Velero vs Syncthing

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureVeleroSyncthing
CategoryBackup & RecoveryFile Sync & Storage
LicenseApache-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguageGoGo
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentkubernetes, helmdocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 10,187★ 87,439
First released20172014
ReplacesKasten K10Dropbox, Resilio Sync

Why pick each one

Choose Velero if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 10.2k GitHub stars
  • Written in Go
Velero details

Choose Syncthing if…

  • No central server needed
  • Very private by design
  • Lightweight and reliable
Syncthing details

Frequently asked questions

Is Velero or Syncthing better?

Syncthing is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Velero if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Velero and Syncthing free and open-source?

Yes. Velero is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Syncthing under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Velero and Syncthing with Docker?

Velero: check the project docs for container support. Syncthing: yes.

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