Synk Pro7.0.12

Thanks James. Does ChronoSync synchronise 'on the fly' as SynkPro did, or does ir require a manual or scheduled activation?

Wont work with macOS Sierra public beta.

Using Synk extensively to synk TB of data across external disks and SMB shares. Recently upgraded to OS X 10.11 El Capitan and Synk still works like a charm. What always brings me back to Synk is the flexibility for the scripts and Synks ability to just quietly do its job, when the opportunity is there, i. e. target and source disks or shares are available. In this sense it is like Time Machine, which runs hourly, when the backup disk is connected. And similar to TM the scanning of the disk (what needs syncing?) is really fast.

Still my go-to backup program, and still working fine under Yosemite (10.10.1).

I'm a longtime Synk Pro user and happy until this week, when the Synk engines for four of my 10 synchronizations refused to do more than twirl. I requested support and am still waiting to hear back from Tony, the current owner of the franchise. As this is critical, I set up Chronosync (which I purchased around the same time as Synk Pro, but never used) and managed the synchronizations in that fashion. However, I'd prefer real-time synchronization that Synk Pro provides, when it's working. If anyone can tell me how to get the engines going, I'd be much obliged. Otherwise, I'm going to have to switch applications. Bob

Love Synk Pro 6.5.6 but it's not compatible with OSX 10.7.5 and I'm not able to drop another $30 to upgrade just to retain compatibility. Great program but feel left out with 6.x.

Doesn't work with network drive (like ssh mounted volumes) and there is no solution to sync data located on internet server, I can use this app for the local drive or the local network drive but not to the outside network.

Disappointed because I really wanted a solid bootable backup. The previous versions did that for me but they won't run in Lion. My backup from this baby was unreliable -- would sometimes boot, would sometimes fail. The script never gave me a completed indication after **weeks** of running --- so I never knew what the bootable status of the moment was. I contacted support about being able to do a one-shot bootable back-up and got a ya-but-live-is-our-shtick-and-we're-sticking-to-it sounding response. I dunno --- iCloud, doc version autosave/ restores in the software, and Time Machine built in to Lion has me questioning that single minded approach. Anyway, I was able to make and prove a bootable back-up in a tad over an hour with Carbon Copy Cloner. bye-bye Synk 7

Don't tell me I've lost $60 again…

I have the same experience as "Manu Chau" that I was never able to get this to work probably with Lion and making a backup of a boot drive. The software just keeps on throwing errors and takes forever what should be an hour or so task, at least it's with SuperDuper! I have also tried to sync home folders across multiple Macs and again SynkPro just keeps on throwing exception which require me to sit their and acknowledge them for it to continue. I believe this software is okay to sync individual folders across multiple machines but if you want to sync complete home directories and/or complete disks backup I'd not recommend it. Unfortunately that's what I needed it to do so it's not for me.

Really great program for keeping Folders or Drives synchronized. Gone are the days of manually running rsync or some other utility—with Synk you just set up a synchronization rule, turn it on, and from then on you will always have up-to-the-second synchronization. I think the price could be a bit lower, but in the end the ease of use and stability of this app justifies the price, especially if you use it to keep many drives/folders in sync. One note of complaint though, and I'm not entirely sure it's the fault of the program: I had this running on my early 2010 Mac Mini Server to keep a live backup of the OS drive, and I had to turn it off due to extremely high CPU usage. It would fluctuate anywhere from 60–140% of 2 cpu cores (ie-140%=100% first core and 40% second core). However, I run several scripts on my 2007 MacPro, including a live backup of the OS, and cpu usage is negligible. I have no idea what the issue is with the Mac Mini.

easy and works well. - other synching solutions are complicated to set up and don't do what I need. Synk however works really well. Reliable. only issue are permissions which are not adjusted between 2 macs. I need to give myself permission to read/write to documents when I changing my mac. that could be easier.

