BitTorrent Sync vs. Dropbox-Save Money and Find Time

BitTorrent Sync vs. Dropbox

BitTorrent Sync is a file sharing tool that my VA uses and has been intrigued about for some time. I’ve heard about BitTorrent Sync – from her and from others – for years, but it always seemed very ‘techie’ to me and rather incomprehensible.

Well, she recently shared an article with me that she had found on lifehacker and it was, quite honestly, the first time I felt like I truly understood  how BitTorrent Sync works -and why it’s a powerful alternative to other file-sharing apps. So I wanted to share it with you!

The article is titled “How (and Why) to Ditch Dropbox and Sync Files with BitTorrent Sync.”  Written by Thorin Klosowski, it gives a thorough and readable overview of BitTorrent Sync, illustrating where it’s an improvement over Dropbox – and where Dropbox has the advantage.

I won’t repeat the lifehacker content here, but will say that I appreciate the fact that BitTorrent Sync is a free alternative to Dropbox that doesn’t have limitations on storage space. In fact, since material isn’t being stored by a third party, BitTorrent Sync is also an alternative that offers more security than Dropbox (or other cloud storage and sharing services).

Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to set up BitTorrent Sync, from the lifehacker piece:

In order to use BitTorrent Sync, you’ll need to set up a few different things. Throughout this guide, we’ll be using the newest beta for BitTorrent Sync, 2.0, which should be officially launching soon. That said, the process is the same with older versions of the app as well.

1. Download BitTorrent Sync for your operating system
2. Open up the app
3. Pick the folders you want to sync across computers. Click the “+” button and pick your folder. Those folders are now ready for sharing
4. Click the gear icon and select “Link Device”
5. Click “Link a Desktop Device Manually,” you’ll get a 35 digit code
6. Head to another computer and repeat steps 1 and 2.
7. On the second computer, click the gear icon > Link Device > Link Device Manually > Enter Key and enter the 35 digit code from step 5

Now, every folder you select to share syncs across the two computers. You can repeat this process across every computer you own. You can also set up syncing on mobile. 

The video offers a good introduction to the general idea of BitTorrent Sync. I found it helpful, as an accessible overview for the non-techie reader!

http://youtu.be/044jIZfnyqQ

And this piece title How to Use BitTorrent Sync from softonic.com gives you a very good, step-by-step guide (with graphics) for setting up BitTorrent Sync and starting to share.

Finally, the following video offers a quick comparison between BitTorrent Sync and Dropbox.

http://youtu.be/D_FhiB7Lp7w

I hope that you find this information helpful.  It was eye-opening for me, and I think we’ll be exploring the time and money-saving possibilities of this tool here at The Time Finder in the days and weeks to come.  How about you?

I’d love to hear what you think!

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