AllSync is powerful and versatile synchronization software that can be used to synchronize folders on two computers, and also as a backup and restore application. Uniquely, it has exceptionally good support to synchronise your local hard drive with a remote server. AllSync can update a remote server with the latest files from your local copy, and update your local copy with files created by the remote server, making it an invaluable tool for anyone who maintains backups. For this reason alone, it has become our synchronization and backup tool of choice.

If you need to keep folders on two computers in sync, such as your desktop and your laptop, AllSync can do it. You can synchronise entire folders, or folder trees, but it's easy to exclude certain files or folders from synchronization if needed, using the graphical interface or filter rules - which can use wildcards or regular expression syntax. The smart sync algorithm can detect when files have been changed at either or both ends, so that you won't lose work by replacing one changed file with another.



AllSync is also an excellent backup tool. You can mirror the contents of one folder to another, to create a backup. AllSync handles backing up open files with ease. You can create compressed backup archives in the industry standard Zip format. Use of the Zip64 standard means even the largest files can be backed up safely, and the optional 256-bit AES encryption means that your backups can be kept secure as well. The remote computer you are backing up to or synchronizing with can be on your local network, or halfway round the world.

Despite its power, AllSync is very easy to use. A simple wizard-like interface makes it easy to create new backup or synchronization tasks. And AllSync provides great feedback on what files will be copied as a consequence of your selections, so you can feel confident about using it. A simulation mode lets you try out the complete task without touching a single file. And every job displays a preview window showing the differences between the local and remote folders, which you can suppress once you are happy that the program is working as expected.

For expert users, AllSync provides a wealth of options that let you customize its behavior to suit any need. There are far too many options to mention, but here are a few examples. You can get AllSync to close a particular application before running a backup or synchronize task, or run a program before a task starts or after it finishes. You can create groups of tasks to run as a whole. Powerful scheduling options let you run AllSync in the background to update your backups while you work, or run tasks automatically at set times, or when you shut down the computer.