Remote storage that feels local.
Syncophant puts your SFTP server, WebDAV, S3-compatible storage, SMB share, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Google Drive in Finder, right next to Macintosh HD.
Free and open source. Needs macOS 26 or later.
Or with Homebrew: brew install --cask syncophant-app/tap/syncophant
| Name | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Invoices | -- | Kept on this Mac |
| Photos 2026 | -- | On your box |
| Kitchen renovation.mov | 4.2 GB | Uploading 42% |
| Tax return 2025.pdf | 1.8 MB | |
| Lease agreement.pdf | 640 KB | On your box · verified |
| Notes.md | 12 KB | Conflict copy · both kept |
| Studio backup.zip | 18.6 GB | On your box |
Your storage, as a drive in Finder.
Syncophant adds your storage to Finder as a location of its own. Folders open like any other folder, and your apps save to it like any other disk.
Files download when you open them, so a 20 GB archive takes no space on your Mac until you need it. Keep a folder on this Mac when you want it offline.
Your files stay in Finder even after you quit the menu bar app.
Set it up once.
Three steps. Your password or key is saved in your Keychain and nowhere else.
Connect your storage
Pick SFTP, WebDAV, S3-compatible, SMB, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Google Drive and sign in. SFTP takes a password, a private key or your SSH agent. Cloud drives sign in through your browser.
files.example.com, port 22Check who you're talking to
For SFTP, compare the host key with the one your provider shows, then choose Trust this key. If it ever changes, Syncophant stops before it signs in. WebDAV, S3 and cloud drives only connect over HTTPS, and SMB shares must require encryption.
SHA256:7Lx0q2VbT9cJm4…Rk8wOpen Finder
Your storage is under Locations. Drag files in, or drop them on the menu bar icon.
Every file says where it lives.
The same few words in Finder, in the app and in the menu bar. A file is only called verified once the copy on your storage has been checked.
- On your box
- Lives on your storage. It downloads when you open it.
- Uploading 42%
- On its way. Pause it, and it picks up where it stopped.
- The copy on your storage is being checked against this Mac's SHA-256.
- On your box · verified
- Both checksums matched. Now the upload counts as done.
- Uploaded · not verified
- The file arrived, but its checksum couldn't be confirmed. Syncophant says so instead of guessing.
- Conflict copy · both kept
- Two edits met. Neither one was overwritten.
- Kept on this Mac
- Stays downloaded, so you can use it offline.
- Upload failed · storage unreachable
- Nothing on your storage was replaced, and the reason is always shown.
Works the way Finder works.
Right-click, drag and drop, and the menu bar do what you'd expect. Nothing new to learn.
Drop files on the menu bar
Pick a folder on your storage and they upload there.
Keep folders on this Mac
Right-click to keep a folder offline, or remove the download to free the space.
Checked with SHA-256
An upload counts as verified only when the copy on your storage has the same checksum as this Mac.
Nothing is overwritten
When two Macs change one file, you get both copies, side by side.
Uploads pick up where they stopped
The queue survives a restart, and resumed uploads are checked before they continue.
Undo a delete
On supported storage, deleted items go to a trash on your storage and come back to where they were.
Free. No account. No telemetry.
Syncophant has no server of its own. The app talks to your storage, and to two others only when you ask it to.
| Your storage | Whenever you browse, open or upload. That's where your files are. For Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and Google Drive, that includes their sign-in service. |
|---|---|
| Hetzner's API | Only if you set up a Hetzner Storage Box with an API token. |
| GitHub | Only when you check for updates. Automatic checks are off until you turn them on. |
| Anyone else | Never. No analytics, no crash reports, no account service. |
- Passwords and keys stay in your Keychain, never in settings or logs.
- Settings › Privacy keeps a local record of every connection the app and its Finder extension make.
- Diagnostics are saved on your Mac, with hosts and user names removed.
Bring the storage you already have.
- SFTP
- Any server you can reach over SSH, from a NAS to a VPS. Sign in with a password, a private key or your SSH agent. The server needs to run sha256sum, so uploads can be verified.
- WebDAV
- WebDAV servers over HTTPS. Syncophant reads the copy back to check each upload.
- S3-compatible storage
- Buckets on any S3-compatible service, over HTTPS. S3 can't rename in one step, so Syncophant copies instead, and the trash is off there.
- SMB
- Shares on a Mac, PC or NAS, as long as the share requires SMB3 encryption and signing.
- Dropbox, OneDrive and Box
- Sign in through your browser with an app you create in the service's developer console. Syncophant ships no app keys of its own and shows you the steps. Deleted files go to the service's trash.
- Google Drive (experimental)
- Signs in the same way. Google Drive can't refuse a stale write, so Syncophant checks in the app, and a change made elsewhere at the same moment can be lost or duplicated. Google Docs are skipped.
Have a Hetzner Storage Box? Paste an API token and Syncophant sets up a sub-account that only reaches one folder.
Your server, as a drive in Finder.
Free and open source under the GPL. No account to make and nothing to pay.
Needs macOS 26 or later. Syncophant is an early build, so keep another copy of important files.
Homebrew: brew install --cask syncophant-app/tap/syncophant
Questions
Which storage does it work with?
SFTP servers, WebDAV, S3-compatible object storage, SMB shares, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and Google Drive. That covers most NAS devices, VPSs and hosted storage. Google Drive support is experimental. Hetzner Storage Boxes also get a guided setup.
What does my server need?
SFTP needs SSH access and permission to run sha256sum. WebDAV and S3-compatible storage need HTTPS. SMB shares must require SMB3 encryption and signing. Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and Google Drive need an app you create in that service's developer console; Syncophant shows the steps. Without a checksum, Syncophant won't call an upload verified.
Why is Google Drive experimental?
Google Drive lets one folder hold several items with the same name, and it can't refuse a stale write. Syncophant does those checks itself, so a change made elsewhere at the same moment can be lost or duplicated. Google Docs aren't files and are skipped.
Do my files take up space on my Mac?
Only the ones you open or keep. Everything else stays on your storage and shows in Finder without using disk space. The cache is 5 GB per storage by default, and it never drops a file that hasn't finished uploading.
Does it work when the app is closed?
Yes. Your storage stays in Finder after you quit the menu bar app.
Where are my passwords and keys kept?
In your Keychain. They never go into settings files, logs or diagnostics.
Can anyone else see my files?
Syncophant connects your Mac straight to your storage. There's no Syncophant server in between and no account to sign in to.
Is it really free?
Yes. The app is GPL-3.0-or-later and its storage libraries are MIT. There are no paid plans.
Can I trust it with my only copy of something?
Not yet. Syncophant is an early build. Keep another copy of anything you can't lose.
Which Macs does it run on?
Macs with macOS 26 or later.
Can I install it with Homebrew?
Yes. Run brew install --cask syncophant-app/tap/syncophant, then brew upgrade keeps it current. The cask is for Apple silicon Macs.