Arcserve UDP vs Synology DSM comparison

Arcserve and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Arcserve is ranked #32 with an average rating of 7.3, while Synology is ranked #52. 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

3,318 Views
2,787 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

3,050 Views
3,020 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: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM

March 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

32nd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (22nd)

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

52nd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 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 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

"This is a good solution because it offers multiple hybrid options."

"With UDP, I built a low-cost DR site that replicates from the backup."

"The recovery part of the product is very good."

"Arcserve has a feature called virtual standby (VSB), which has been very helpful because I already have a hot standby copy of my critical infrastructure. If something breaks, I can spin up that virtual standby copy in less than five minutes and ensure that my data is available to everyone and that business continuity is maintained."

"It is easy to use and is an all-around solution for the backup of the Windows/Linux/Hyper-V/VMware environments."

"The most valuable feature is the duplication."

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

"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."

More Arcserve UDP pros

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

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

"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."

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

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

"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

"Every time I change the disc, I have to do a full backup."

"For the next release, I'd like to see SIFS (NetApp or EMC) support from the UDP console."

"In the most recent version of premium plus the replication has been removed, and it should re-added to the solution."

"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."

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

"I think that the price could still be a bit cheaper and I do not like that they have been purchased by Arcserve."

"Every time I change the disc, I have to do a full backup."

"This solution is very slow; if you select all of the servers, it runs for a long time, and even a full night is not enough to perform a backup."

More Arcserve UDP cons

"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."

"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."

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

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

"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."

"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."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a four or five out of ten."

"Normally our customers purchase the premium plus license, rather than the standard one, which provides more options."

"As an MSP partner, I believe that the prices are fair."

"The pricing of the product can be considered to be reasonable enough for the Asian region."

"The solution is priced well compared to other solutions."

"The solution is not very expensive, but it is not cheap."

"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."

More Arcserve UDP pricing and cost advice

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"The price of the solution is very good."

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

"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."

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Marketing Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	10
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 ...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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

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Comparisons

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Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

Rubrik vs Arcserve UDP

Compared 3% of the time

Veritas Backup Exec vs Arcserve UDP

Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

GoodSync For Business vs Synology DSM

Compared 4% of the time

NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM

Compared 4% 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

March 2026

Download Arcserve UDP product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

February 2026

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

StorageCraft ShadowProtect, StorageCraft Backup Analyzer

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Overview

Arcserve UDP is a comprehensive solution that empowers even a one-person IT department to protect virtual and physical environments with a high degree of simplicity. It allows you to design and manage your entire data protection strategy with a unified management console, and enables you to scale your data backup coverage as your organization grows with the push of a button.

Arcserve

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

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

March 2026

Free Report: Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM

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