diff --git a/docs/content/docs.md b/docs/content/docs.md
index dd27f9d44..4032a2633 100644
--- a/docs/content/docs.md
+++ b/docs/content/docs.md
@@ -852,6 +852,32 @@ the binary units, e.g. 1, 2\*\*10, 2\*\*20, 2\*\*30 respectively.
 
 See also [--human-readable](#human-readable).
 
+### --assume-listings-sorted
+
+This flag can be used when the source and destination backends are
+guaranteed to return the items in the same sorted order and in that
+case it will speed up the sync.
+
+Not all backends are guaranteed to return sorted entries (eg local)
+but s3 should, so an s3 to s3 sync could benefit from this flag.
+
+If rclone finds an out of order directory entry then it will cancel
+the sync with the error:
+
+```console
+out of order listing in source (remote:dir)
+```
+
+In this case you should remove the `--assume-listings-sorted` flag.
+
+If you are using `--assume-listings-sorted` then rclone will assume
+`--no-unicode-normalization` and it will compare file names in a case
+sensitive way.
+
+Normally sorting directory entries is not a bottleneck, but it can
+become so with syncs of millions of items in a single directory as the
+sync will not start until the directory listing is complete.
+
 ## Main options
 
 ### --backup-dir string
diff --git a/fs/config.go b/fs/config.go
index ce0a1df9e..d7a004d17 100644
--- a/fs/config.go
+++ b/fs/config.go
@@ -566,6 +566,12 @@ var ConfigOptionsInfo = Options{{
 	Default: "",
 	Help:    "HTTP proxy URL.",
 	Groups:  "Networking",
+}, {
+	Name:     "assume_listings_sorted",
+	Default:  false,
+	Advanced: true,
+	Help:     "If set will not sort listings. If listings aren't sorted the sync may go wrong.",
+	Groups:   "Copy",
 }}
 
 // ConfigInfo is filesystem config options
@@ -680,6 +686,7 @@ type ConfigInfo struct {
 	MaxConnections             int               `config:"max_connections"`
 	NameTransform              []string          `config:"name_transform"`
 	HTTPProxy                  string            `config:"http_proxy"`
+	AssumeListingsSorted       bool              `config:"assume_listings_sorted"`
 }
 
 func init() {
diff --git a/fs/list/sorter.go b/fs/list/sorter.go
index b2674b294..dab0a5dfd 100644
--- a/fs/list/sorter.go
+++ b/fs/list/sorter.go
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ type Sorter struct {
 	keyFn      KeyFn                 // transform an entry into a sort key
 	cutoff     int                   // number of entries above which we start extsort
 	extSort    bool                  // true if we are ext sorting
+	noSort     bool                  // true if we aren't sorting
 	inputChan  chan string           // for sending data to the ext sort
 	outputChan <-chan string         // for receiving data from the ext sort
 	errChan    <-chan error          // for getting errors from the ext sort
@@ -78,6 +79,7 @@ func NewSorter(ctx context.Context, f NewObjecter, callback fs.ListRCallback, ke
 		keyFn:    keyFn,
 		cutoff:   ci.ListCutoff,
 		errs:     errcount.New(),
+		noSort:   ci.AssumeListingsSorted,
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -172,6 +174,9 @@ func (ls *Sorter) startExtSort() (err error) {
 //
 // Safe to call from concurrent go routines
 func (ls *Sorter) Add(entries fs.DirEntries) error {
+	if ls.noSort {
+		return ls.callback(entries)
+	}
 	ls.mu.Lock()
 	defer ls.mu.Unlock()
 	if ls.extSort {
@@ -267,6 +272,9 @@ func (lh *listHelper) Flush() error {
 
 // Send the sorted entries to the callback.
 func (ls *Sorter) Send() (err error) {
+	if ls.noSort {
+		return nil
+	}
 	ls.mu.Lock()
 	defer ls.mu.Unlock()
 
diff --git a/fs/list/sorter_test.go b/fs/list/sorter_test.go
index b8db3725e..51bbed46e 100644
--- a/fs/list/sorter_test.go
+++ b/fs/list/sorter_test.go
@@ -46,6 +46,46 @@ func TestSorter(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, fs.DirEntries(nil), ls.entries)
 }
 
+func TestSorterAssumeSorted(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx, ci := fs.AddConfig(context.Background())
+	ci.AssumeListingsSorted = true
+
+	gotEntry := 0
+	wantEntries := fs.DirEntries{
+		mockdir.New("c"),
+		mockobject.Object("C"),
+		mockdir.New("b"),
+		mockobject.Object("B"),
+		mockdir.New("a"),
+		mockobject.Object("A"),
+	}
+	callback := func(entries fs.DirEntries) error {
+		for _, entry := range entries {
+			require.Equal(t, wantEntries[gotEntry], entry)
+			gotEntry++
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	ls, err := NewSorter(ctx, nil, callback, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Test Add
+	require.NoError(t, ls.Add(wantEntries[0:2]))
+	require.NoError(t, ls.Add(wantEntries[2:6]))
+	assert.Equal(t, 6, gotEntry)
+	assert.Equal(t, fs.DirEntries(nil), ls.entries)
+
+	// Test Send
+	err = ls.Send()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 6, gotEntry)
+
+	// Test Cleanup
+	ls.CleanUp()
+	assert.Equal(t, 6, gotEntry)
+	assert.Equal(t, fs.DirEntries(nil), ls.entries)
+}
+
 func TestSorterIdentity(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	cmpFn := func(a, b fs.DirEntry) int {
diff --git a/fs/march/march.go b/fs/march/march.go
index 841ca4cc7..84354777d 100644
--- a/fs/march/march.go
+++ b/fs/march/march.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/dirtree"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/filter"
+	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/fserrors"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/list"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/walk"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/lib/transform"
@@ -330,7 +331,8 @@ func (m *March) matchListings(srcChan, dstChan <-chan fs.DirEntry, srcOnly, dstO
 				continue
 			} else if srcName < srcPrevName {
 				// this should never happen since we sort the listings
-				panic("Out of order listing in source")
+				// however the user may be using the --assume-listings-sorted flag
+				return fserrors.FatalError(fmt.Errorf("out of order listing in source (%v)", src.Fs()))
 			}
 		}
 		if dst != nil && dstPrev != nil {
@@ -340,7 +342,8 @@ func (m *March) matchListings(srcChan, dstChan <-chan fs.DirEntry, srcOnly, dstO
 				continue
 			} else if dstName < dstPrevName {
 				// this should never happen since we sort the listings
-				panic("Out of order listing in destination")
+				// however the user may be using the --assume-listings-sorted flag
+				return fserrors.FatalError(fmt.Errorf("out of order listing in destination (%v)", dst.Fs()))
 			}
 		}
 		switch {