When comparing rsync vs Acronis True Image, the Slant community recommends rsync for most people. In the question“What are the best backup apps for Mac OS?” rsync is ranked 4th while Acronis True Image is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose rsync is:
Only the changed parts of files are synced. For instance, if a long log file increases by just a few lines of text, a small diff will be sent to and saved in the archive. Rsync also compresses data in transit.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Fast and bandwidth efficient
Only the changed parts of files are synced. For instance, if a long log file increases by just a few lines of text, a small diff will be sent to and saved in the archive. Rsync also compresses data in transit.
Pro Works over SSH
SSH support allows sending files securely over the network by encrypting all communcation.
Pro Pre-installed on OSX and most Linux distributions
Many *nix systems bundle rsync so there's nothing to install. All you need to do is open up the terminal and start using rsync.
Pro Free and open source
Licensed under GNU.
Pro Cross Platform
Acronis is available for: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Facebook
Pro Provides Scripts and Instructions for Complete Uninstall
Cons
Con No official GUI
To use rsync, you have to know your way around the command line.
Con Complicated, and you can accidentally overwrite the wrong files
Con Non Windows Versions Less Capable
Capabilities, features, and GUI, are less robust on the Mac version.
Con Downloads / Restore from Cloud Times Out
Acronis expects most users to restore from local copies. Cloud restoration capabilities is far from robust. One has to navigate a file tree to download files in small batches because larger downloads (talking anything more than a few GBs) times out. Major PITA.
Con Very unreliable
Has a variety of bugs that can make the software almost unusable. Very slow, frequently hangs, and has been known to freeze the computer. Can make your data inaccessible and offers unhelpful error messages with no further instructions.