Arcserve UDP vs Synology DSM comparison

Arcserve and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Arcserve is ranked #28 with an average rating of 8.0, while Synology is ranked #51. Arcserve holds a 1.2% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Arcserve users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

Arcserve UDP

Read 44 Arcserve UDP reviews

4,531 Views
3,761 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

3,747 Views
3,672 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Arcserve UDP

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Arcserve UDP and Synology DSM are both robust data management solutions competing in data protection and management. Synology DSM seems to have the upper hand due to its extensive features and superior customer service.

Features: Arcserve UDP's valuable features include efficient backup, recovery options, and comprehensive support. Synology DSM offers scalable storage, versatile application integration, and an additional feature set that gives it an edge in functionality.

Room for Improvement: Arcserve UDP users suggest enhancements in reporting tools, integration capabilities, and overall usability. Synology DSM users would like to see improvements in system updates, documentation, and user interface. Both products have specific areas needing development.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Arcserve UDP has a straightforward deployment model, but its customer service receives mixed reviews. Synology DSM is noted for its relatively smooth setup process and superior customer service responsiveness, giving it an advantage in overall user satisfaction.

Pricing and ROI: Arcserve UDP is considered cost-effective with a good ROI. Synology DSM is more expensive but offers better long-term value due to its extensive features and high ROI. The main difference lies in cost versus value balance, with Synology DSM offering higher perceived value.

To learn more, read our detailed Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM

April 2026

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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

Arcserve UDP

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

28th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (18th)

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

51st

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Arcserve UDP is 1.2%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.4%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Arcserve UDP	1.2%
Synology DSM	1.4%
Other	97.4%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

Sergio Itikawa

Software Solutions Architect at SPEData

Has supported hybrid IT environments effectively and offers strong data protection

With Arcserve UDP, the most valuable feature is to improve persistent data, which I consider important. I use other products too, not only Arcserve UDP, as we use TrueNAS as well. Arcserve UDP improves the precision of data. I have utilized Arcserve UDP's data deduplication feature, and the data deduplication feature helps my storage efficiency significantly. I have used Arcserve UDP's continuous data protection. It is beneficial for operational continuity because we use it constantly and have no objections to Arcserve UDP technology; I think it is very good. Arcserve UDP's integration with multiple operating systems is very good and very efficient. This brings value for me since many of my clients have different operating systems like Windows and Linux; there is no problem. Regarding the deduplication and compression with Arcserve UDP, I think Arcserve UDP is still a solid solution that we primarily use.

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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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Global deduplication is the best feature of this solution."

"I like the solution; it's working well for us."

"The ease of use is the best feature of the product."

"Arcserve UDP's integration with multiple operating systems is very good and very efficient, which brings value for me since many of my clients have different operating systems like Windows and Linux; there is no problem."

"Data store deduplication, which saves space on storage and time to backup."

"I proposed and set up DR and HA solutions for customers who are high profile and in need of business critical functionalities."

"The most valuable feature of Arcserve UDP is live replication."

"We are satisfied with Arcserve UDP."

More Arcserve UDP pros

"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."

"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."

"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."

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

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"They could work on their marketing approach. I don't see many people leveraging it."

"We cannot restore each user's mailbox. Each user's mailbox should be independently restorable. Also, this solution is very slow. If you select all of the servers, it runs for a long time... It needs to be faster. Finally, If anything happens to one server we should be able to switch to another server."

"The only problem with the solution is that when I change the drive capacity, it has to do a full backup."

"The reason for this is that the support network for Arcserve appliances is not available in most of the countries outside USA or EU to replace broken units in less than 15 days."

"We could not go into granular details of retrieving backup information."

"We have to use a Microsoft hypervisor for installation which is expensive."

"Based on my experience, whenever we need support, there are difficulties with communication when trying to resolve the issue."

"The solution can use a lot of bandwidth when the scheduling is not done, it should auto-schedule itself. For example, if there are 50 users connected in the network at 12 o'clock and the backup is not scheduled. At this time the network offices are going to have performance issues when it is doing a backup. Having a feature to auto-schedule a time when the network is not being used often would be beneficial."

More Arcserve UDP cons

"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."

"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."

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

"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."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost is for one year. There are not any hidden costs involved in the pricing model of the solution."

"It is approximately $400 to purchase a virtual service outright."

"The price of StorageCraft ShadowProtect is competitive in the market."

"The solution is expensive."

"The retail fee is $1300 for a year for one server. Other than that, there is just the cost of your hardware."

"There are annual subscription fees and there are licensing costs for three computers. It is an expensive solution."

"I rate the product price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"There is an annual license required for this solution and it is priced well."

More Arcserve UDP pricing and cost advice

"It is quite an affordable solution."

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

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

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Marketing Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	25
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	9

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

Questions from the Community

Major Differences Between These 4 Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions?

