SaveSync vs Syncthing

Save sync without keeping two devices awake.

Syncthing is a great free tool, and many players sync their saves with it. But it copies between your devices directly, so both have to be on at once, and it keeps no history. SaveSync is a server that's always there, built into RetroArch, and it keeps every version.

Start syncing

Choose SaveSync if

You put one handheld down and pick another up later, with the first one off
You want to undo a bad sync or an overwritten slot from a list of versions
You want RetroArch to sync by itself when you close a game, with nothing else to install
You don't want to match folder pairs and ignore rules on every device

Choose Syncthing if

You want it free and open source, with no account
You want your saves on your own devices only, never on a server
You sync standalone emulators today (Dolphin, PCSX2, and so on) and can't wait for SaveSync's app

Side by side

	SaveSync	Syncthing
Price	$2 a month or $15 a year, or included with Fastwater	Free
Devices online at once	No: each device syncs with SaveSync on its own	Yes: two devices sync only while both are on
Version history	The 20 newest versions of every save, with restore	Off by default; file versioning keeps old copies on each device if you set it up
A deleted save	Kept, and restorable	Deleted on every device
Conflicts	RetroArch skips the file and keeps both copies; SaveSync keeps the old version	.sync-conflict files next to the save
What you install	Nothing: RetroArch has Cloud Sync built in	Syncthing on every device
Android	RetroArch 1.22 or later	Community apps (Syncthing-Fork, BasicSync); the official app ended in 2024
Emulators	RetroArch today (its built-in Cloud Sync); standalone emulators with the SaveSync app	Any folder
Where saves live	Your devices and SaveSync's storage	Your devices only

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

Why Syncthing misses saves

Syncthing sends changes from one device to another while both are running. Close RetroArch on your handheld and put it to sleep, and your save waits there until the handheld and your PC are on at the same time. On Android, the system also pauses background apps to save battery.

Syncthing also mirrors deletes. A save wiped by a bad core update or a full SD card is gone on every device unless you turned on file versioning on each one.

Switching from Syncthing

Sync your devices with Syncthing one last time, then remove RetroArch's saves and states folders from it, so the two don't both write to them. Set up Cloud Sync on the device with the newest saves first and restart RetroArch: it uploads them. Then add your other devices.

Setting up takes a few minutes per device: see the Cloud Sync guide, or the one for your device.

Questions

Can I use Syncthing and SaveSync together?

Not for the same folders. Both would write the same saves, and RetroArch would see changes it didn't make. Keep Syncthing for other folders if you like.

Is SaveSync free?

It comes with every Fastwater plan. On its own it is $2 a month or $15 a year.

Does SaveSync work with standalone emulators like Syncthing does?

Today it works through RetroArch's Cloud Sync. A SaveSync app for desktop and Android that syncs standalone emulators' folders is coming next.

Pick up where you left off.

Start syncing