RemoteDrive and Insync both let you access cloud storage from your desktop without opening a browser — but they go about it in fundamentally different ways. Understanding that difference is the key to choosing the right tool.
Insync is a desktop sync client for Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Dropbox. It downloads your cloud files to a local folder on your computer, keeping them in sync in the background. Files are available offline, open instantly, and work with any application — because they are real local copies. Insync is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is licensed per cloud account with a one-time purchase.
FileZilla Pro RemoteDrive is a cloud drive mounting app for macOS. Rather than downloading files locally, it maps remote storage — FTP servers, SFTP hosts, S3 buckets, and a wide range of cloud providers — directly into macOS Finder as mounted volumes. Files are accessed on demand over the network; nothing is stored on your local disk unless you explicitly copy it. It is available exclusively on macOS as an annual subscription through the Apple App Store..
Cloud Service Support
This is where the two products diverge most sharply. Insync is purpose-built for three consumer cloud platforms. RemoteDrive covers a much broader range of protocols and services, including infrastructure-grade storage that Insync does not address at all.
| Protocol / Service | RemoteDrive | Insync |
|---|---|---|
| FTP / FTPS / SFTP | ✅ | ❌ |
| WebDAV / HTTPS | ✅ | ❌ |
| Amazon S3 | ✅ | ❌ |
| Cloudflare R2 | ✅ | ❌ |
| Backblaze B2 | ✅ | ❌ |
| Wasabi | ✅ | ❌ |
| Google Drive | ✅ | ✅ |
| Microsoft OneDrive | ✅ | ✅ |
| SharePoint | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dropbox | ✅ | ✅ |
| Box | ✅ | ❌ |
| Microsoft Azure Blob / File | ✅ | ❌ |
| Google Cloud Storage | ✅ | ❌ |
| OpenStack Swift / Rackspace | ✅ | ❌ |
| Multiple accounts per service | ✅ | ✅ |
| Google Docs → Office conversion | ❌ | ✅ |
The overlap between the two products is limited to four services: Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Dropbox. For those four services, both tools work — but in very different ways (see below). Outside that overlap, the products have no common ground: RemoteDrive covers FTP, SFTP, S3, and the broader infrastructure cloud; Insync covers nothing outside its three supported platforms. One area where Insync adds real value is Google Docs: it converts Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to and from Office formats during sync, so files open natively in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without manual export.
How Each Tool Actually Works
This distinction matters more than any feature checklist. RemoteDrive mounts storage; Insync syncs it. These are different things.
With RemoteDrive, remote storage appears as a volume in macOS Finder. Files are not on your disk — they are fetched over the network when you open them. This means no storage is consumed locally, large cloud libraries are immediately browsable, and you can work with servers and buckets that have far more data than your local drive could hold. The trade-off is that you need an internet connection; there is no offline access.
With Insync, a copy of your selected cloud folders is downloaded to a local directory on your computer. Files open instantly because they are local, work fully offline, and behave exactly like any other file on your system. The trade-off is disk space: syncing a 50 GB Google Drive means 50 GB on your Mac. Insync also gives you selective sync control, so you can choose which folders to download. Conflict resolution, merge behaviour, and sync scheduling are all configurable — this is a more fully featured sync client than the built-in apps from Google or Microsoft.
Pricing and Licensing
| Detail | RemoteDrive | Insync |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99/year — all services included | ~$39.99 one-time per cloud account |
| Model | Annual subscription | One-time purchase + optional Insync Care ($19.99/yr for updates) |
| Cost for 3 cloud accounts | $9.99/yr | ~$149.97 one-time |
| Devices covered | All Macs (Apple ID) | Unlimited devices |
| Free trial | 7 days | 15 days |
| Purchase channel | Apple App Store | Direct from vendor |
RemoteDrive’s pricing is flat: $9.99 per year covers every supported service and every Mac the user owns. Insync charges per cloud account — if you want to sync one Google Drive account, one OneDrive account, and one Dropbox account, that is three separate purchases at roughly $49.99 each, totalling around $150 upfront. Insync Care (optional, $19.99/year) adds continued update access after the first year. For a user syncing multiple accounts, Insync’s one-time cost can be significant. That said, users who pay once and skip Insync Care will not face recurring charges, which some prefer over an annual subscription model.
Active Development
RemoteDrive is actively maintained as part of the FileZilla Pro product family, with regular updates tracking new cloud providers and macOS releases. The FileZilla Pro product line holds CASA Tier 1 certification, confirming a verified security baseline for cloud application access.
Insync has been in active development since 2011 and has a loyal user base, particularly among Linux users for whom it remains one of the only reliable desktop sync clients for Google Drive and OneDrive. The product receives regular updates. Community forums are active, and the team has a track record of responding to user-reported issues. Insync is a mature product with a well-established feature set.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose RemoteDrive if:
- You need to access FTP servers, SFTP hosts, S3 buckets, or other infrastructure-grade storage from Finder
- You work with large cloud libraries and cannot afford the local disk space a full sync would require
- You use multiple cloud services — RemoteDrive covers them all for one flat $9.99/year fee
- You are on Mac and want native, Finder-integrated access without files being copied locally
Choose Insync if:
- You need offline access to your Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox files
- You are on Linux and need a desktop sync and backup client for Google Drive and OneDrive
- You regularly work with Google Docs and want them to open as Office files locally
- You prefer a one-time purchase with no annual commitment
These two tools solve related but genuinely different problems. If your workflow revolves around Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox and you need a desktop sync and backup client — especially on Linux or Windows — Insync is a strong, mature choice that goes well beyond what the official apps offer.
If you need to work with FTP, SFTP, S3, or a broader range of cloud storage directly from Finder, Insync simply does not cover that ground, and RemoteDrive does. For Mac users who already have internet connectivity and want frictionless access to remote storage without consuming local disk space, RemoteDrive’s flat $9.99/year pricing and Finder-native experience make it the more practical option.