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Dell NetWorker vs N2W comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.0
Dell NetWorker delivers cost savings, enhanced recovery, and efficiency, proving invaluable for business continuity and operational efficiency.
Sentiment score
2.1
<p>N2WS Backup &amp; Recovery users saved time and money, improved efficiency, reduced downtime, and achieved better data protection and ROI.</p>
In my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing, I have seen a return on investment as there are definitely fewer employees required to manage the backups, and there is definitely a major time save due to the single pane of glass.
Sr. Manager Data Protection at Epsilon
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
Dell NetWorker customer service is praised for quick assistance but criticized for delays and variable expertise, especially regionally.
Sentiment score
3.7
N2W's customer service is praised for its responsiveness, knowledgeable assistance, and effective handling of issues and renewals.
Technical support from Dell is excellent.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
quick responses whenever we log a complaint
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
They are very responsive and helpful.
System Engineer at NCCPL
Their support is amazing. They get back to you in a timely manner and work with you.
Sr. Manager Data Protection at Epsilon
We would rate the customer support of N2W a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, as they are very easily accessible, friendly, and absolutely knowledgeable.
Director of Information Technology & Customer Success at Maplewave
Customer support for N2W is excellent, as they are able to answer quickly.
Director, Cloud Infrastructure and Systems Operations at d1g1t Inc.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Dell NetWorker offers scalability but faces challenges in VMware connections, storage, licensing, and large-scale stability for some users.
Sentiment score
3.6
N2W is effective in scalable cloud backup, supporting multiple AWS accounts and instances with minimal scalability issues.
While the solution is scalable, the cost involved in upgrading or enhancing the solution can be significant.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
Dell NetWorker is very scalable and flexible, deserving a high rating for its scalability.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc
It is scalable enough for our environment.
System Engineer at NCCPL
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Dell NetWorker exhibits stability, rated high by users, improving with updates, while older versions faced occasional challenges.
Sentiment score
5.6
N2W is acclaimed for its remarkable stability, efficient cloud resource use, reliability, and excellent support, ensuring user satisfaction.
The stability of Dell NetWorker is excellent.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
In terms of stability, I would say it is about 80% stable now.
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
Dell NetWorker is stable.
System Engineer at NCCPL
 

Room For Improvement

Dell NetWorker users seek improved interfaces, cloud integration, and security, citing deployment challenges and a need for modern enhancements.
N2W needs UI modernization, improved onboarding, enhanced AWS integration, and streamlined version upgrades to boost efficiency and coverage.
The interface on the Java application makes it difficult, whereas the web interface is simple to use.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc
It is complex, and compared to solutions like Tivoli, Veritas, Veeam, and others, its look and feel are not up to par.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
To connect to a server, it's necessary to install a client on the server, which is challenging.
System Engineer at NCCPL
Adding an 'auto-delete after X days' option to manual backups, similar to scheduled policies, would be a fantastic addition for cost management and general housekeeping.
Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
An automated account enrollment or bulk import feature integrated with AWS Organizations or Control Tower would save significant time and reduce administrative overhead.
VP, Solutions Architecture at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Improved disaster recovery options and expanded multicloud support are two areas where N2WS has already made significant advancements in the latest version.
Cloud Manager at St. John's University
 

Setup Cost

Dell NetWorker offers complex licensing, with varied pricing; included in bundles, often costly but comprehensive and flexible for sectors.
N2W provides predictable pricing, easy AWS Marketplace purchase, and valuable features, with advised cost optimizations through trial evaluations.
The licensing cost is somewhat expensive.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
Pricing can increase as backup volumes grow, so it is important to balance the level of protection with cost-optimization strategies such as tiering snapshots to S3 or Glacier.
Platform Engineer at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
While N2W is a paid product, the cost is easily justified by the significant reduction in engineering hours spent on managing and troubleshooting custom backup scripts.
Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
I believe N2WS offers a highly competitive pricing model, delivering excellent value.
Cloud Manager at St. John's University
 

