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Arcserve UDP vs Synology DSM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Arcserve UDP
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
32nd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (17th)
Synology DSM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
52nd
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Arcserve UDP is 1.1%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.3%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Arcserve UDP1.1%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other97.6%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

Sergio Itikawa - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Solutions Architect at SPEData
Has supported hybrid IT environments effectively and offers strong data protection
With Arcserve UDP, the most valuable feature is to improve persistent data, which I consider important. I use other products too, not only Arcserve UDP, as we use TrueNAS as well. Arcserve UDP improves the precision of data. I have utilized Arcserve UDP's data deduplication feature, and the data deduplication feature helps my storage efficiency significantly. I have used Arcserve UDP's continuous data protection. It is beneficial for operational continuity because we use it constantly and have no objections to Arcserve UDP technology; I think it is very good. Arcserve UDP's integration with multiple operating systems is very good and very efficient. This brings value for me since many of my clients have different operating systems like Windows and Linux; there is no problem. Regarding the deduplication and compression with Arcserve UDP, I think Arcserve UDP is still a solid solution that we primarily use.
Michael Adejoh - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Manager at Excel Connect Ventures
Reliable and cost-effective
One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication. Currently, it lacks the capability to automatically stop backups if it detects a virus or suspicious network activity, as some third-party solutions can. Having AI-driven analytics to identify anomalies and halt backups during potential attacks, along with notifications to administrators, would be valuable. Additionally, providing a dashboard for monitoring the backup environment's security would be a beneficial feature. These improvements would help address security concerns and make Synology more competitive in this aspect.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Arcserve is user-friendly and allows us to back up all the servers and centrally manage them."
"Just use Arcserve UDP for Backup, Replication, and a High Availability solution; it is one software and one console for all kinds of data protection."
"The most valuable feature of Arcserve UDP is the initiative UI and the logs are clear and detailed that are generated when there has been an issue or failure on the user's system. We only have to log onto the client's system to retrieve the information. It is possible to precisely identify the problem's location. The system categorizes and logs every step in a structured manner, selectively displaying only the essential logs. However, to view a comprehensive log, one must access the line machine log and examine the actual client for detailed logging."
"This solution offers one dashboard to manage the BC con, disaster recovery plan, DR solution, and backup as well as different licensing options, unlike other OEM products."
"The most valuable features are that it is able to restore quickly and that it is able to virtually restore on Hyper-V."
"Easy to use, good stability, and disk space gain with greater data protection and we were able to replicate the environment to another place or other platform at no additional cost."
"The most valuable feature is the duplication."
"The most valuable features are the replication to the cloud and the deduplication."
"Because of its simplicity and the wide array of features it offers, I would recommend DSM for both tech-savvy individuals and those who prefer a straightforward file-serving solution."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."
"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."
 

Cons

"It takes much time to verify and consolidate images for backups."
"We could not go into granular details of retrieving backup information."
"Arcserve UDP is in the middle range of complexity. The interface can be developed a little bit more to be user-friendly."
"The product is not user-friendly."
"The product requires too many VMs as intermediaries."
"The solution's reporting could be improved and should provide customized reports."
"Taking a snapshot level backup with this solution is very slow compared to other products."
"We have to use a Microsoft hypervisor for installation which is expensive."
"Synology DSM is a good enough solution for small and medium companies, but I have not seen a big configuration of the solution for a big organization."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
"There's a surveillance application that allows you to connect IP cameras and stream footage to Synology and it is a great feature, but it's not always clear that adding more cameras may require purchasing additional licenses."
"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price seems reasonable. Its price is average as compared to the other products I've looked at. We have a three-year license right now. There are no other costs beyond the standard licensing fee."
"The solution is expensive."
"There is an annual license required for this solution and it is priced well."
"There are annual subscription fees and there are licensing costs for three computers. It is an expensive solution."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a four or five out of ten."
"The solution is very expensive."
"The price of this product is high and it should be lower."
"The solution is priced well compared to other solutions."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"The licensing part of the solution is free. The hardware is more expensive than the other solutions in the market, but it's okay in the long run."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business25
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

Major Differences Between These 4 Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions?
Comparing the features of the four is not the right approach. You need to develop a list of requirements for backup and DR that are specific to your organization and then compare each of the four ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for StorageCraft ShadowProtect?
Regarding the setup cost for Arcserve UDP, it is significantly important, but the price is similar to all our options where clients need to have backup on-premises and replication in the cloud.
What needs improvement with StorageCraft ShadowProtect?
One area for improvement in Arcserve UDP is its capability to interact with other cloud servers. We faced challenges in capturing the data from these servers and had to subscribe to another applica...
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Also Known As

StorageCraft ShadowProtect, StorageCraft Backup Analyzer
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ITPS, North Hertfordshire Homes, SEMIKRON, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Test Valley Borough Council, EK Services
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,153 professionals have used our research since 2012.