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N2W vs Synology DSM comparison

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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:
 

Categories and Ranking

N2W
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
6th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.1
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Backup (5th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (4th)
Synology DSM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
50th
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 September 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of N2W is 1.0%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.3%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
N2W1.0%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other97.7%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

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.
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

"Having multiple policies and schedules handled for me takes the burden out of managing backups across multiple departments."
"Overall, N2WS has transformed our backup operations from a manual, error-prone process into a reliable, automated system that scales with our growing AWS infrastructure."
"This is one of the most stable products that I have ever seen."
"N2WS is a perfect backup solution for AWS EC2 instances and VPC backups, and it has made our backup process and monitoring simple and effective."
"N2WS Backup & Recovery is very easy to use and configure backup for AWS instances."
"A recovery process that had previously taken a team of engineers the better part of a day was successfully completed in under an hour."
"N2WS is a mature and reliable solution that delivers strong value for AWS backup and disaster recovery."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."
"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."
 

Cons

"The GUI could be slightly improved."
"They could expand their offering to include Lambda function backups and other native AWS services, as these can be recreated through CloudFormation or Terraform."
"S3 storage backup for S3 backed services such as AWS Transfer Family."
"The user interface feels somewhat dated and could benefit from modernization."
"More documentation would be helpful, especially some step-by-step documents for recovery scenarios."
"Deployment is one area that could use improvement."
"The solution could benefit from a friendlier UI."
"The only challenges we have because we are enterprise level and have so many accounts is that the rollout of the new JSON scripts that come out when you upgrade sometimes can be a little tedious."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"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."
"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."
"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is not cheap, nor is it costly."
"The pricing and licensing on AWS is fine, because you can do it for smaller tiers depending on your number of instances, so it's not that scary."
"The purchasing process through the AWS Marketplace is easy. Just click the button."
"AWS adds more features and offer things for free, or cheaply. Therefore, we will be evaluating AWS Data Lifecycle Manager, because it will probably do backups. Thus, make sure the product that you are using is competitive or adds more value than AWS."
"It has very good pricing per instance and comes with three options, for both small and large environments, to fit your needs."
"It's very economical and worth the cost."
"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."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
15%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for N2WS Backup & Recovery?
The pricing for N2W is a fixed cost based on the edition you want to use. All I would suggest is keeping an eye on billing in AWS, as N2W leverages AWS services such as the N2W instance hosting and...
What needs improvement with N2WS Backup & Recovery?
There is room for improvement in the S3 storage backup for S3-backed services such as AWS Transfer Family.
What is your primary use case for N2WS Backup & Recovery?
We used N2W primarily as part of our wider disaster recovery (DR) strategy in the business as a way to protect assets in AWS and to automatically schedule utilization of resources.
Ask a question
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Comparisons

 

Also Known As

N2WS Backup & Recovery, N2WS Cloud Protection Manager, N2W Backup & Recovery for AWS Free Trial/BYOL
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Deloitte, NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Dyson, Deuthsche Bahn, Skechers, Allan Gray, Hewlett Packard, St. John's University, City of Oakland
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about N2W vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
914,889 professionals have used our research since 2012.