N2W vs Synology DSM comparison

N2WS and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. N2WS is ranked #8 with an average rating of 9.9, while Synology is ranked #22 with an average rating of 10.0. N2WS holds a 0.6% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of N2WS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

N2W

Read 20 N2W reviews

1,761 Views
933 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

2,683 Views
2,656 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

N2W

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

N2W and Synology DSM are competing products in the domain of data protection and management. Based on analysis, Synology DSM offers superior features and overall product quality, despite N2W's competitive pricing and support.

Features: N2W is recognized for its cloud-native backup solutions, efficient disaster recovery for AWS users, and policy-based automation for comprehensive protection. Synology DSM is known for its comprehensive suite of integrated applications, multi-platform support, and extensive third-party application integration, offering a robust file management system, virtualization, and data backup capabilities.

Room for Improvement: N2W could enhance cross-platform support, expand integration with third-party applications, and offer more extensive local environment features. Synology DSM may look to improve pricing flexibility, streamline cloud-native operations, and enhance AWS-specific optimizations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: N2W provides a straightforward deployment model optimized for AWS environments and accessible customer service suitable for cloud-centric organizations. Synology DSM offers a more flexible deployment model that supports both local and cloud environments, with robust technical support that ensures a seamless setup experience.

Pricing and ROI: N2W’s cost-effective pricing is attractive to organizations heavily utilizing AWS services, providing substantial ROI through focused cloud backup capabilities. Synology DSM requires a higher initial investment, reflective of its comprehensive on-premises capabilities, but justifies the cost through enhanced long-term organizational benefits and system-wide integration potential.

To learn more, read our detailed N2W vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

N2W vs. Synology DSM

December 2025

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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

8th

Average Rating

9.4

Reviews Sentiment

5.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Backup (6th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (7th)

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

22nd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of N2W is 0.6%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.4%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
N2W	0.6%
Synology DSM	1.4%
Other	98.0%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

reviewer2757345

Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Automation has transformed our backup process and validated our disaster recovery strategy

While the product is excellent, there are a couple of areas for potential improvement. The process for version upgrades, which sometimes requires deploying a new instance, could be streamlined to allow for a more seamless in-place update. It would be extremely useful to have the ability to set a retention period on manual backups. Occasionally, we take a manual snapshot before a major deployment, and currently, these can be forgotten, leading to unnecessary storage costs. 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. The EKS backup module should be a great feature, and it would have been a useful functionality to have for cluster backup management.

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Michael Adejoh

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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The initial setup is easy."

"We had a ransomware event in 2023, and we were able to recover every machine with minimal effort."

"Having multiple policies and schedules handled for me takes the burden out of managing backups across multiple departments."

"N2WS is a powerful solution with a rich set of features designed to address even the most complex backup and disaster recovery requirements."

"N2W has significantly improved our operational efficiency and our confidence in our business continuity plan."

"The ability to recover instances or volumes within minutes has improved our RTOs dramatically."

"A recovery process that had previously taken a team of engineers the better part of a day was successfully completed in under an hour."

"Provides easy, one-click functionality and flexible backup policies and schedules for AWS workloads."

More N2W pros

"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."

"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."

"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."

"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"The GUI could be slightly improved."

"I believe onboarding could be easier. While the platform supports multi-account architectures, the initial process for new customer accounts could be more automated."

"One area where we would appreciate improvement is support for additional AWS native services, such as Lambda function backups and S3 beyond archive."

"The EKS environment solution could be improved."

"The solution has the option to take backup on-prem servers, but it's not very efficient."

"It could be improved to include disaster recovery in cross accounts for Azure in upcoming releases."

"S3 backups, which I know is already in the feature pipeline, would be a useful improvement."

"It could be improved to include disaster recovery in cross accounts for Azure in upcoming releases."

More N2W cons

"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."

"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."

"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."

"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."

"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."

"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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's very economical and worth the cost."

"The purchasing process through the AWS Marketplace is easy. Just click the button."

"The price is not cheap, nor is it costly."

"It has very good pricing per instance and comes with three options, for both small and large environments, to fit your needs."

"The price of the solution is very good."

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."

"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 cheap solution."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

University

Government

Outsourcing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	9

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for N2WS Backup & Recovery?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is smooth, as I have not faced any issues while spinning up the instance from the marketplace, and the documentation is very comprehensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with N2WS Backup & Recovery?

The EKS environment solution could be improved.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for N2WS Backup & Recovery?

Backup and snapshots. Before implementing a dedicated cloud-native solution, our primary pain point was the fragmented and manual nature of our data protection strategy. We were relying on a patchw...

See all answers

What do you like most about Synology DSM?

The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Synology DSM?

The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Synology DSM?

Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 17% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs N2W

Compared 10% of the time

Azure Backup vs N2W

Compared 9% of the time

Clumio vs N2W

Compared 8% of the time

Druva Phoenix vs N2W

Compared 6% of the time

More N2W Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 7% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

GoodSync For Business vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs Synology DSM

Compared 4% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

N2W

January 2026

Download N2W product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

January 2026

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

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

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Interactive Demo

N2WS

Demo not available

Synology

Overview

N2W offers a cloud-native backup and recovery platform tailored for AWS and Azure environments, delivering secure and rapid data protection.

N2W enables IT teams to effortlessly manage backup and restore processes within AWS and Azure environments. By leveraging policy-based management, users gain full control over rapid, secure recovery across regions and accounts. Designed to scale with workloads of any size, N2W ensures business continuity through features like immutable ransomware-protected backups and smart data lifecycle management. Hosted directly in the cloud account, it simplifies the protection and recovery of mission-critical applications.

What are N2W's key features?

Immutable Backups: Protects against ransomware with unchangeable data versions
Fast Recovery: Ensures rapid data restoration within seconds
Policy-Based Management: Automates backup processes for efficiency
Cost Savings: Optimizes storage with smart data lifecycle management
Granular Reporting: Offers detailed compliance-ready audit trails
Seamless Archival: Supports low-cost storage integration including Wasabi

What benefits should users consider?

Ease of Use: Simple management for quick data recovery
Automation: Reduces manual intervention with automated policies
Cost Optimization: Manages storage efficiently to save costs
Business Continuity: Ensures resilience with flexible scheduling

Organizations across sectors use N2W for automated backup and disaster recovery of AWS resources like EC2 instances and RDS databases. It's employed to manage schedules, streamline backups in production settings, and rely on S3 for storage, providing a robust data protection approach.

N2WS

Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) is a comprehensive software platform designed for Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. It serves as the operating system for these devices, providing a wide range of features and functionalities.

The primary use case of Synology DSM is to centralize and manage data storage for organizations. It allows businesses to store, access, and share files securely across multiple devices and platforms. With its intuitive user interface, DSM simplifies the management of data, making it easy to create shared folders, set access permissions, and monitor storage usage.

One of the most valuable functionalities of Synology DSM is its robust data protection capabilities. It offers various RAID configurations, including SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which ensures data redundancy and safeguards against drive failures. DSM also supports advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions, such as Snapshot Replication and Hyper Backup, enabling organizations to protect their critical data effectively.

Furthermore, Synology DSM provides a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools. It offers applications like Synology Drive, which allows seamless file synchronization across devices, and Synology Office, a web-based suite for document editing and collaboration. DSM also supports various third-party applications, including popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, enabling organizations to integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.

Synology

Sample Customers

Deloitte, NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Dyson, Deuthsche Bahn, Skechers, Allan Gray, Hewlett Packard, St. John's University, City of Oakland

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

N2W vs. Synology DSM

December 2025

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