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Arcserve UDP vs Synology DSM 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

Arcserve UDP
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
26th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (18th)
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
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Arcserve UDP is 1.2%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.4%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Arcserve UDP1.2%
Synology DSM1.4%
Other97.4%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

Sergio Itikawa - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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

"I would recommend it if there is a general case."
"The product provides instant and virtual standbys."
"The most valuable feature is the duplication."
"Arcserve UDP has a good configuration and user interface. It makes the job of an administrator easy."
"The most valuable feature of Arcserve UDP is live replication."
"The most valuable feature of Arcserve UDP is its decompression capability."
"The most valuable features of this solution are that I can by just one click, copy and paste anything that I would want. I do not have to restore the whole virtual machine."
"Easy restoration and the solution works quickly."
"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 product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"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."
 

Cons

"Licensing can be quite difficult."
"One area for improvement in Arcserve UDP is its capability to interact with other cloud servers."
"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."
"Every time I change the disc, I have to do a full backup."
"Based on my experience, whenever we need support, there are difficulties with communication when trying to resolve the issue."
"The time to backup servers that sit in DMZ must be improved."
"Licensing is an area that needs improvement."
"The problem is just reliability. If the promises in the marketing material were realized in real life, it would be the perfect solution, but it's just the reliability issues."
"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."
"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 only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is very expensive."
"Its price seems reasonable. Its price is average as compared to the other products I've looked at. We have a three-year license right now. There are no other costs beyond the standard licensing fee."
"The price is based on the number of sockets. We use a four-socket price that includes two servers and the cost is $4,375."
"I feel that the product is fairly priced."
"There are annual subscription fees and there are licensing costs for three computers. It is an expensive solution."
"The price of this product is high and it should be lower."
"The solution is not very expensive, but it is not cheap."
"It is approximately $400 to purchase a virtual service outright."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"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."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Marketing Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

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 ...
What do you like most about StorageCraft ShadowProtect?
The interface is very refined, works fine, and is very intuitive most of the time. Scalability is nice. The multi-tenancy feature is very welcome. The integration with Linux works fine too.
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.
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

StorageCraft ShadowProtect, StorageCraft Backup Analyzer
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ITPS, North Hertfordshire Homes, SEMIKRON, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Test Valley Borough Council, EK Services
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Find out what your peers are saying about Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.