Comparing the features of the four is not the right approach. You need to develop a list of requirements for backup and DR that are specific to your organization and then compare each of the four ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for StorageCraft ShadowProtect?

Regarding the setup cost for Arcserve UDP, it is significantly important, but the price is similar to all our options where clients need to have backup on-premises and replication in the cloud.

See all answers

What needs improvement with StorageCraft ShadowProtect?

One area for improvement in Arcserve UDP is its capability to interact with other cloud servers. We faced challenges in capturing the data from these servers and had to subscribe to another applica...

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Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs Arcserve UDP

Compared 9% of the time

Acronis Cyber Protect vs Arcserve UDP

Compared 5% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Arcserve UDP

Compared 4% of the time

Veritas Backup Exec vs Arcserve UDP

Compared 3% of the time

Rubrik vs Arcserve UDP

Compared 3% of the time

More Arcserve UDP Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 4% of the time

SyncBack Pro vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

GoodSync For Business vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Arcserve UDP

May 2026

Download Arcserve UDP product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

April 2026

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

StorageCraft ShadowProtect, StorageCraft Backup Analyzer

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Overview

Arcserve UDP provides comprehensive data protection with features like global deduplication, instant recovery, and virtual standby, supporting efficient backup and recovery across various environments.

Arcserve UDP is designed for seamless data protection and recovery, integrating efficiently across multiple platforms and environments. Its features like global deduplication and cloud integration enhance data protection strategies. The user-friendly interface allows for easy configuration, ensuring quick recovery and enhancing business continuity. While facing challenges in speed and outdated infrastructure compatibility, enhancements in disaster recovery, security, and licensing can improve user experience. Arcserve UDP supports a wide range of backup scenarios including server, file, and VM protection for on-premises and hybrid environments, ensuring reliable backup and recovery solutions.

What are the key features of Arcserve UDP?

Global Deduplication: Reduces storage requirements by eliminating duplicate data.
Instant Recovery: Provides immediate data access post-outage.
Virtual Standby: Enables rapid failover to minimize downtime.
Cross-Platform Support: Supports multiple OS for flexible deployment.
Cloud Integration: Seamlessly integrates with cloud services for expanded storage.
Compression & Replication: Enhances storage capabilities and data redundancy.

What benefits can users expect from Arcserve UDP?

Ease of Configuration: Simplifies setup and management, saving time.
Business Continuity: Ensures operational uptime through rapid recovery.
Cost Efficiency: Streamlines backup processes to reduce costs.
Data Protection: Offers robust features for comprehensive data safeguarding.
Virtualization Support: Optimizes backup strategies for virtual environments.
Flexibility: Adapts to diverse IT infrastructures and backup scenarios.

Arcserve UDP is widely implemented in industries like finance, manufacturing, and education for its ability to handle diverse backup scenarios without user intervention. Organizations rely on it for server, file, and VM backups, ensuring disaster recovery and continuous availability. Its decompression feature and support for virtualization and SQL database high availability meet the needs of demanding sectors, providing reliable data protection and cost-effective solutions.

Arcserve

Synology DSM offers a comprehensive disk management and virtualization backup solution, known for its seamless connectivity across Mac, Windows, and Linux systems, enabling both novice and expert users to efficiently organize and secure their digital data.

Synology DSM integrates intuitive features like the Btrfs file system, built-in backups, and Active Backup for Business, streamlining application installations such as Plex Media Server and Docker. It provides robust security and versatility, supporting VPNs, web servers, and virtualization. Synology DSM is utilized for data backup in virtual machines, local user management, file-sharing networks, and remote file accessibility. It assists organizations in centralized data replication and protection, managing multiple terabytes across locations while serving as a firewall and file management system.

What features does Synology DSM offer?

Disk Management: Efficiently manages storage across multiple platforms.
Seamless Connectivity: Supports Mac, Windows, and Linux for a unified experience.
Btrfs File System: Offers advanced data protection and recovery options.
Active Backup for Business: Provides comprehensive backup solutions for critical data.
Versatility: Supports VPN, web servers, and virtualization for expanded utility.

What benefits should users consider?

Security: Maintains data integrity and protection across networks.
Stability: Ensures consistent operation for essential applications.
Ease of Use: Facilitates straightforward installation and management of applications.
Scalability: Handles large-scale data replication and protection efficiently.

In industries like IT and media, Synology DSM is an effective tool for centralized data management and security. Businesses rely on its extensive backup capabilities to manage and protect large datasets, enabling effective collaboration and remote access solutions across locations. Users incorporate its add-ons to enhance network deployment and connectivity, optimizing data flow and operational efficiency.

Synology

Sample Customers

ITPS, North Hertfordshire Homes, SEMIKRON, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Test Valley Borough Council, EK Services

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM

April 2026

Free Report: Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM

Find out what your peers are saying about Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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