Remote sync stopped working since I moved to Lion (despite the suggestion to delete items in my Keychain). This has been the most frustrating piece of software I've ever purchased. The auto mode (when working) was a dream. The manual mode is a nightmare and it's apparently intended to be. After contacting the developer multiple times it's clear to me he feels it's working as intended. I did give it an extra star for making the uninstall painless.

I have been trying Synk Pro 7 for a week, and it just works as expected. I have noticed: - The Synk Engine always runs as root. It sometimes causes a problem of file permission for a remote volume which is readable only by the current user, not by root. We need an option to specify the owner of the engine. - The exclusion list should accept a path input, otherwise it is impossible to specify invisible items.

I have been trialling Synk 7 on and off since March. I have probably sunk at least a whole working week in trying get it to run. But its behaviour is still erratic and the reasons for it are close to impossible to tracking down. And Decimus has been unable to give me any help or pointers besides nice words of encouragement. And since Synk 6 is non-functional on Lion thus have to consider Synk abandonware. The key problem is that Synk 7 almost never manages to get my boot drive into sync, pegging both my processor cores fully for 12+ hours (the most time I can give it during a weekday). I have spent the last two weeks again tracking down what is tripping Synk 7 up. I successively reduced the workload from 3 million, to 2 million, to 500000, to 200000, to 100000, to 20000, to 3000 files by excluding stuff. None of these managed to get into sync by running it overnight. I then went the other way around, not by excluding stuff from by boot drive but by merely syncing individual folders. That worked well and miraculously after some successive buildups of number of files under considerations, syncing the whole boot drive worked (ie, it managed to get into sync). Unfortunately, trying it again today, there is still no sign of it getting into sync after 4+ hours. My best guess is that the rare successes I had with Synk 7 are all down to luck, ie, there are one or more processes that cause Synk 7 to effectively hang itself but I have no clue what it is. Since my computer is usually running around 140 processes (counting the PIDs), finding the offending one by trial and error is anything but trivial. And in their great wisdom, Decimus (or shall we say Benjamin Rister) did not build-in any debugging tools that would show me which folders (or files) are causing Synk 7 to never finish, thus essentially abandoning all their customers which have a slightly non-perfect system (with Synk 7 not working and Synk 6 also not working anymore on Lion). Of course, they say, I should just look at the list of activities but more often than not this list is empty (whether that is a sign of Synk 7 having half-crashed or 'just' a UI bug is naturally an open question). And that Synk 7 can peg my processors with basically zero disk activity for several minutes does look much more like Synk 7 hanging itself as some external process causing it to re-scan a folder. Naturally, Decimus could give me a debug build of Synk (one that simply logs what it is doing, making it maybe possible to say where it gets stuck). But that seems outside their technical or resource or goodwill range. Decimus has abandoned the non-live sync backup market (they market Synk 7 as a live-sync tool and have stated to have no interest in adding a non-live mode to it). As has the creator and lead developer, who has left the company. Thus, I too should probably abandon Synk and Decimus. I am sure there is some great work inside Synk 7 but launching a new product that at same time abandones a good deal of your customer base is not something that creates a lot of trust into their product. Thus, as a warning to all potential buyers of Synk 7: Don't feel too comfortable using it as a backup tool for your boot drive (where lots of processes constantly write files), it might stop working at any moment.

I love Synk Pro 7: it is intelligently engineered, it is relatively simple to set up, and once this is done it is as effortless as Time Machine with much more flexibility and finesse. Like others here I still use SuperDuper! for regular bootable backups, because I do like that to happen on a schedule (at night). I also use QRecall for some things, partly because I am a software junky and I like the interface, but also because it does have specific capabilities that Synk doesn’t. But if I was forced to choose, I’d go for Synk. I remember the days when despite the fact that it was expensive and awkward to use, the herd all stuck with Retrospect because it had been around for a long time and they were used to it. In those days the smarter choice was Synchronize! Pro, which was (and is) much more flexible and user-friendly, but times have moved again: S!P is still good, but it is no longer cutting edge, and it is stuck with an outdated licensing model. Synk, to my mind is the new gold standard. I just really hope that the change in dev will not compromise things. Indications are that it won’t and I wish the team every success.

