Comparison
rsync, SFTP, or WebDAV — which door do you use?
On RSYNCIT all three reach the same files, so this isn't a purchase decision — it's a workflow one. Here's the honest strengths-and-weaknesses version.
rsync: for repeated syncs of the same data
rsync's delta algorithm is the reason it owns backups: it transfers only what changed — and for large modified files, only the changed portions. Nightly runs against a mostly-static dataset finish in minutes, and features like --delete, excludes, and --link-dest snapshots (see the snapshot guide) are backup strategy as command-line flags.
Weak spots: it's a CLI tool with real learning curve, it needs rsync on both ends (fine here), and its first run is a full transfer like anything else. Use it for: scheduled server backups, mirroring, anything that runs more than once.
SFTP: for compatibility with everything
SFTP is the universal donor: every OS, every scripting language, every GUI client (FileZilla, WinSCP, Cyberduck), every NAS, and half the appliances in existence can push a file over SFTP. Key-based auth makes it script-friendly, and single large transfers run at essentially the same speed as anything else over SSH.
Weak spots: no delta transfers — a changed 10GB file is a 10GB upload — and no built-in mirroring semantics (tools like lftp mirror bolt that on). Use it for: one-off transfers, GUI file management, appliances and software that "support SFTP" and nothing else.
WebDAV: for humans and drive letters
WebDAV's superpower is requiring nothing: Windows maps it as a network drive, macOS connects from Finder, and suddenly the storage is a folder that non-technical teammates can drag files into. For "a big shared shelf that isn't anyone's laptop," it's the right door — setup steps in the mounting guide.
Weak spots: it's the slowest of the three for bulk data (HTTP overhead, chattier for many small files), OS client quirks exist (Windows historically caps large files without registry tweaks), and it has no sync semantics at all. Use it for: interactive access, drag-and-drop, browsing your backups to grab one file.
The actual answer: combine them
Because it's one filesystem behind all three, the winning pattern uses each door for what it's best at: rsync in cron does the nightly heavy lifting; WebDAV stays mapped on your desktop so restoring one file is drag-and-drop instead of a terminal session; SFTP handles the odd manual push and the NAS in the closet. No configuration ties a file to the protocol that wrote it.
If you're forcing a single choice: repeated backups → rsync; universal compatibility → SFTP; humans → WebDAV.
All three doors, one flat rate
Every RSYNCIT account includes rsync, SFTP, SSH, and WebDAV — $6.95/TB per month, unmetered uploads.
See pricingCheat sheet
- Nightly backups: rsync
- Changed big files: rsync (delta)
- NAS / appliances: SFTP or rsync
- GUI + scripts everywhere: SFTP
- Drive letter / Finder: WebDAV
- Grab one file back: WebDAV