Comparison

SyncDrop vs cairn

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SyncDrop

Effortlessly sync files, clipboards, and photos across your devices and private cloud. Offers fast, secure transfers with advanced features for photographers and automated backups.

Highlights
  • Universal file and clipboard syncing
  • Cross-platform device transfer
  • Automated photo backup to cloud/NAS
  • Studio Mode for photographers
  • Secure P2P transfers with TLS 1.3
  • No account required for pairing
Features
Read full description

SyncDrop is an all-in-one productivity tool designed to break the boundaries between your devices. Whether you’re syncing clipboards, transferring files, or backing up photos to your private cloud, SyncDrop provides a fast, secure, and seamless experience. Main Features: Universal Sync & Transfer * Any File, Any Size: Move files fast between mobile, PC, and NAS with zero compression. * Cross-Platform Clipboard: Copy on one device, paste on another. Sync links and text instantly. * Instant Messaging: Send text messages and notes directly between your own devices without relying on chat apps. The Pro Choice for Photographers * Studio Mode: Capture on mobile, preview on your Mac/PC in full screen instantly. * Deep Metadata: Professional EXIF viewer with full support for focal length (and 35mm equivalent). Automated Backup & Private Cloud * Cloud & NAS Support: Seamless sync with Google Drive, Google Photos, WebDAV, and private NAS. * Smart Rules: Backup only when charging or on trusted Wi-Fi. It’s automation that respects your battery. Speed & Security * Ultra-Fast P2P: Direct connection technology. High-speed transfer even without an internet connection. * TLS 1.3 Encryption: Secure peer-to-peer transfers. Your data never touches a central server. * No Account Required: Quick pairing via QR code. Protect your privacy from day one. Common Scenarios: * Productivity: Copy a link on your phone and paste it directly into your PC browser. * Traveling: No signal? No problem. Use Hotspot Mode to share high-res travel videos with peers. * Storage Saving: Run out of space? Automatically move memories to your PC or NAS. Install SyncDrop today and simplify your multi-device life. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

cairn

This app synchronizes your iPhone photo library with your Immich server. It automatically moves photos deleted from your phone to your Immich trash, ensuring consistency. The app prioritizes safety with features like a quarantine window and trash-to-restore functionality.

Highlights
  • Syncs iPhone deletions to Immich
  • Moves deleted photos to Immich Trash
  • Configurable quarantine window
  • Trash-to-restore functionality
  • Percent cap and floor for safety
  • Exclusion options for specific photos
  • Restrict indexing to specific albums
Features
Read full description

cairn reconciles your iPhone photo library against your own Immich server. When you delete a photo on your phone, cairn moves the matching photo on Immich to Trash. That's the whole job. cairn doesn't upload photos, show albums, edit metadata, or run AI — the Immich app already does those things. cairn closes the one loop the Immich app doesn't: photos that live on the server after you've deleted them from your phone. HOW IT WORKS — Content identity is SHA1 (the same identifier Immich uses server-side). — cairn subscribes to iOS's deletion log, so it sees soft-deletes as you make them. — A configurable quarantine window holds confirmed deletions before anything moves, so an accidental mass-offload has time to be caught. — Every run shows you the candidate list first. Nothing happens on the server until you confirm. SAFETY MODEL — Trash, not delete. cairn moves assets into your Immich Trash — Immich retains them for 30 days, and restore is one tap. — Percent cap + floor. If a single run would move more than a threshold of your matched photos to Trash, it aborts without touching the server. — Breadcrumbs. Every run is tagged on Immich (cairn/v1/run/[id]) so you can find it server-side. — Forensic journal. Local append-only log records every step — planned, tagged, trashed, restored, failed. — Exclusions. Protect specific photos from ever being flagged. — Indexing scope. Restrict cairn to a specific set of Photos albums. Photos outside the scope are silently ignored — never hashed, never proposed for trash. Useful if you want to manage just one album and leave synced family albums alone. PRIVACY — No analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting, no ads. — No cairn backend. Your iPhone talks directly to your Immich server using your API key. — Credentials stay in the iOS Keychain. Nothing leaves your device besides requests you configured. REQUIREMENTS — An Immich server you run or control. — An Immich API key. cairn requests these scopes: asset.read, asset.view, asset.download, asset.delete, tag.create, tag.asset, tag.read. The Setup screen lists them when you paste your key. cairn is not affiliated with the Immich project. It talks to Immich over its public API; compatibility only. Source is MIT-licensed at github.com/glarue/cairn.

Screenshots

SyncDrop4 screens
cairn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: cairn at none against SyncDrop's 3. SyncDrop's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SyncDrop sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. cairn asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SyncDrop against 5.0 for cairn. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SyncDrop ships an update every 3 days, cairn weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
SyncDrop versus cairn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSyncDropcairn
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer子昂 陈Graham Larue

Customer experience

SyncDrop

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

cairn

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SyncDrop

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$24.99
None

cairn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SyncDrop free?
SyncDrop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is cairn free?
cairn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SyncDrop or cairn?
SyncDrop and cairn are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do SyncDrop or cairn have ads?
Neither SyncDrop nor cairn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SyncDrop or cairn?
SyncDrop ships an update every 3 days, and cairn weekly. Most recently, SyncDrop was updated on August 30, 2026 and cairn on September 15, 2026.

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