I was upset about the upgrade policy, but I finally bought it and I now I couldn't do without it. It's a full 5 stars, and it deserves it.

This is one amazing backup program! It backs up the files and folders you tell it to, whenever it detects a change in them. It's "live" backup happening in real time, not hours later. And it works great! You can have it archive older versions so you can go back and retrieve one if you need to. It's kind of like Time Machine but with immediate backup rather than at fixed intervals. I've used it now for a few weeks and it's been flawless. Synk 7 is different from other backup methods (and from previous versions of Synk) and so may require a mental adjustment. But once you've tried it and seen how great it is, you won't want anything less!

Thanks a lot for your software and your work. Works pefectly with intensive and large backup and sync. Out all others backup systems.

I have only been using Synk (standard version) for a month or so, and I am most impressed with its features and straight-forward functionality. I have used many backup apps, and this is by far the best. The problem I've had with many is that I was continually tinkering with them and often I never resolved the problem. Not so with Synk. Just set and forget. You can access the backups easily and they're not encrypted or converted into a different file format. And restoring a file just takes a moment. Best of all, Synk comes with excellent tech support from the developer. When I was originally setting it up, I had a few problems - and the developer responded very quickly and even set up the same backup scenario to get to the root of the problem [which was user error]. And this was all while I was still trialling the app. What else is there to say? ... If you just want a backup service that delivers what it promises, you've come to the right place..

After initial problems with the new version of Synk, I have come to really appreciate what the developers have come up with here. It is a backup program unlike any other, and I think Jayhawkbabe's comment about Dropbox points towards the best comparison I can think of: Synk is a bit like an offline Dropbox utility with the advantage that you can backup whole drives. Synk recognizes file changes and syncs them immediately to one or more specified locations. It's great how one or many backup/sync scenarios can be set up in one place and how you can order them in the side bar and even create folders for different scenarios. My scripts include: - several bootable backups of two different hard drives - folders that I want to keep in sync - a so called "GoodReader" folder that syncs my GoodReader documents on my iPhone/iPad (neat, isn't it?) I also want to highlight the excellent support behind Synk. I had some inquiries, and the super friendly and competent support team got back to me within hours.

I'm a long time user of Synk Pro 6 and have put Synk Pro 7 through it's paces both as a beta tester and once a stable version was released. I admit it took me a while to get used to the new paradigm adopted by Synk 7. As noted by others, Synk 7 removes some degree of control over when files are synchronized. However, there is an upside: my files are ALWAYS synchronized. I don't have to remember to run the program--it just happens! As internet bandwidth continues to grow, I think this will be the trend most programs take. Indeed, there are already a number of services that use this model. It's just that these programs--Dropbox, SugarSync, ZumoDrive--tend to synchronize a smaller amount of files and they do it with a server. Synk 7 scales this model up and cuts out the server middle-man. So, to those who are grappling with the new way Synk 7 runs, I'd recommend taking it for a spin with a few, non-critical files. Play with it for a few days and get used to the way it works. I think many will be pleasantly surprised. I'd also add that the service I've received in my many years as a Synk user is outstanding. The developers are sharp, helpful, and willing to have a frank discussion with me about a question or feature request. This is exactly why I like supporting indie software.

upgrade price for Synk Pro v7 $45 = original Synk v6 price. "Interesting" offer for existing customers!

actually $45 is for upgrading Synch Pro 6 to Synch Pro 7! =:-0 full price is $60 for the Pro version and $40 for Standard :-/

I have been a very satisfied user of Synk Standard 6 for several years to maintain a bootable backup. I downloaded and installed Synk Pro 7 last night. Overnight, it finally finished its rebuild of a bootabl backup on the extrnal drive. It now continuously checks for changes in just seconds and then goes dormant. I even tried ejecting the external disk without turning off Synk and it handled it smoothly. It was even able to remount the external disk by just turning the script off and then back on. I am truly impressed! I have no connection to the developer except being a very satisfied user.

