similar to FreeFileSync but it isn't as interactive a FreeFileSync. Syncrhonize it lets you do a "preview" but then must check to make sure it does what you want. Excluding directories is not hard but excluding files is not obvious.
FreeFileSync is the most interactive of the bunch and is relative fast. It is also relatively to make new synchronizing files. FFS makes it easy to exclude folders and files and edit the list. FreeFileSync has two main flaws. I get too many *.ffs_tmp files that can't be copied over even it I delete them all first. The second problem is that when I am doing a two way synchronize, it is possible that FFS will delete files. This should should only happen when mirroring. I lost a whole directory of recorded movies because of this. When doing a two way synchronizing NO files should be deleted. This is how robocopy and synchronize it work. Now I pay much more attention to the active bar in the middle of FFS's screen.

I am synchronizing to a NAS and an 8TB USB drive attached to my router. I have 4 or 5 computers that synchronize to these devices. I get a lot of conflict errors. I wish there was an option to simply use the latest file.

[Plerry]

Using Two-way sync, FFS will only delete files if those same files were (non-FFS) deleted from the other side. Otherwise FFS will copy those files to the side where they do not exist yet.