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Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup 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

Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Ba...
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
35th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Backup (30th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (19th)
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 Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup is 0.9%, up from 0.8% 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 (%)
Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup0.9%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other97.8%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

Asif Usmani - PeerSpot reviewer
Regional Sales Manager at S2
Lacks multi-platform support and physical infrastructure but excels in storage optimization
We use it for VM backup and Office 365 backup I find the solution to be user-friendly and easy to manage and deploy. It provides storage for Office 365, which is beneficial, and the deduplication technology is excellent, especially in optimizing storage capacity compared to others. In terms of…
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

"Altaro VM Backup is affordably priced, is a best value for its price, and has almost every feature that an expensive, popular product offers."
"Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup's most valuable features include its user-friendly interface and the ability to perform data compression updates, which enhance overall efficiency and effectiveness."
"I could create VM backups from live machines without any issues."
"Excellent compression and deduplication with off-site WAN backup included."
"The initial setup was simple and easy. Anyone without prior experience can install, configure, and use it."
"Great backup features for all my Hyper V machines."
"Valuable features for us include quick recovery, compression, and deduplication, and the mix of these features leads to a reduced backup footprint while having guaranteed fast recovery in case of DR."
"Since moving to Altaro, we feel that backing up and restoring files has become much more efficient in our organization."
"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"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."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."
"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."
 

Cons

"The application could include a feature to install a set size of data, such as the ability to store a single application with all its registry information for easy transfer."
"The solution needs multi-platform support as it is currently only available for VMware and Hyper-V. It also lacks support for physical servers and workstations."
"Migrating the physical through a backup and restore to a virtual environment would be very helpful."
"Altaro also supports booting directly from a backup drive (image), but this feature is hamstrung by the fact that it requires the backup image to be neither compressed or encrypted."
"Missing features at the moment are Linux file-level restore, backup from physical machines, German localized version, and probably full tape support (RDX is supported but there is no "real tape" support)."
"It would be nice to be able to recover the items to their original location."
"Storage usage: you have often to manually free disk spaces."
"It would be nice to see a feature that backs up the host so that, in case of a server failure, an entire server could be restored all at once."
"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."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
"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."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a free version for two VMs. I would advise to study the deployment environment well, prior to committing to order a license per host."
"Its yearly maintenance fee is fairly high for me to renew for upgrades and support."
"Altaro VM Backup is affordably priced. It is a best value for its price and has almost every feature that an expensive, popular product offers."
"No other product offers these features for this price. The ROI is great."
"VMware is a little pricey, but it is a good solution and priced similar to other products."
"​By implementing the solution at multiple locations, significant cost savings were achieved."
"Altaro had the best prices and ROI in the whole bunch that we evaluated."
"The price is great for the utility you get and the licensing has never caused any issues with my company."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
"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."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup?
The pricing and licensing cost is challenging since most competitors offer cheaper pricing, making it difficult to penetrate the market with the current pricing strategy.
What needs improvement with Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup?
The solution needs multi-platform support as it is currently only available for VMware and Hyper-V. It also lacks support for physical servers and workstations. Additionally, they should add more p...
Ask a question
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Also Known As

Altaro VM Backup
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Thomson Reuters, Microsoft, Amazon, Harvard University, MIT, Peugeot, Xerox
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,948 professionals have used our research since 2012.