I downloaded this about 20 days ago and have been testing since then. I own several of the other similar programs and found I like this one the best. I also tested their support by sending them a question and got a reply within just a few hours. I like how you can easily see all the scripts in the left window and the summary view for each script. Also the one to many sync option. It is very fast at doing syncs. Overall I like the interface and features in Synk Pro the best.

Very useful software; I had Superduper but it slowed down my computer for 30 min when making bootable backup; much more rapid with synk and many more options. For example, I also use it to automatically launch a synchronization between 2 USB hard disks when both of them are connected.

I've been a long time SuperDuper user. At one point the features of SuperDuper simply weren't enough to cover my needs though. After testing several backup applications I happily bought Synk Pro and I haven't regretted this for a single moment. I have set up different backups that run automatically when the external drive is attached to my Mac, two of them bootable backups (clones) and several important file backups. I also backup some critical files on a daily basis to my Dropbox account using Synk's time scheduling feature. All of these scenarios are handled easily with Synk Pro once everything is set up. I can say that I feel pretty reassured knowing that Synk Pro is taking care of my backups. The only time I had to make a full restore from my bootable backup everything went smoothly and without a problem. I'd also like to point out to my fellow MacUpdate users who are looking for a great and reliable backup solution that Decimus' customer support is more than excellent. I contacted them twice and received helpful feedback within the hour. I strongly recommend this application!

I was using Synk Standard and recently updated to Synk Pro. The interface on both products is clear and has extensive options. I use it on my clients' servers and over the years I have built up confidence in the reliability of it's operations. Recently I had a need to contact technical support. I got an email reply within a few hours. Problem solved. Thanks for a great product and excellent support.

While testing Synk Standard and Pro on exact backups, neither current version seems to backup app-icons always. Synk Standard v6.4.1, however, did exact-backups with app-icons intact.

I have used Synk to back up my file servers since version 3. I have found it fast, extremely reliable, and easy to set up and upgrade. It is a "fire and forget" app that does my periodic and nightly backups and one I prefer to Time Machine (probably because all my data lives on my servers rather than my hard drives).

Been using Synk for years...developer is very open to suggestions and responds to queries fast. This Pro edition is a real 'machine' and does a superb job of backing up to multiple areas while you sit back and relax knowing the job is done.

forget the rest .... this is the best!!!!!

I never wanted to be a collector of backup programs but I that's what I've become -- I must have about 8 programs that I've tried or used over the years. Synk (standard, or middle, version) is finally what I've been seeking: an intuitive, stable, fast, easy-to-use backup program with a fantastic archiving feature. My prior program of choice was Tri-Backup 4, and that has a decent archiving feature and worked OK, though it seemed to not backup all of my updated data files, and it's not a Universal app (proud owner of a Mac Pro). The developers of Synk clearly put their minds and passion into this app and I think it shows: it looks great and functions great.

Warning for users of 5.x version: the standard version of Synk 6 doesn't provide alias resolving and is, in this respect, actually a downgrade.

I've tried many backup solutions over the years but Synk works very well. There are many options to backups and synchronising which include giving you the option of saving changed files to a separate folder. I synchronise about 15Gb of regularly changing work between 3 computers and this makes it a cinch. I've had no problems in the many weeks I've been using it. The one thing that swung it for me was the support. The author runs a forum in which he tries to answer every query quickly and comprehensively. I've asked a few questions and have received answers the same day and to my satisfaction. You don't often get many authors actually caring about their customers. The trial lasts 30 days and should be enough time to try it out. Once paid, you are eligible to any upgrade in the next 12 months for free. What more could you want?

