rclone review
A flexible, open-source WebDAV tool for scripting, synchronization, mounting, and transfers.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
rclone is an open-source command-line program for managing files across WebDAV, cloud storage systems, and standard transfer protocols. It is aimed at individuals, developers, administrators, and organisations that need repeatable file operations, remote mounts, synchronization, or scripted data movement. Users can work interactively, through scripts, with the remote-control API, or through the official web GUI. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Plan 9, Solaris, and Android, with self-hosted deployment also supported.
Its main strength is breadth within a technical workflow. rclone can configure WebDAV remotes, copy, move, list, check, and delete files, preserve timestamps, and verify checksums. It supports one-way directory synchronization and bidirectional synchronization through bisync. Remote storage can be mounted as a local filesystem or drive, while encryption, compression, chunking, and union virtual backends extend how storage is handled. Integrations include WebDAV, Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive, and it can serve through WebDAV, HTTP, FTP, SFTP, and DLNA. The API and web GUI provide alternatives to direct command-line interaction without changing its primarily command-line orientation.
rclone is free and open source, making it suitable when control, automation, and platform coverage matter more than a polished desktop-first experience. Scheduled synchronization is supported, and the published platform list covers major desktop and server environments. The trade-off is that its command-driven model and wide configuration surface are better suited to technical users than to people seeking a simple point-and-click WebDAV client. Android support is available, though the official builds are not treated as first-class builds. Choose rclone for flexible, scriptable storage management; choose a conventional graphical client when minimal setup and visual file browsing are the priority.
rclone pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Mounts WebDAV and cloud storage as local filesystems or drives
- Supports one-way sync, bidirectional bisync, checksums, and encryption
- Runs across desktop, server, Android, API, and self-hosted environments
- Where it doesn't
- Primarily command-line rather than a conventional graphical client
- Official Android builds are not first-class builds
- Its broad command set suits technical users more than casual file management
rclone fact sheet, pricing and score →
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