SaveSync vs EmuDeck CloudSync

Your Steam Deck saves, on your handheld too.

EmuDeck's CloudSync keeps saves in step between EmuDeck installs, for its Patreon supporters. SaveSync works with RetroArch wherever it runs, including Android handhelds and iPhones, and keeps every version.

Start syncing

Choose SaveSync if

You play RetroArch on an Android handheld or iPhone as well as your Steam Deck
You want to undo a bad sync from a list of versions
You'd rather not set up a cloud drive for it

Choose EmuDeck CloudSync if

You're already an EmuDeck Patreon supporter
You want standalone emulators (Dolphin, PCSX2, and so on) synced between EmuDeck installs today

Side by side

	SaveSync	EmuDeck CloudSync
Price	$2 a month or $15 a year, or included with Fastwater	EmuDeck's Patreon tier
Devices	Anywhere RetroArch has Cloud Sync: Steam Deck, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone	EmuDeck installs: Steam Deck, Linux, and Windows
Storage	SaveSync's	Your Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and others, or EmuDeck Cloud
Version history	The 20 newest versions of every save, with restore	No; CloudBackup is a separate backup
Emulators	RetroArch today (its built-in Cloud Sync); standalone emulators with the SaveSync app	The emulators EmuDeck installs

EmuDeck CloudSync details as of October 2026. Check EmuDeck CloudSync's site for changes.

Using SaveSync on an EmuDeck Steam Deck

EmuDeck installs RetroArch's Flatpak, which has Cloud Sync. Turn off EmuDeck's CloudSync for RetroArch, then follow the Steam Deck guide. Your saves stay in ~/Emulation/saves/retroarch/, where EmuDeck expects them.

Questions

Can I use both?

Not for RetroArch: both would write the same saves. You can keep EmuDeck's CloudSync for standalone emulators and use SaveSync for RetroArch.

Does SaveSync work with RetroDECK?

RetroDECK ships its own RetroArch. If its Settings, Saving menu has Cloud Sync, the steps in the Steam Deck guide work.

Pick up where you left off.

Start syncing