Wow. I've been looking for a really good backup and file synchronization application for a good while. I've tested just about everything on MacUpdate.com and Synk was by far the best of the bunch. Not only will it do a quick sync between folders (even over the network), but it has the added features of scheduled functions. This will allow me to simply set it up and forget about it, with confidence that things will be synk'ed. Lastly, the interface is very easy to understand and use. Synk got my $20 and I'm very happy.

Great, in time for my new MacBook. I've been using this for backup since it was freeware. User friendly and worry free. What else could anyone want.

Powerful but easy to use with lots of self-explanatory options.

- Simple to use - Have a lot of features - stable A very good synchronisation and backup software! - charly -

Clear UI, making it blatantly obvious what is being copied, moved or synchronised where, with the vital Preview button to perform a dry run of a complex sync without copying or moving any files to catch any mistakes: it "just works". Also less expensive than some solutions which are a bit grand for a home user. I back up my iTunes library to two external drives. Time using Finder copy = 45 minutes per drive, time using Synk = 1 or 2 minutes, depending on the number of new and changed files!

One of the most stable and user-friendly synchronization programs for OSX with great support. It managed to help me sync my huge and convoluted Documents folder which other programs failed to accomplish. Thumbs up!

Synk is absolutely useful and does the job to backup and synchronize my HD on an external drive. The interface is easy to handle and very efficient. Very good product indeed.

I needed a back-up-program to move the changed files of my dissertation-project from one mac to the other using a Zip-disk. After I've tried several other programs, all flawed the one or other way, Synk is the first one that does the job - and it does it elegantly, quickly and reliably! Thank you, Ben!

The preview in 5.1.2 is still seriously flawed, so I will continue to use 4.2. You still cannot compare files in the preview panel to determine WHY the files are different. The information present in Synk 4 (owner, file size, modified date) goes a long way in allowing the user to determine if the right backup is being performed. Imagine the situation where you deleted all the text from a document. Synk 5.1.2 would take this as a modification and overwrite your backup copy without you ever knowing about it (until it was too late). Until this is changed, I will continue to use Synk 4.

Thanks, Ben! After many attempts that's the solution. All useful functions in a very well arranged surface (mac-like and supply) to use very simply and the only application (of those, which I tested), which does not have problems with the permissions. All the best!

This is an excellent piece of software that works great for syncing directories in OS X 10.4 tiger. It was intuitive and worked exactly as advertised. I also didn't have any compatibility issues with the synchronized directories on a PC running windows XP. Furthermore, the developer was prompt in his reply to questions.

Synk is the best program I've found for doing simple (and complex) backups between any folders on any volumes. I've got it backing up to my iPod, between computers of my home network and to external hard drives. I've never had an issue with it, and the startling thing is how it's quite fast, but still gives you confidence that it's not corrupting anything or deleting what you want to keep. There are many settings you can customise, and you can even setup rules for files to not backup here or there. It's a great backup / syncronisation tool. And the developer is really accessible; the support is great. Well worth the money.

GREAT Makes exactly what it says : - backup of folders, even on distant servers of all kinds - fine synchronization between folders The advanced features (filters, pre ad post actions) are sufficient for me

I just used SYNK to make a bootable clone on an external firewire drive--worked great, no complaints. The auther answers emails very quickly. Great software

For those who back up to an external drive, un-check the option "ignore ownership on this volume" in the Info panel. I had some problems initially but in the forum of developer's website, Ben (the developer) pointed this option. Thanks, Ben.

Synk just plain rocks. You can, and probably will spend more money on lesser solutions. Do yourself and your computer a favor and download Synk. And hey, the author is a starving student so be generous with fundage, k?

