FolderSync Pro

Review by eFreeware

FolderSync Pro is built around one job: keeping folders on your Android device and folders in the cloud in step with each other. That sounds narrow, but the breadth behind it is the interesting part. The app works with 26 named cloud providers and a set of file transfer protocols, and it also ships a full file manager for both sides of the connection.

This is not an app for someone who occasionally wants to pull a photo down from a drive. It is for people who treat their phone or tablet as one more place where files live and need to be moved on a schedule. If you keep a music library, a photo archive or work documents in cloud storage and want the device copy to stay current, this is the audience the developer is writing for.

It costs $6.99, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases, so the transaction is a single upfront payment rather than a rolling subscription. The app has been on Google Play since May 2011 and has more than 100,000 installs, with a 4.5 average from 25,763 ratings.

What syncing actually looks like here

The core of the app is folder-to-folder syncing between local storage on the device and a remote account. You point it at a folder on the SD card, point it at a folder in the cloud, and the app moves files between them. The direction is not fixed: it can push files up as a backup or pull them down, so the same setup covers archiving your pictures and music to the cloud or filling the device from it.

That consistency is the main draw for anyone juggling more than one storage account.

Syncing is not limited to a manual tap. The app supports automation through Tasker and similar programs, which the developer describes as allowing fine-grained control over when and how syncs run. For anyone already using that kind of automation on Android, this turns file transfer into one more step in a chain rather than a separate chore.

The provider list is the real selling point

FolderSync Pro covers a long list of cloud services: Amazon S3, Box, CloudMe, Drime Drive, Dropbox, Filen, Google Drive, HiDrive, kDrive, Kolab Now, Koofr, Livedrive Premium, luckycloud, MEGA, MinIO, MyDrive.ch, NetDocuments, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, OwnCloud, pCloud, Proton Drive, Storegate, SugarSync, WEB.DE and Yandex Disk. That spread matters because it means the app is not tied to one ecosystem.

Alongside the consumer drives are services that lean toward business or self-hosted use, such as Nextcloud-style OwnCloud setups, kDrive, NetDocuments and MinIO. Someone running their own storage will find the app just as relevant as someone with a personal Dropbox account, which is unusual for this category.

The developer notes that support for more platforms is added over time, so the list is not presented as final. For a paid app bought years ago, that forward-looking stance is part of what you are paying for.

Protocols for people who run their own servers

Beyond the named cloud services, the app speaks a set of standard file protocols: FTP, FTPS with implicit SSL/TLS, FTPES with explicit SSL/TLS, SFTP over SSH, SMB1/Samba/CIFS, SMB2, SMB3 and WebDAV over HTTPS. That is a serious list for a mobile app, and it is what makes FolderSync Pro useful outside the consumer cloud world.

The SMB support in particular points at home and office networks: a NAS box, a shared Windows folder or a Linux server. SFTP covers the same ground for anyone who prefers SSH-based access. WebDAV and the various FTP flavors round out the options for web hosts and older infrastructure.

The app can also discover WebDAV, SMB, FTP and SFTP servers automatically using Bonjour/UPNP, which the developer lists among the reasons the app requests multicast network access. That saves typing in server details when the machine is on the same network and broadcasting its presence.

A file manager, not just a sync engine

FolderSync Pro includes a full file manager, and it works on both local storage and remote accounts. Files in cloud or remote folders can be managed just like local ones. Uploading and downloading individual files is part of the same tool rather than a separate screen or a trip to another app.

There is also support for creating and deleting buckets in Amazon S3, which is a detail aimed at people who manage object storage directly. Most users will never touch it, but its presence says something about how far the app is willing to go into infrastructure that usually requires a desktop.

On rooted devices, the app supports root file access, which extends what it can read and write beyond the ordinary storage permissions. That is a niche capability, and it is presented as an extra rather than a requirement.

What the app needs from your device

The permission list is long, and it is worth reading before buying. The app needs internet access to send and retrieve files, and read/write access to external storage to work with files on the SD card. It also asks for network and WiFi state access, plus the ability to change network state, so it can turn WiFi on and off as part of running a sync.

Two permissions exist to keep scheduled work reliable. One lets the app start automatically after a reboot so scheduled syncs still run, and a wake lock keeps the device awake during a transfer so it does not fall asleep mid-sync. Those are the kinds of permissions an app needs if it is going to move files unattended rather than only when you are watching.

Location is optional and only relevant on Android 9 or newer, where it can be granted so the app can detect the current SSID name. If you want syncs to behave differently on different networks, that permission is part of how the app knows which network it is on. Multicast access is used for the automatic server discovery described above.

The trade-offs of a paid, permission-heavy tool

The $6.99 price is the clearest dividing line. There are no ads and no in-app purchases, so nothing inside the app is trying to sell you anything. You are deciding based on the provider and protocol list rather than on a limited version.

The permission set is the second trade-off. An app that can toggle WiFi, hold a wake lock, start at boot and read your storage is asking for real access, and that is the cost of unattended syncing. Someone who only wants to move a file now and then is paying for a lot of machinery they will not use.

The breadth cuts both ways. Supporting 26 services and eight protocol families means the app is not streamlined around any one of them, and the developer's own framing is about coverage rather than simplicity. That is a reasonable trade for the target user, but it is a trade.

Who gets the most from FolderSync Pro

The people who will get the most out of this app are those with more than one place their files live. If you split storage between, say, a personal drive and a work account, or between a cloud service and a home server, having one tool that handles both ends removes a lot of friction. The protocol support means the same app can talk to a NAS at home and a hosted drive elsewhere.

It also suits anyone who wants transfers to happen without them. Scheduled syncs that survive a reboot, combined with Tasker-style automation, point at a setup where the phone quietly keeps a folder current in the background. That is a different proposition from opening an app and tapping upload.

Finally, it fits people who manage storage rather than just consume it. Bucket creation in Amazon S3, root access on rooted devices and a file manager that reaches into remote accounts all suggest an app for someone comfortable with the plumbing, not just the result.

A one-time purchase for serious file movers

FolderSync Pro is a focused, long-running tool with a clear audience. The combination of 26 cloud providers, eight protocol families and a built-in file manager covers ground that most sync apps ignore, and the automation support gives it a place in a larger workflow. The 4.5 average across more than 25,000 ratings suggests the approach has landed with the people who need it.

The case against it is mostly about fit. It costs $6.99, it asks for a broad set of permissions to do its job unattended, and its strength is breadth rather than polish around one service. If your file movement is occasional and stays inside a single app, the value is harder to see.

But if you keep files in more than one place and want them to stay in step without you thinking about it, this is one of the few Android apps built for exactly that. The upfront price buys a tool with no ads and no upsells, and the provider list means it is unlikely to become useless if you change services later. For the right user, that is a straightforward purchase.

What's new in version 4.13.0

Bugfixes and improvements.