diff --git a/fsspec/utils.py b/fsspec/utils.py
index c7e3e3ddc..ee9c5f28d 100644
--- a/fsspec/utils.py
+++ b/fsspec/utils.py
@@ -627,3 +627,101 @@ def atomic_write(path: str, mode: str = "wb"):
         raise
     else:
         os.replace(fn, path)
+
+
+def rsync(
+    source,
+    destination,
+    source_fs: AbstractFileSystem,
+    target_fs: AbstractFileSystem,
+    delete_missing=False,
+    source_field="size",
+    dest_field="size",
+    update_cond="different",
+    inst_kwargs=None,
+) -> None:
+    """Sync files between two directory trees
+
+    (experimental)
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    source: str
+        Root of the directory tree to take files from. This must be a directory, but
+        do not include any terminating "/" character
+    destination: str
+        Root path to copy into. The contents of this location should be
+        identical to the contents of ``source`` when done. This will be made a
+        directory, and the terminal "/" should not be included.
+    delete_missing: bool
+        If there are paths in the destination that don't exist in the
+        source and this is True, delete them. Otherwise, leave them alone.
+    source_field: str | callable
+        If ``update_field`` is "different", this is the key in the info
+        of source files to consider for difference. Maybe a function of the
+        info dict.
+    dest_field: str | callable
+        If ``update_field`` is "different", this is the key in the info
+        of destination files to consider for difference. May be a function of
+        the info dict.
+    update_cond: "different"|"always"|"never"
+        If "always", every file is copied, regardless of whether it exists in
+        the destination. If "never", files that exist in the destination are
+        not copied again. If "different" (default), only copy if the info
+        fields given by ``source_field`` and ``dest_field`` (usually "size")
+        are different. Other comparisons may be added in the future.
+    inst_kwargs: dict|None
+        If ``fs`` is None, use this set of keyword arguments to make a
+        GenericFileSystem instance
+    fs: GenericFileSystem|None
+        Instance to use if explicitly given. The instance defines how to
+        to make downstream file system instances from paths.
+    """
+    logger = logging.getLogger("fsspec.rsync")
+    source = source_fs._strip_protocol(source)
+    destination = target_fs._strip_protocol(destination)
+    allfiles = source_fs.find(source, withdirs=True, detail=True)
+    if not source_fs.isdir(source):
+        raise ValueError("Can only rsync on a directory")
+    otherfiles = target_fs.find(destination, withdirs=True, detail=True)
+    dirs = [
+        a
+        for a, v in allfiles.items()
+        if v["type"] == "directory" and a.replace(source, destination) not in otherfiles
+    ]
+    logger.debug(f"{len(dirs)} directories to create")
+    if dirs:
+        for dirn in dirs:
+            target_fs.makedirs(dirn.replace(source, destination), exist_ok=True)
+    allfiles = {a: v for a, v in allfiles.items() if v["type"] == "file"}
+    logger.debug(f"{len(allfiles)} files to consider for copy")
+    to_delete = [
+        o
+        for o, v in otherfiles.items()
+        if o.replace(destination, source) not in allfiles and v["type"] == "file"
+    ]
+    for k, v in allfiles.copy().items():
+        otherfile = k.replace(source, destination)
+        if otherfile in otherfiles:
+            if update_cond == "always":
+                allfiles[k] = otherfile
+            elif update_cond == "different":
+                inf1 = source_field(v) if callable(source_field) else v[source_field]
+                v2 = otherfiles[otherfile]
+                inf2 = dest_field(v2) if callable(dest_field) else v2[dest_field]
+                if inf1 != inf2:
+                    # details mismatch, make copy
+                    allfiles[k] = otherfile
+                else:
+                    # details match, don't copy
+                    allfiles.pop(k)
+        else:
+            # file not in target yet
+            allfiles[k] = otherfile
+    logger.debug(f"{len(allfiles)} files to copy")
+    if allfiles:
+        source_files, target_files = zip(*allfiles.items())
+        source_fs.cp(source_files, target_files, **kwargs)
+    logger.debug(f"{len(to_delete)} files to delete")
+    if delete_missing:
+        target_fs.rm(to_delete)