Per-file backup tracking
Tusk shows backup status at the file and destination level, so you can confirm whether a specific file has been copied to each place you care about.
Tusk
Tusk is a macOS backup app for project files, designed for video creators, photographers, and developers who need per-file status across drives and cloud destinations. It shows where each file lives even when backup drives are unplugged.
What Tusk is
Tusk is a macOS backup app for project files, aimed at people who work with large media folders and need to know exactly where each file has been copied. It tracks backup status per file and per destination, including destinations that are currently unplugged.
The app watches selected folders continuously, syncs changes in the background, and verifies transfers with checksums before treating files as safe. That makes it useful when you want to offload files from a Mac, back them up to multiple drives or cloud services, and later restore individual files without searching through mounted drives by hand.
Core features
Automatic background syncing
The app watches folders continuously and propagates file changes in the background, so new files, re-exports, renamed clips, and other updates do not require manual runs.
Multi-destination backups
You can send files to multiple destinations at once, including external drives and cloud services, and Tusk syncs to them in parallel.
Deletion safety checks
Before you delete local files, Tusk verifies that each file is present on the connected backup destinations and blocks deletion if the file is not yet backed up.
Offline location visibility
When working with unplugged drives, Tusk still keeps a catalogue of where files live, using a local database so you can identify which drive or cloud bucket contains a file without plugging everything in.
Verified offload reporting
For offloads, Tusk can stream files from a card to multiple destinations in one read and generate a transfer report with file names, sizes, and checksums.
Common use cases
Managing large media shoots
Photographers and videographers can offload shoots to multiple destinations at once, verify copies as they are written, and later find older projects without plugging in every drive one by one.
Safely clearing space on a Mac
Creators who need to free up local storage can remove files only after Tusk confirms they exist on the chosen backup destinations, reducing the chance of deleting the wrong copy.
Tracking mixed drive-and-cloud backups
Teams or solo operators who keep backups on both drives and cloud services can maintain a single project view of where each file lives, even when some storage is disconnected.
Keeping active project folders in sync
Developers or other users who work from watched folders can let Tusk mirror ongoing file changes in the background without starting manual sync jobs.
Restoring individual files later
Anyone restoring a single file from a past project can use Tusk’s location tracking and one-click restore workflow instead of browsing through mounted volumes manually.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Shows file-level backup status across multiple destinations, including when drives are unplugged.
- Runs continuously in the background once a project is set up, reducing the need for manual sync steps.
- Supports external drives plus cloud destinations such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3-compatible storage.
- Verifies transfers with checksums before considering files safe to remove locally.
- Can block deletion until backups are confirmed, which is useful for offloading media from a Mac.
Cons
- The sources do not show full pricing-page details, so plan structure beyond the trial and one-time purchase notes is not fully visible.
- Platform support appears focused on macOS, with the docs stating macOS 12+ and Apple Silicon support; broader platform availability is not shown in the provided sources.
- The product is oriented toward project-file backup workflows, so it is not presented as a full system-image or whole-computer backup tool.
FAQ
What makes Tusk different from Time Machine, Backblaze, or ChronoSync?
Tusk is a macOS backup app that tracks backup status per file and per destination, including destinations that are currently unplugged. It is designed for project files rather than whole-Mac system backups.
Does Tusk offer a trial?
Tusk starts a 14-day free trial automatically on first launch. The download page says no signup and no credit card are required, and the app remains available on macOS after the trial if you enter a license key.
Does Tusk run automatically in the background?
Tusk watches a selected folder continuously and syncs changes in the background. If you quit and reopen the app, it resumes where it left off, including queued changes made while it was closed.
Which backup destinations does Tusk support?
Tusk supports external drives, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3-compatible storage. The source also says multiple accounts can be used in the same project for Google Drive and Dropbox.
Can I see where files are even when drives are unplugged?
Tusk uses a local database on your Mac to keep track of file locations and status, so you can see where a file lives even when a drive is disconnected. When you need to restore, you connect the destination or pull from the cloud.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Backup software
- Platform
- macOS 12+; Apple Silicon and Intel mentioned
- Primary users
- Video creators, photographers, and developers
- Backup style
- Per-file tracking across multiple destinations
- Trial
- 14-day free trial, no signup, no credit card
- Pricing model
- One-time purchase with optional updates renewal after year one
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