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Synology DSM vs Unitrends 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

Synology DSM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
53rd
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Unitrends
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
28th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.3%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Unitrends is 0.7%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Unitrends0.7%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other98.0%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Derek Schneider - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager, Information Technology at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
Daily recovery tests have validated restore readiness and ensured consistent data protection
The best features of Unitrends include the daily reporting functionality. When backups fail, it is obvious in the logs what caused the issue. Most times it is a credential problem, which is relatively easy to resolve. Though I have experienced a few more challenging issues, nothing has affected critical backup restore functionality. Every time I have needed to restore something, it has worked successfully. The support team is readily available when I need assistance, and they help walk me through issues, solving them within a reasonable timeframe. The automated backup scheduling feature has helped our organization in managing backup timelines and consistency by handling all the work automatically. We set the schedule, breaking things into smaller chunks since our main common area for files is large. I have staggered the backups so some areas receive more attention than others, particularly for less active data. Adding, removing, excluding, and inputting elements is straightforward. The system makes it simple to schedule portions and generate reports on their functionality. The impact of Unitrends' instant recovery features on strengthening data security measures is significant. I generally use instant recovery when restoring specific files or instances where we need data that has changed. The process involves loading the backup, selecting the desired version, waiting for it to unpack, and retrieving the file. Every restore attempt has been successful. I run instant recovery daily in test mode on two virtual machines. I use it to test my domain controller and file server to ensure they communicate properly in the test environment. This ensures that in case of failure, I can activate the recovery and restore server functionality.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."
"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."
"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."
"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 most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"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."
"This product has given us the ability to remote manage, monitor and report multiple client sites and we have relied on this appliance several times to recover our clients from crypto viruses that have locked their files for ransom."
"I am impressed with the tool's reporting and UniView features."
"Stability-wise, I rate this solution a nine out of ten."
"The predictive analytics are great and the reporting is awesome."
"I really like the reporting options you get for various email reports."
"The ability to backup both physical and virtual machines, along with having an appliance store the backups locally instead of on a file server, NAS, or SAN."
"What I found most valuable in Unitrends is its simple user interface. It also works reliably."
"Being an appliance-based solution, we were able to migrate backup solutions without having to purchase a lot of hardware separately."
 

Cons

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"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."
"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
"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."
"I would like to see more storage options for the free version."
"Unitrends can be challenging to scale."
"The solution’s UI can be improved. I am saying this because I have seen solutions with better UIs."
"Stabilizing SQL database backups: They are way too sensitive and I am having to constantly fix SQL level backups."
"I would like to see the real-time replication process improved, and a zero RPO feature added."
"There's a lot that can be made better. For example, it could be more scalable."
"The solution’s support and onboarding process needs to be improved."
"The amount of updates which are being released. Updates should be limited to two or three a year, focusing more on quality instead of a rushed bug release."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"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 solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
"When we renew the Unitrends maintenance contract and update it to the latest version, the cost would be $5,000 per year. There are no hidden costs. They've been transparent with the costs."
"When you purchase initially, get into the program which gives replacement hardware for free when you renew your support agreement."
"I would rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten. The licensing is yearly and it depends on the customers."
"Unitrends is an expensive solution."
"No comment."
"You should be aware how much the monthly costs are to use, what the initial costs for hardware are, and what the options to expand are, if needed."
"We found that the cost of Unitrends was about the same as the Dell DR6300. We liked the fact that the Unitrends appliance was all-in-one."
"Their licensing depended on the number of CPUs you had."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Construction Company
13%
Retailer
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What needs improvement with Unitrends?
I would evaluate the impact of Unitrends' ransomware detection for strengthening our data security measures as somewhat misleading. The ransomware detection from the appliance incorrectly identifie...
What is your primary use case for Unitrends?
Our main use case for Unitrends is taking our on-premise virtual machines or bulk data store and backing it up on a daily basis, or more frequently depending on requirements, and testing the virtua...
What advice do you have for others considering Unitrends?
Regarding Unitrends' integration with leading cloud services, I utilize Spanning, which handles Microsoft 365 environment backup for a location without direct file server access. Their SharePoint d...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
NHL Players Association, Salvation Army, Sligro Food Group, Mason General Hospital, Tec Group, Saldab IT, Baker Tilly, Clinton Savings Bank, Ennit Magna Bank, Manukau Institute of Technology
Find out what your peers are saying about Synology DSM vs. Unitrends and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
906,852 professionals have used our research since 2012.