Hands on With GoodSync 6.0

When I first reviewed GoodSync 4.0 a year ago, I thought it was such a solid piece of software that I made it part of my regular arsenal. GoodSync synchronizes files from one computer to another, or from your PC to an external drive. Either way, it's perfect for backups where you want to have identical copies of your files in two places at once, and where changes to those files can be made in both directions.

Now GoodSync is back with version 6.0 (guess I missed 5.0 somewhere along the way), and it's better than ever. Here's what's new, and why you might consider upgrading if you're using 4.0 or another synchronization tool.

GoodSync's interface is completely refreshed with a more modern look and feel and, more importantly, some less confusing features. It's easier now to control the direction you want copies to go (in case both versions of a file have been modified, or if you want to delete a file altogether), and there's also more helpful information displayed along the way. I loved having info about the amount of available hard drive space on both computers handy and, more importantly, getting a percent-completed progress bar as my files were being copied. Overall, though, the entire system is simply more intuitive, letting you see files being synced in a tree format instead of listed at random in a monolithic display and letting you manage the sync process much more quickly.

Better still: 6.0 is much faster than 4.0. I didn't do any scientific testing but scanning my hard drive for changes was done in about half the time that it took 4.0 to do the same job.

New to this version: Automatic synchronization, if you let GoodSync run in the background. This way you can automate your syncs to happen whenever you want them to. Just set GoodSync to sync every few minutes and you'll never have to worry about it.

For $20, the Pro version of GoodSync 6.0 is definitely worth the minimal cost. A free version is available for personal use.

UPDATE 10/13/07: In the last few days, GoodSync 6.0 has begun displaying errors and has been unable to properly sync all my data. (It loses the connection to the sync drive, then tries to delete any files it couldn't see on the sync drive... a big no-no.) I am working with the company on a fix. But better to hold off on upgrading to this version for now.

UPDATE 10/16/07: GoodSync says the problem has now been fixed with version 6.3.1. Upgrade to this version if you are running an earlier one. Thanks, GoodSync!