Valuable Features

Dell NetWorker provides robust backup solutions with automation, deduplication, scalability, and wide compatibility for various environments and systems.
N2W enhances data protection with automated backups, fast recovery, and flexible management, streamlining operations and compliance for organizations.
I find NetWorker valuable for its wide range of automation features, including replication and data processing systems.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
Dell NetWorker is versatile, allowing server backups and IBM tape library backups.
System Engineer at NCCPL
The new deduplication feature helps significantly with data compression and saves disk space by using pointers for repeated data, improving backup speed.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
Lifecycle management and automated transitions to lower-cost storage tiers have been instrumental in optimizing costs while meeting compliance and retention requirements.
Cloud Manager at St. John's University
We had a ransomware event in 2023, and we were able to recover every machine with minimal effort.
IT Operations Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The ability to define backup schedules, retention periods, and disaster recovery policies and have them apply automatically based on resource tags scales perfectly with our environment and enforces a consistent data protection strategy across the organization.
Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell NetWorker
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
9th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
N2W
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
7th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Backup (6th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell NetWorker is 1.5%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of N2W is 0.8%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
N2W0.8%
Dell NetWorker1.5%
Other97.7%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

RaedHassan - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
Has supported flexible multi-platform backups and improved over time
Regarding the effectiveness of Dell NetWorker in terms of role-based access controls, I have experience with it, but I find it somewhat lacking in flexibility as it offers limited features, and I would rate it around seven out of ten. It is not that there is something wrong with the role-based access controls in Dell NetWorker, but it lacks many permissions or roles to assign, providing options only for administrator or user. To improve Dell NetWorker for the next release, I recommend enhancing flexibility in the policy, allowing selection of multiple options within the same policy, and addressing issues like the DNS lookup dependency to make it more controllable from Dell NetWorker itself rather than relying on other applications. Looking forward, I would like to see improved policy features and a more enhanced GUI, as it is still slow.
reviewer2802048 - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Automated backups have transformed our multi-account recovery and now streamline compliance reporting
While N2WS has served us well, there are areas for improvement. The user interface feels somewhat dated and could benefit from modernization. Navigation between sections could be more intuitive, and the dashboard design could be more streamlined compared to contemporary AWS tools. The initial setup process has a steeper learning curve than we’d prefer, especially for complex multi-account configurations. More guided setup wizards would help new team members get up to speed faster. Reporting capabilities could be more granular, particularly around cost optimization metrics and backup performance analytics. Currently, we need to gather information from multiple screens to get comprehensive insights. For future releases, we’d value enhanced integration with AWS native services like Config and CloudTrail for better compliance reporting. More advanced scheduling options that adjust based on application load would also be beneficial. Better support for newer AWS services as they’re released would help us maintain comprehensive coverage as our infrastructure evolves. Additionally, native integration with popular ITSM tools beyond email notifications would improve our workflow automation.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Construction Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise33
Large Enterprise38
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Dell EMC Avamar and Dell EMC NetWorker?
From the very beginning, Dell EMC NetWorker considers users and those who might potentially become users. In terms of both pricing and setup, this product offers an experience that is significantly...
What do you like most about Dell NetWorker?
The feature that offers the greatest benefits in ensuring data integrity is its backup capability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell NetWorker?
Regarding the pricing of Dell NetWorker, it depends on the deal or negotiation we have with the vendor, making it reasonable, although I cannot make a definitive decision without knowing the specif...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for N2WS Backup & Recovery?
The pricing for N2WS is generally reasonable and transparent, especially when compared to enterprise backup solutions. It is based on the number of instances you are backing up, which makes it easy...
What needs improvement with N2WS Backup & Recovery?
While N2WS has served us well, there are areas for improvement. The user interface feels somewhat dated and could benefit from modernization. Navigation between sections could be more intuitive, an...
What is your primary use case for N2WS Backup & Recovery?
Our primary use case for N2WS is comprehensive backup and disaster recovery for our AWS infrastructure. We leverage it as our centralized backup solution across multiple AWS accounts and regions, p...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

NetWorker
N2WS Backup & Recovery, N2WS Cloud Protection Manager, N2W Backup & Recovery for AWS Free Trial/BYOL
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Republic Bank, Westgate Resorts, Macquire Cloud Services, Shriners, Panatonni, Qatar Islamic Bank, Eurosport
Deloitte, NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Dyson, Deuthsche Bahn, Skechers, Allan Gray, Hewlett Packard, St. John's University, City of Oakland
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell NetWorker vs. N2W and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
885,376 professionals have used our research since 2012.