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Utilities · head to head

Rclone vs TreeSize

Rclone logo

Rclone

Utilities

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TreeSize logo

TreeSize

Utilities

Windows disk space analyser whose free edition may be used commercially, with paid tiers for scheduled reporting

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; TreeSize it traverses directories rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a local drive scan takes noticeably longer than the fastest alternatives.
  • They diverge on capability: Rclone covers Unified backend model, TreeSize covers Free edition licensed for business.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Rclone and TreeSize actually diverge.

Attributes where Rclone and TreeSize differ
AttributeRcloneTreeSize
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, DockerWindows

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Rclone

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

Only in TreeSize

  • Free edition licensed for business
  • Network share scanning
  • Reports by age and owner
  • Duplicate file search
  • Scheduled scans
  • Exports

What people use each for

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

Rclone

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

TreeSize

  • Deploying one free disk analyser across a company without a personal-use licence problemnot Rclone
  • Reporting on a file server by owner and file age before an archiving or quota decisionnot Rclone
  • Finding duplicate files spread across departmental network sharesnot Rclone
  • Producing a storage report for someone who will read a PDF but not run a scannot Rclone

Where each one falls short

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

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.

TreeSize

  • It traverses directories rather than reading the NTFS master file table, so a local drive scan takes noticeably longer than the fastest alternatives.
  • It is Windows only, so file servers running Linux or a NAS appliance need a different tool or a share mounted from a Windows machine.
  • Useful features are spread across three paid tiers, so the single capability a buyer needs frequently sits two tiers above the one they were considering.
  • Scanning large network shares generates significant traffic and takes hours, which means it has to be scheduled rather than run when someone asks the question.
  • Pricing is per licence with separate maintenance, so an accurate total for a team requires a quote rather than a figure from the website.

Pricing, plan by plan

Rclone

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

TreeSize

Free
  • TreeSize FreeFree
    • Folder size analysis and treemap
    • Licensed for private and commercial use
    • Basic exports
  • TreeSize Personal, Professional and Enterprise$undefined/year
    • File search, duplicate detection and full exports
    • Network share and file server scanning
    • Scheduled unattended scans and stored reports

Which should you pick?

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

Choose TreeSize if

  • You need free edition licensed for business.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want network share scanning.
TreeSize review

Questions people ask

Is Rclone or TreeSize better?
Neither clearly leads. Rclone starts at Free and TreeSize at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Rclone or TreeSize?
Rclone starts at Free and TreeSize at Free.
Does Rclone or TreeSize run on more platforms?
Rclone runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker. TreeSize runs on Windows.
Can I use Rclone for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Rclone best used for?
Rclone is most often used for migrating tens of terabytes between two object storage providers without staging on local disk, encrypted offsite backup to a cheap provider that you do not want reading your filenames, mounting an object bucket for a media server that expects a filesystem path, nightly one-way sync from an on-premises nas to cloud storage as a second copy. Of those, migrating tens of terabytes between two object storage providers without staging on local disk and encrypted offsite backup to a cheap provider that you do not want reading your filenames are not what TreeSize is typically brought in for.
What can Rclone do that TreeSize cannot?
Rclone covers Unified backend model, Crypt overlay, FUSE mount, Bisync. TreeSize covers Free edition licensed for business, Network share scanning, Reports by age and owner, Duplicate file search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

TreeSize: Is TreeSize Free really free for business use?

Yes. JAM Software licenses the free edition for private and commercial use, which is the main reason it appears on corporate machines where other free analysers are not permitted.

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.

TreeSize: Why is it slower than WizTree?

Method. WizTree reads the NTFS master file table; TreeSize walks the directory tree, which is slower but works on network shares and non-NTFS volumes.

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.

TreeSize: Can it scan a NAS or Linux file server?

It scans them as network shares over SMB, with the speed penalty that implies. There is no agent that runs on the server itself.

TreeSize: What does the Enterprise tier add?

Scheduled unattended scans, stored historical results and reporting across servers, which is the difference between a cleanup tool and a storage reporting system.

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