SmartSync Pro for Windows

User Reviews

• Best Backup Software and Support

  DaveOzricNovember 6, 2014

  Pros

  Tons of options Support Development Features Did I mention all the options

  Cons

  None really, follow the instructions

  Summary

  Very well written program. I have not had any problems with this software from a Windows compatibility standpoint. e.g. crashes, freezes, etc. I have been using this for many years and have never found a program that could replace this. It just works and is easy to setup with a LOT of options to set parameters galore. Setting scheduling is amazing especially the monitor feature that syncs when I change a file. I use a password manager and every time a new password is created or one is changed my changes are synced automatically to my backup destination. It has a delay so you can set it to wait for a specific time. The list goes on and on. The support is phenomenal and everything is always taken care of. Development is continually being done and improvements are always being added. My last interaction was an inquiry on some cloud storage platforms and guess what? It's being worked on already. Once that is added this will be the granddaddy of all backup programs!

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• The best backup software available

  mitcheljJanuary 26, 2014

  Pros

  Lightweight! Uses standard zip format Many, many backup types available. Can backup to ftp/sftp Did I mention 'standard zip' format? No proprietary format. Many options for each backup profile. Nice logging. Option to password protect backup zips. Can set it up to backup individual profiles on different schedules, as well as automatically when files change. Too many other options to mention.

  Cons

  Provides ftp/sftp backups, but not ftps as of yet.

  Summary

  I've used many software packages for backing up my computer and data, and none come close to this. Forget about all those backup software applications which store your data in a proprietary format. If your computer crashes, you have to reinstall the software (or purchase the latest version) just to view and restore your data. This app is very lightweight, and works flawlessly. I've been using it for over 5 years now, and I've never been disappointed with it. I've more recently started backing up to a vps (ftp backup), and it's nice to know my important data is safe and secure outside of our house.

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• using many YEARS! TBs+ of BU. 92k+ photos, hrs of vids

  thomasjohnlynchDecember 26, 2013

  Pros

  easy to implement across a variety of platforms and devices. plenty of "wizards" that you can modify and customize for your environment. Log windows and progress windows are actually entertaining and useful. The system is File by File oriented so you won't even need to buy more proprietary software on another machine or if you switch to an Apple OS box or etc. just surf in and get the stuff? I used this software to RAID 0 - like, two 2 TB Western Digital MyBookLive NAS boxes. My last profile is a Synchronization of the entire NAS box/drive to the other entire other NAS box/drive.

  Cons

  along the many years I have been using, sometimes "upgrades" and major releases tossed my profiles or "lost" them. So READ the directions and always Export your profiles to a root directory or thumb drive to put in a drawer. Its no big deal but if you don't want to spend 5 to 10 minutes recreating them - back 'em up.

  Summary

  I have been in the rotating memory hard drive world since 1982. A really smart guy named Alan Shugart said when they were releasing the big 10 MEG full height HDs at a now defunct trade show called Comdex - he said "There is a 100% chance your HD will FAIL!" Of course the question is always - WHEN? So having a DR (disaster recovery) or replication, or simple backup strategy is critical especially in your home.

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• solid software gives peace of mind

  jnhaughtonDecember 5, 2013

  Pros

  Very easy and user friendly interface to create and manage backup operations and plans. Work just fine when backing up to network locations. Easy to install, setup and recover your files. Backup to FTP Server is a great feature ! The product quality and great support make SmartSync Pro great value for a very reasonable price.

  Cons

  Nothing significant.

  Summary

  Excellent software for keeping all my data safe on a regular basis.

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• Beware their tech support is worthless

  ajlustOctober 11, 2013

  Pros

  Appeared to back up smoothly with no gliches

  Cons

  Deleted all my files even though I did not select this option. Would not restore my files to the original drive. Could not restore them to any other location. Their tech support was no help and when they didn't have an answer for my problem they disconnected and I have had not more contact with them.