Dang, this is one sweet app. I have seen it come a long way and it is maturing nicely. I have need of an app that is able to: 1.) Run on a schedule, and without the app having to be running or launched. 2.) Be able to have control over which files and folders to specify, and what to exclude. 3.) Be able to specify whether to Backup (push one way), or synchronize (mirror the contents both ways), and to archive (backup versions of a file or files if I need. Ben is super responsive, and after searching forever to find an app that meets all these needs, is easy to run, and performs well, I think we have a winner. And at such a low price point as well!! One thing that I believe could be a super addition to this is a window along with a drawer, where you could organize your synks and settings of them. I really like the interface of IMSafe, and I like the way it works, but IMSafe lacks the Archiving feature, the multiple synching runs and background scheduling features I really want. If you want it to run on a schedule then the app has to be running. Keep up the good work.

The best program for a backup, I've ever had!!!

After a few disappointments with similar software (e.g., numerous versions of Intego Personal Backup not working, Executive Sync transformed into You Synchronize and costing $29 to "upgrade"), I found a winner with Synk. Support is wonderful, and the program is fast and efficient. I synchronized a couple of folders from my main hard drive into a Lexar JumpDrive. I compared Synk to You Synchronize when synchronizing one folder. Synk took 2 minutes 38 seconds (without aliases), while You Synchronize took 5 minutes 10 seconds. I should note that some files are not copied (e.g., the folder's custom icon, some invisible files, etc.). In this sense, You Synchronize copied more files than Synk. Including Files and Folders, the original had 371 items. The Synk folder has 245 items and You Synchronize has 352 items. On the other hand, from what I could see the items that Synk did not copy were aliases that I do not need, and that preference can be changed in the settings (mine was set up to "Skip" those aliases). I ran a synchronize again (add 1 minute 10 seconds) to copy those aliases, and now I have 356 items. In summary, Synk is fast and effective, gets the job done, and support from Ben is great! I just wish I had found this program sooner. Note: I use it's synchronization features, and have not used it for backups or used its automatic scheduling functions.

Fine for syncing some folders manually. Totally useless for backup. Schedule does not work reliably. I ran tests. Nothing hab been done at scheduled time. Schedules settings has been deleted. I'm not quite sure, if this is worth 20$?

I really like this app and have just one query which I'm hoping another user may be able to help with. (Ben said he couldn't think why it wasn't working.) Even though I've got *show in menu bar* ticked for both normal and scheduled synks, it shows for the normal runs but not for scheduled ones. Any ideas as to why this might be so would be gratefully received. I'm running OS X 10.3.8

This is the best synchronization program on the market. It is fast, stable, well supported, and easy to use while still providing extensive features. If you are looking for a sync or backup program, this is one you must take a good look at.

Synk is absolutely the best backup application that we have used. Beats Retrospect Express hands down. It has a simple interface, is easy to set up and for educational users is free!! We have all had problems using Retrospect Express with OS X 10.3.8, BUT not with Synk. A great piece of software and even if you are not an educational user the licenses are only $20. for non-commercial and $40. for commercial. Kudos to the developer, Ben Rister.

This is the best inexpensive backup program I found. I like it escpecially for its easy-to-use user interface and its highly customizable features. I've never experienced any instabilities or errors. It's quite cheap to buy and there are also free educational licenses for students (proof required of course). I definitely recommend it!

I tried out Synk because I recently switched to a Mac and needed some way of regularly backing up my PhD thesis to my USB keydrive. I had previously used the command line tools rsync and unison but thought there must be a neat and well designed application that would let me do this just as well. I can wholeheartedly say Synk proved me 100% correct - it does fast, incremental, reliable backups through a very slick and easy-to-use GUI front end. Options to include or exclude files through rules, a preview mode and the ability to run arbitrary scripts and applications before and after a synchronisation makes it a very powerful backup tool. Highly recommended.

Looking for an affordable software to synchronize my documents between two Macs I tried almost every software available. In the end I had to choose between two tools which where well ahead of the rest: RSyncX and Synk (mostly because both could be scheduled as a cronjob). It was a narrow race but finally I decided in favour of Synk because it was easier to use and better suited for the synchronization job (with RSyncX you need two runs to synchronize).