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Utilities · head to head

Hazel vs Rclone

Hazel logo

Hazel

Utilities

Rule-based file organisation for macOS that watches folders and automatically files, renames or deletes

From
$42/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rclone logo

Rclone

Utilities

Command line sync and mount tool for around 70 cloud storage providers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Rclone has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Hazel there is no free tier, only a 14-day trial, so the full 42 dollar cost is a real barrier for a casual user just wanting one simple rule.; Rclone sync deletes files at the destination to make it match the source, so one transposed argument between source and destination can wipe a backup and there is no undo.
  • They diverge on capability: Hazel covers Folder watching, Rclone covers Unified backend model.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hazel and Rclone actually diverge.

Attributes where Hazel and Rclone differ
AttributeHazelRclone
Starting price$42/one-timeFree
Pricing modelOne-time purchaseOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMacWindows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Hazel

  • Folder watching
  • Conditional actions
  • Content-based matching
  • Duplicate detection
  • Trash auto-empty
  • App Sweep

Only in Rclone

  • Unified backend model
  • Crypt overlay
  • FUSE mount
  • Bisync
  • Server-side transfers
  • rclone serve

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Hazel

  • A freelancer who wants invoices and receipts auto-filed into client folders based on the text inside themnot Rclone
  • Anyone whose Downloads folder becomes unmanageable and wants files auto-sorted by type or agenot Rclone
  • A photographer who wants imported files renamed by date pattern and moved to a project folder automaticallynot Rclone
  • A user who wants old files in a scratch folder auto-deleted after a set number of days without remembering to clear it manuallynot Rclone

Rclone

  • Migrating tens of terabytes between two object storage providers without staging on local disknot Hazel
  • Encrypted offsite backup to a cheap provider that you do not want reading your filenamesnot Hazel
  • Mounting an object bucket for a media server that expects a filesystem pathnot Hazel
  • Nightly one-way sync from an on-premises NAS to cloud storage as a second copynot Hazel

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Hazel

  • There is no free tier, only a 14-day trial, so the full 42 dollar cost is a real barrier for a casual user just wanting one simple rule.
  • Rules are entirely hand-built, so the tool provides no value until a user invests time writing and testing conditions.
  • A misconfigured rule can silently move, rename or delete the wrong files, and mistakes are only obvious after the fact unless tested carefully first.
  • It is Mac only, so it does nothing for a Windows machine sharing the same file workflow.
  • It focuses purely on file automation, so a user also wanting window management, clipboard history or gesture control needs entirely separate tools.

Rclone

  • Sync deletes files at the destination to make it match the source, so one transposed argument between source and destination can wipe a backup and there is no undo.
  • Google Drive throttles the shared default OAuth client, so large jobs stall until you register a private API client ID, a step that is documented but easy to miss until a migration is already days behind.
  • Millions of small files hit per-provider request ceilings rather than bandwidth limits, which makes transfer time nearly impossible to estimate from data volume alone.
  • The FUSE mount is not a real filesystem; applications that expect POSIX locking, partial writes or fast directory listings will behave badly or corrupt state on network interruption.
  • Support is a community forum and a single principal maintainer, so an organisation that needs contractual response times on a data movement tool has no vendor to buy that from.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hazel

$42/one-time
  • Single User Licence$42/one-time
    • One user, Hazel 6
    • Free updates within the major version
    • 14-day free trial before purchase
  • Family Pack$65/one-time
    • Multiple users covered under one purchase
    • Same feature set as the single licence

Rclone

Free
  • RcloneFree
    • MIT licence with no paid edition
    • All backends and features included
    • Single static binary, no runtime dependencies

Which should you pick?

Choose Hazel if

  • You need folder watching.
  • You work on Mac.
  • You also want conditional actions.
Hazel review

Choose Rclone if

  • You need unified backend model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker.
  • You also want crypt overlay.
Rclone review

Questions people ask

Is Hazel or Rclone better?
Neither clearly leads. Hazel starts at $42/one-time and Rclone at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hazel or Rclone?
Rclone has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $42/one-time for Hazel and Free for Rclone.
Does Hazel or Rclone run on more platforms?
Hazel runs on Mac. Rclone runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker.
Can I use Rclone for free?
Yes. Rclone has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hazel starts at $42/one-time.
What is Hazel best used for?
Hazel is most often used for a freelancer who wants invoices and receipts auto-filed into client folders based on the text inside them, anyone whose downloads folder becomes unmanageable and wants files auto-sorted by type or age, a photographer who wants imported files renamed by date pattern and moved to a project folder automatically, a user who wants old files in a scratch folder auto-deleted after a set number of days without remembering to clear it manually. Of those, a freelancer who wants invoices and receipts auto-filed into client folders based on the text inside them and anyone whose downloads folder becomes unmanageable and wants files auto-sorted by type or age are not what Rclone is typically brought in for.
What can Hazel do that Rclone cannot?
Hazel covers Folder watching, Conditional actions, Content-based matching, Duplicate detection. Rclone covers Unified backend model, Crypt overlay, FUSE mount, Bisync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hazel: Is Hazel a subscription?

No. It is a one-time purchase per major version, currently 42 US dollars for a single user licence.

Rclone: Does rclone cost anything at scale?

The software does not. Your storage provider bills egress and API requests, and a failed transfer that retries pays those charges twice.

Hazel: Can Hazel read the content of files, not just names?

Yes, rules can match on text found inside supported file types such as PDFs and text documents.

Rclone: Can I use it as a backup tool?

It copies and syncs but does not do versioned incremental backup by default. Use it under a backup tool, or use its own crypt and backup-dir options deliberately.

Hazel: Does Hazel run in the background automatically?

Yes, it watches configured folders continuously and applies rules as files change, with no manual trigger needed.

Rclone: Why is my Google Drive transfer so slow when my link is fast?

You are almost certainly rate limited on the shared OAuth client. Create your own client ID in Google Cloud Console and configure the remote to use it.

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