{"id":814157,"date":"2024-12-23T01:24:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T07:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/23\/chronosync-review-a-mac-backup-option-with-a-justified-fan-base\/"},"modified":"2024-12-23T01:24:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T07:24:09","slug":"chronosync-review-a-mac-backup-option-with-a-justified-fan-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/23\/chronosync-review-a-mac-backup-option-with-a-justified-fan-base\/","title":{"rendered":"ChronoSync Review: A Mac backup option with a justified fan base"},"content":{"rendered":"

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$\"Chronosync$ <\/p>\n

Image: Foundry<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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$\"Editors'$ At a glance<\/span><\/p>\n

Expert’s Rating<\/h3>\n
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Pros<\/h3>\n
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Quick, speedy, reliable and reasonably priced.<\/li>\n
Additional backup and customization options.<\/li>\n
Easy to fine-tune a backup, synchronization, or clone function.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
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Cons<\/h3>\n
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Slightly awkward navigation to the home screen.<\/li>\n
YouTube tutorial videos for ChronoSync are six years out of date.<\/li>\n
Progress bar elements should show estimated time remaining.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Our Verdict <\/h3>\n
ChronoSync gives casual Mac user complete control over custom and scheduled backups. <\/p>\n
Price When Reviewed<\/p>\n
This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined<\/p>\n
Best Pricing Today<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Price When Reviewed<\/h3>\n
Chronosync: $49.99; ChronoSync Express: $29.99<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tBest Prices Today: ChronoSync\t\t<\/h3>\n
There\u2019s something to be said for customization and control of a backup application, and while Apple\u2019s free Time Machine feature is terrific at automatically sending backups to an external hard drive throughout the day, there isn\u2019t a ton of control offered as to file choice, scheduling, or other options. ChronoSync for macOS, from Econ Technologies, can give those who want it tighter control over their backup options, and while you may not have heard of it, it\u2019s garnered a fan base over the years that\u2019s arguably justified.<\/p>\n
Where price and offerings are concerned, ChronoSync offers something valid for your money. A single license currently retails for $49.99 as of this writing, there is also a \u2018cut-down\u2019entry-level\u2019 package for $29.99, with that app also being part of the SetApp bundle<\/a>. The company also offers a 15-day trial without requiring a credit or debit card as well as a lifetime of support in terms of free updates after one-and-done payments without bothering you to set up an ongoing subscription. <\/p>\n
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See how Chronosync compares to other Mac Backup apps<\/a> we\u2019ve tested.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The software requires macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later to install and run, and during testing, downloaded and installed cleanly, the software\u2019s installation engine requesting full access to the hard drive in the Security and Privacy settings and assigning this without any fuss.<\/p>\n
ChronoSync presents a world of backup options to you, in a format that doesn\u2019t overwhelm. The software is based on several core modules such as Home Folder Backup, Data Volume, Synchronize Two Folders, Multiple Folder Backup, Bootable Backup, Backup to a Disk Image, and Folder Backup. <\/p>\n
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$\"ChronoSync$
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The ChronoSync Organizer, which serves as the program\u2019s home screen and offers easy access to modules.<\/p>\n
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Foundry<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Simply select your desired function from the ChronoSync Organizer\/home screen, and you can begin creating or editing a task that can be saved and worked with later. Select the task you want to create, specify your settings (such as folders you want to copy over, file types you want to copy, a schedule you want for backups to take place, etc.), hit \u201cSynchronize\u201d and you\u2019re off to the races.<\/p>\n
Test synchronizations can also be set up to simulate functions, and a readily-accessible manual offers quick access to a guidebook that comes in handy. For the truly die-hard and geeky, rule-based copies and tasks can be set up, while the Analyze feature offers extensive information about documents such as a file types and permission settings. The task container option can be used for easy scripting, and you can quickly set up multiple steps for ChronoSync to follow. <\/p>\n
Other features include being able to readily back up to NAS<\/a> and file servers, the program supporting Apple\u2019s HFS+ and APFS file formats as well as allowing for easy archiving tools and AES-128 and AES-256 encryption tools. <\/p>\n
For users looking to make bootable clones, this is as easy as it should be, ChronoSync\u2019s module allowing for something just as easy as what SuperDuper! <\/a>or Carbon Copy Cloner<\/a> have become known for, and it was simple to choose a source volume, choose a target volume, hit \u201cSynchronize,\u201d let the process run, and have a volume that was a cinch to boot from at the end of the process.<\/p>\n
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$\"Configuring$
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Configuring a test backup in ChronoSync.<\/p>\n
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Foundry<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
ChronoSync has a few areas for improvement, but they\u2019re essentially cosmetic. A lack of a quick button that can be clicked to go back to the ChronoSync Organizer\/home screen is a bit odd, as you just close the window to navigate back. <\/p>\n
The application\u2019s built-in manual is good, and there\u2019s easy access to the company\u2019s should you require tech support, but the company\u2019s YouTube tutorial videos are now six years old and there\u2019s apparently been no effort to update these videos. I feel as if this is a missed opportunity, as users tend to love these, they\u2019re easy to refer to, and would allow an easier learning curve if people are a bit overwhelmed by the number of customization and options available within ChronoSync.<\/p>\n
Finally, the synchronization function displays the elapsed time and a progress bar, but no estimated time until completion, which could come in handy as a user interface element.<\/p>\n
Should you buy ChronoSync? <\/h2>\n
Still, these are small things, the application is responsive, ran well in both the foreground and the background, and while it\u2019d be amazing to see this grow into a program that could readily back up to cloud-based services such as Apple\u2019s iCloud, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Dropbox, there\u2019s something excellent here for both the home user and the more tech-focused user who wants more customization than Time Machine offers. <\/p>\n
Yes, a few user interface elements could be improved upon and I think Econ Technologies could go the whole hog with a set of both funny and useful YouTube tutorial videos, but I think ChronoSync has found a good place in terms of its pricing, support, offering a countdown as to days remaining on the free trial, and not bombarding its users with marketing or ads to purchase a license for the full version of the software. If anything, this offers a bridge for the casual Mac user to create custom, scheduled backups and have complete control over their backups, making the process that much more satisfying.<\/p>\n
ChronoSync may not have the name recognition of Apple\u2019s Time Machine or some of its competitors, but what\u2019s present here is excellent, and offers the potential for additional backup control for more casual Mac users, or the ability to utilize an amazing amount of customization and go entirely bananas for geekier Macheads. There\u2019s a 15-day free trial, and if you haven\u2019t given ChronoSync a gander, this is worth your attention.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tBest Prices Today: ChronoSync\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\tAuthor: Chris Barylick<\/a>, Contributor, Macworld\t\t<\/h3>\n
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Chris Barylick is a D.C.-based technology journalist, loves writing about emerging technologies, video games, DIY projects, hardware, utilities, politics, and upgrades, and has written for Macworld since 2007. He is the owner of East Bay Mac Menders, SnarkFish T-Shirts, the Mistakes Were Made Dinocast, and has masters degrees in both Business Administration (George Washington University \u201905) and Journalism (The University of Maryland \u201923), and inadvertently wound up in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the \u201c4 AM Guy\u201d at the first Apple Store opening in 2001. He has accidentally set two hard drives on fire to date.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Skip to content Image: Foundry At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros Quick, speedy, reliable and reasonably priced. Additional backup and customization options. Easy to fine-tune a backup, synchronization, or clone function. Cons Slightly awkward navigation to the home screen. YouTube tutorial videos for ChronoSync are six years out of date. Progress bar elements should show […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":814158,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[140377,661,104640],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-814157","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chronosync","8":"category-review","9":"category-youtube-videos"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}