NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs Synology DSM comparison

Nakivo and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Nakivo is ranked #6 with an average rating of 9.4, while Synology is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.0. Nakivo holds a 1.6% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 99% of Nakivo users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Read 89 NAKIVO Backup & Replication reviews

4,048 Views
2,010 Comparison Views

99% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

2,188 Views
1,657 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

NAKIVO Backup & Replication and Synology DSM are powerful solutions for data protection and management. While users are generally happier with the pricing and support of NAKIVO Backup & Replication, Synology DSM comes out ahead due to its extensive features, making it worth the investment.

Features: NAKIVO Backup & Replication offers robust backup and replication capabilities, including incremental backups and advanced recovery options. Synology DSM provides more comprehensive features, such as file-sharing services, virtualization support, and extensive third-party app integration. DSM's wider range of functionalities gives it an advantage.

Room for Improvement: Users of NAKIVO Backup & Replication suggest enhancements in scalability and interface customization. Synology DSM users point out the need for better documentation and more advanced security features. Both products have areas for development, but Synology DSM's user feedback emphasizes the need for improved security, which is critical for many buyers.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Deployment for NAKIVO Backup & Replication is straightforward, with users appreciating the responsive customer support. Synology DSM's deployment is equally smooth, but customer service experiences are mixed. Though both products are easy to deploy, NAKIVO stands out slightly due to stronger customer service feedback.

Pricing and ROI: NAKIVO Backup & Replication is praised for its cost-effectiveness and delivers a satisfying ROI. Synology DSM may have higher initial setup costs, but users feel the extensive features justify the price. The ROI for both is positive, yet NAKIVO is often favored for better cost efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs. Synology DSM

July 2025

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Helped 860,632 peers since 2012

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

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

6th

Average Rating

9.4

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (6th)

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

17th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of NAKIVO Backup & Replication is 1.6%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.9%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

Mattia Sangiorgio

Sole Director at Abila S.r.l.

Enhances data protection strategies and ensures the reliability of backups with helpful support

The features we have found most valuable in NAKIVO Backup & Replication include its cost-effectiveness, seamless integrations, comprehensive functionalities, and ease of installation and management. The pricing model is very competitive, providing excellent value for the robust features offered. Its seamless integration with our VMware infrastructure ensures smooth operation without any compatibility issues. The wide range of functionalities, including incremental and full backups, storage optimization, and disaster recovery options, meets all our backup needs comprehensively. Moreover, the simplicity of installation and the intuitive user interface have made it easy for our team to quickly set up and manage the backups without requiring extensive training.

Read full review

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

"Backups are very easy to implement and schedule, the product is very useful, and the recovery procedure is very extensive and feature-rich."

"NAKIVO is easy to use and pretty easy to set up."

"It is easy to manage all of the individual backup jobs, check the status every day, and it can even send an email to keep us informed."

"The ability to use a variety of cloud providers rather than being tied into one is a huge bonus."

"It can be quickly configured via web pages."

"It has saved us numerous times from power outages and server failure."

"The easy management and a good overview are the most important aspects."

"This solution was surprisingly easy to configure."

More NAKIVO Backup & Replication pros

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

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

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

"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 feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."

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

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"We'd like to see a legacy environment backup, like AIX, etc."

"Implementing more comprehensive data deduplication and compression techniques could optimize storage utilization and reduce backup times, improving overall efficiency."

"An additional feature that would be appreciated is disaster recovery automation."

"We would like to back up File Shares to Amazon S3/Wasabi."

"I would like to have a built-in SNMP client, which is important if we want to monitor it using Zabbix, Nagios, or another monitoring solution."

"Nakivo's implementation documentation could use a little beefing up."

"They need to add a failover feature to the Essential Pro license in case the environment is a simple virtual environment and the client does not need to upgrade."

"While the solution provides mostly what we need, it would be ideal if there were some additional feature capabilities for the API."

More NAKIVO Backup & Replication cons

"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."

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

"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."

"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."

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

"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This product is cheaper than other big rivals."

"Cost is very appropriate for SMEs."

"The price is not a problem in NAKIVO, as it is the most competitive in the market."

"It has a much higher bang for the buck than other products we evaluated."

"Talk to the sales department about all of the possibilities, as they will help you to find the best solution for your setup."

"The licensing model is very affordable compared to competitors, with a good quality-to-cost ratio, and the software is quite simple and fast to setup."

"We use a perpetual license that is priced well."

"From the perspective of Indian users, the cost is a little bit high."

More NAKIVO Backup & Replication pricing and cost advice

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

"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."

"The price of the solution is very good."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Nakivo compare with Veeam Backup & Replication?

Nakivo is my favorite backup software. Below are the main benefits of Nakivo compared to Veeam 1. Low cost. 2. Backup storage with global deduplication (this is the main requirement of a backup sol...

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What do you like most about Nakivo?

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is very easy to use.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nakivo?

The product is affordable even for smaller organizations.

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 38% of the time

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Acronis Cyber Protect vs NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Compared 12% of the time

HPE Zerto Software vs NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Compared 7% of the time

Veritas NetBackup vs NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Compared 2% of the time

More NAKIVO Backup & Replication Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 15% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 9% of the time

NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM

Compared 8% of the time

GoodSync vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

June 2025

Download NAKIVO Backup & Replication product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

June 2025

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

No data available

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Overview

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is an all-inclusive data protection solution designed to ensure the availability, safety, and integrity of critical data across various environments, including VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, AWS EC2, physical servers, and workstations. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of features tailored to meet the needs of IT professionals and business executives alike, ensuring robust data protection strategies that are both efficient and cost-effective.

Comprehensive Data Protection

NAKIVO Backup & Replication provides a wide array of features, including backup, replication, recovery, and failover for virtual, physical, and cloud environments. This ensures that businesses can protect their data across multiple platforms, reducing the risk of data loss and ensuring continuity in the face of various threats.

Enhanced Efficiency with Deduplication and Compression

The solution employs advanced deduplication and compression technologies to minimize storage requirements and optimize backup speeds. This not only reduces the storage footprint and costs but also accelerates backup and recovery processes, ensuring that businesses can quickly bounce back from data loss incidents.

Flexible Deployment Options

NAKIVO Backup & Replication offers a variety of deployment options, including installation on Windows or Linux servers, deployment as a pre-configured virtual appliance, or running directly on NAS devices. This flexibility ensures that organizations can choose the deployment method that best suits their infrastructure and operational preferences.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication stands out as a versatile and reliable data protection solution, offering a comprehensive set of features designed to meet the complex demands of modern IT environments. By combining robust performance, ease of use, and cost-efficiency, it provides businesses of all sizes with the tools they need to protect their critical data assets, ensuring business continuity and compliance with data protection regulations.

Nakivo

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

Coca Cola, Honda, 3M, University of Arizona, University of Maryland, University of Arkansas, Johns Hopkins University, Marriott, Radisson Hotels and Resorts, Fujifilm, Eiffage

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs. Synology DSM

July 2025

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