  Summary

  I think they will take your money but will not help when there is a problem

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• Fine for personal use -- not stable enough for business

  inaunSeptember 5, 2013

  Pros

  Syncs files between computers, has multiple options for sync, and can perform versioning as it syncs.

  Cons

  Not stable when running in service mode. Does not recognize file move operations (views this as a delete of some files/folders and creation of new files/folders) -- so moving folders with a lot of file can create excessive sync traffic when synchronizing across a WAN.

  Summary

  For personal use I can recommend SmartSync Pro without hesitation. If you are syncing a couple of home computers and don't want to mess with manually copying everything, SmartSync works brilliantly. In a business setting, where you are trying to keep multiple servers synchronized, SmartSync Pro falls short. Primarily because it is not stable. On all of my servers, it will hang from time to time in services mode. The only way I have found to restore functionality after a hang is entirely rebooting the server (stopping / starting the service does not work).

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• DO NOT BUY!!

  beatrice57August 14, 2013

  Pros

  Easy to download

  Cons

  Does not correctly synchronize folder contents. Tech support is HORRIBLE.

  Summary

  I got a new laptop and went to transfer all my files to my new one only to find the folders, which I was told, by SmartSync, had been successfully "synchronized" had not. Some file, selected for backup, had NOT been touched for months. e-mails to their tech support went unanswered, Don't waste your money - STAY AWAY - find another backup product.

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• Version 4.2 Be aware of tech. support help.

  another_rysioJune 30, 2013

  Pros

  Does the good job as promised.

  Cons

  Very, very unreliable tech support. After emailing them my log file with error codes for analysis the whole correspondence got cut off. Simply no help, no responses, no nothing. it feels like they are not there (perhaps this is the case). Tech support made an impression of trying to be helpful, but failed to respond to any of my emails. Now, I am getting more and more errors - no help.

  Summary

  Be careful if something goes wrong<br /><br /><span class='notifyMsg'> Updated </span>on Jun 30, 2013<p/>Spelling mistake - this review meant to be for Version 4.1, NOT for 4.2.

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• Best backup tool i could find.

  HarryByrneMay 28, 2013

  Pros

  After trying dozens of backup utilities, I finally found this to be the only one which archives AND updates a zip file. I don't like backup utilities which use their own custom archive scheme, and this one uses the standard zip scheme. I've been using it for 8 months, and it's solid as a rock.

  Cons

  None.Excellent software !!!

  Summary

  This program does it all. It's easy to set-up, easy to use and plain and simple...it just works. It literally took me 2 minutes to learn and figure out where the automatic settings were. Now all my files are synched-up automatically, which is good since I have a few GBs of photos, music, etc. I highly recommend this software.

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• Not worth the price

  mikeatlargeApril 21, 2013

  Pros

  Simple, installs easily, no adware (that I noticed), few options to confuse a novice, uses Zip (open standard) compression/encryption (but only for entire "packages").

  Cons

  SmartSync Pro software is missing a lot of things you expect even with free software. For example, choosing where to save your backup, you can't even create a new folder. There are few options for replication, file conflicts, etc. It can't do two-way sync, compress or encrypt individual files, keep an archive of older file versions, etc. The user interface is very dated and always brings up a clunky wizard even for editing an existing backup job. There's little "pro" here. Critically, as another reviewer explained, it can't seem to properly use Volume Shadow Copy to backup files that are open or in-use (like Microsoft Outlook PST files). Even the built-in Windows 7/Vista backup utility can do this. It touts using industry standard ZIP compression and encryption but only when your entire job is put into one huge file that's very slow and awkward to work with. They also inexplicably used their own file extension so ZIP software won't natively open the archive.

  Summary

  I have no idea why this places in the top 10 here. It's not even in the same league as some of the other options. For imaging and drive recovery Macrium Reflect Free blows it away. And for file backup/sync there are many better options.

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