SPSync vs Layer2 Cloud Connector

Choose SPSync when one-way replication into a reporting database is the whole job; choose Layer2 Cloud Connector when edits have to flow back into SharePoint or across many business systems today.

Documentation reviewed 23 October 2026

Where Layer2 Cloud Connector fits

• Two-way sync today, including writing back to SharePoint
• built first for bringing data from databases and business systems into SharePoint lists
• very broad connector catalogue
• mature product with a long track record
• cross-site and cross-tenant sync

Where it breaks

• Generic field-to-field mapping rather than automatic relational normalisation of lookups and multi-value columns
• runs as a Windows Service, with no macOS or Azure managed-application edition documented
• two-way sync brings conflict-resolution decisions that one-way reporting use cases do not need
• priced per connector or data provider
• under throttling, affected records are skipped and picked up on the next scheduled sync rather than retried within the run
• the target list has to be created by hand before a database-to-SharePoint connection runs

Feature by feature

Two-way synchronisation is what Layer2 Cloud Connector does best, across a very wide range of systems, SharePoint included, and it has been doing it for a long time. If changes made in a database or another business system have to flow back into a SharePoint list, or SharePoint has to stay in step with file shares, Exchange or Dynamics as part of a wider integration estate, Layer2 covers ground SPSync does not attempt today. Its maturity and connector range are clear advantages for that kind of bidirectional, multi-system work.

Which direction is Layer2 Cloud Connector built for?

Layer2’s own guides start from the far side. Its SQL to SharePoint walkthrough sets your database as the data source and a SharePoint list as the destination, says the list must be created by hand first, and suggests a one-way connection if you only want to push database rows to the cloud (checked 2026-10-23). Two-way connections run as well, with the extra database rights they need. That is the right shape for putting ERP or SQL data in front of SharePoint users. If the job is the reverse, a reporting copy of lists that people already edit, check that the mappings you need are documented for that direction.

Throttling is the other thing to read about. Layer2’s FAQ says that when SharePoint Online throttles the connector, the affected records are skipped, the rest of the sync carries on, and the skipped records are picked up on the next run. It advises staggering jobs so that one finishes before the next starts. Microsoft’s guidance is that a throttled client should wait for the period in the Retry-After header before trying again. SPSync does that inside the run, so a throttled delta read waits and carries on rather than leaving items behind for the next schedule.

More than a reporting copy needs

For a plain “replicate SharePoint into a reporting database” job, that breadth comes with generic field-to-field mapping in place of automatic relational structure, and two-way sync brings conflict handling that most reporting use cases never need. Layer2 runs as a Windows Service, and we found no macOS option or hosted edition documented.

One-way replication, kept simple

SPSync replicates each list into a normalised schema, with lookups as joinable key columns and multi-value columns as child tables, and keeps it current every few minutes. It reads from SharePoint and writes only to the destination, which makes the problem smaller for reporting, analytics and application read replicas where write-back was never needed. It installs no add-ins or agents in SharePoint and needs no changes on the SharePoint side.

Teams move over when one-way replication into a database is the whole requirement and they want the normalised schema without designing the mapping themselves. The table lists the editions we offer and did not find in Layer2’s documentation. SPSync’s own two-way write-back is on the roadmap; until it ships, Layer2 is the more capable option if write-back is a hard requirement today.

Moving the one-way jobs

1. Check whether any Layer2 connection depends on writing back to SharePoint; those stay on Layer2 for now.
2. For the one-way jobs, connect SPSync to the same site and select the lists.
3. Choose a destination database and a schedule; the first full load writes everything, then delta sync keeps it current.
4. Compare the new tables with Layer2’s output and repoint downstream reports.
5. Decommission the matching Layer2 connection once the results agree.

SPSync as a Layer2 Cloud Connector alternative for SharePoint lists

For one-way jobs, SPSync replaces the connection with a schema it designs from the list's columns, and it reads SharePoint without writing to it. The Layer2 connections that write back into lists keep running until SPSync's write-back, which is on the roadmap, ships.

Other alternatives

• Skyvia: a cloud option with two-way list and database sync on every plan, where the source wins a conflict.
• Stacksync: markets two-way sync with SharePoint, though its own pages say SharePoint support is not established.
• KingswaySoft: SSIS destination components that write list items back into SharePoint, for teams building two-way jobs as packages.
• Power Automate: writes single items back to a list when a row changes, workable at low volumes.