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Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs Quantum DXi Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

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

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain
Ranking in Deduplication Software
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
Disk Based Backup Systems (1st)
Quantum DXi Series
Ranking in Deduplication Software
12th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Backup and Recovery (60th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Deduplication Software category, the mindshare of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is 21.4%, down from 28.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Quantum DXi Series is 4.8%, up from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Deduplication Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain21.4%
Quantum DXi Series4.8%
Other73.8%
Deduplication Software
 

Featured Reviews

Branko Cirovic - PeerSpot reviewer
Storage Engineer at Comtrade Group
Provides seamless backup integration and long-term reliability for enterprise data protection
The price is quite high; this product is not considered cheap. Additionally, if you use higher availability boxes, they also come at a premium price. However, they provide business continuity, which is the main reason why companies invest in this solution. Tape is slow; when restoring several virtual machines or databases amounting to several terabytes, Dell PowerProtect Data Domain represents the fastest and most reliable solution, ensuring great integration with backup software. If a customer has limited budget constraints, they may opt for cheaper external storage comprised of just a bunch of disks and utilize it for backup, as backup is not a business-critical service. However, I see great value in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain because it is fully automated, features great integration with backup software, and provides good value for money. I would rate software support as a ten, while I would give hardware support a seven. I never give any product a perfect score; I think Dell PowerProtect Data Domain deserves a nine. The only minor problems are the certificate issue and the price. These certificate issues are quite rare and mainly arise when we forget to restart and upgrade the box for several years.
reviewer2301564 - PeerSpot reviewer
Expert Backup at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
A virtual deduplication backup appliance that protects physical and virtual data across remote sites, the datacenter and cloud deployments
Given its ease of use and management, I believe there are no specific caveats that users need to be aware of during the setup of DXRIS for backups. The process was straightforward, and I did not encounter any challenges or issues. As for a rating on a scale of one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best, I would rate the Quantum DXI Series a nine. My deduction is primarily influenced by personal preferences, particularly regarding the user interface and it is a highly commendable system, I would rate it a solid nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"9900 has around 1.5 petabits of capacity in a single rack, and that's huge."
"Most functionality is valuable with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain."
"It makes working with backup solutions very easy."
"The solution has been awesome over the last ten years, offering stability and reliability, which I recommend for stable storage."
"It works within backup windows and has got good deduplication."
"Fantastic product that really is the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of backup/archive/bulk storage products, so usable and can save significant $ and can save many headaches with data management, the more you store on it the better De-duplication and greater ROI you get."
"The solution can scale up to one petabyte right now. It's very good for enterprise-level organizations."
"The solution has excellent technical support."
"I am impressed with the tool's technical alliance with Veeam and Veritas."
"While the challenges posed by the difficulties were significant, they prompted the replacement of problematic components, resulting in the resolution of issues. Importantly, there were no substantial ongoing concerns. Regarding the overall performance, it has been consistently excellent."
 

Cons

"In some of the entry level models (DD2200, 2500) you have to be aware of the scalability limitations and ensure you purchase a large enough controller if you foresee growth and scaling beyond its recommended operating parameters as typically the controllers cannot be upgraded in place or without data migration."
"The downside of PowerProtect's flexibility is that you have so many options. It can be a little confusing. It's like having a car with too many buttons on the dash. You can do so much with it, but it takes some time to learn what everything does."
"The Data Domain solution appliance is quite expensive."
"So I believe security measures are not strict enough in Data Domain."
"Data Domain lacks compatibility with fiber channels and tapes. We can't use it with a tape library. That's an issue in Latin America sometimes because a lot of clients still use tapes for budget reasons. Maybe they have a lot of archives. In North America and Europe, they do a lot of archiving, but they use the cloud more than we do. Sometimes we have to put together a Frankenstein where we connect another server to the tape library and send all the data there."
"Dell PowerProtect DD should come out with its own system so we do not have to use Data Domain. For example, something similar to what Symantec has done."
"The pricing model needs to be improved."
"I would like to see integration with public cloud."
"Perhaps the most notable area for enhancement lies in the web interface for management. The current limitations in LDAP editing capabilities are not addressed in the UI, and I haven't observed any recent updates. It's possible that the new version of the DXI service incorporates improvements in the GUI, but I cannot confirm. While there is room for improvement in the current GUI, it remains a relatively minor issue. Overall, the system is comprehensive, covering aspects such as reports on latency and networking, leaving little room for additional enhancements in those areas."
"The product needs to improve performance while scaling out. It also needs to improve stability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In Naira it was twenty-five or twenty-seven million (approximately $75,000 USD) for the implementation and maintenance cost for three years."
"The approximate license cost for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is around 5,00,000."
"The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD could improve, it is expensive."
"Dell PowerProtect DD's pricing is expensive, and there is no option for perpetual licensing."
"I can't remember what the license costs are. They might be paid monthly or every two months."
"The cheaper device costs around $70,000."
"It could be more competitively priced. Its licensing was for five years. Obviously, the support will get renewed at some stage, but that's it."
"The solution is expensive. However, if you pay less you receive less, it is cost-effective."
"I do not oversee this aspect, as pricing is contingent on factors such as volume, technical specifications, and the desired features. Consequently, I lack information on the pricing details and structure."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business37
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise41
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is mainly used for backup as a target for backup. Previously, I was working in Veeam, and nowadays, I am working with Commvault. For both backup software options, the ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
This is very good and it can be integrated with any third-party backup solution. I always recommend going with it if the customer is an enterprise customer or it is basically a big SMB. I always re...
What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
In my opinion, for the version I am using of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I am not sure if there is another version that will have the functionality I will discuss. I need them to add the air-gap...
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Also Known As

DataDomain, Dell EMC Data Domain, PowerProtect Data Domain
DXi Series, Quantum DX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The US Army, City of Houston, Lloyds TSB, TiVo, Teck, Ingram Entertainment, The New York Mets
Nihon Unisys, Nikoyo China
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs. Quantum DXi Series and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.