REFLO vs Time Machine — what is different about the work history?
REFLO Team2026. 10. 1. 오전 11:007 min read
Time Machine protects the whole computer. REFLO keeps each save of a working file, so you can compare it on a timeline and restore that file alone.
Time Machine is already there, so it is fair to ask why you would need anything else. Time Machine can bring a computer back even if the whole machine is gone. What it remembers is “the computer at that moment,” not “why this design changed.” That difference shows up when a client says, “Show me last week’s version again.”
What is different
| REFLO | Time Machine | |
|---|---|---|
| What it records | A folder you choose. Each save of that file | A snapshot of the whole computer, usually about once an hour |
| Restore | Pick a moment on the timeline and restore that file. Photoshop and Illustrator can also do this from the panel | Enter Time Machine from Finder, find the past, restore the file, then open it again |
| Compare | Look at two saves side by side. Split compare is free. Overlay, heatmap, and blink are Pro | No compare view. You restore the file and open it separately |
| Documents | Word, Excel, and PowerPoint show how the text changed. The four image compare modes are for design files | Saves the whole file, whatever the format |
| How long it stays | The history stays on this computer. Free keeps the last 14 days. Cloud storage is an optional subscription | To keep it longer you need an external disk or a network drive |
| Trying another direction | On Pro, split off a branch and continue from the save you want. The two branches are not merged automatically | None. You make the copy yourself |
This is not a reason to turn Time Machine off. Leave it as the safety net for the whole computer. REFLO keeps a finer record of saves inside the working folder.
When they ask to see last week’s design again
With Time Machine you open Finder, enter Time Machine, guess the date, move back, find the folder, restore the file, then open it to check that it is the right one. Other files saved in between can roll back to that moment with it.
With REFLO you open that save on the timeline and look at it next to the current file. If it is the right one, you restore that file alone. Photoshop and Illustrator can open that version from the panel. Other files are restored from the REFLO timeline.
Questions that come up
Should I turn Time Machine off?
No. Leave it on as the safety net for the whole computer. REFLO keeps a separate record of saves in the folder you are working in.
Time Machine can already restore a file. Why add this?
Pulling out the file from that moment is something Time Machine can do. Seeing how it differs from the current version, or taking that version out from inside Photoshop or Illustrator, is not.
Can I use it without an external drive?
Yes. Save into the folder you chose and the history stays on this computer. Free keeps the last 14 days. After that the older saves lock, and they are deleted after 90 days. To keep going on another computer, subscribe to cloud storage separately. Local history works without the cloud.
Can I compare a Photoshop file?
Yes. A PSD can be compared in split view right away. Overlay, heatmap, and blink are Pro. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint show how the text changed, instead of those four views.
Trying a design in separate branches is Pro. You pick a save you like and continue the current line from it. The two branches are not merged for you in one step.