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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
19th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (11th)
Synology DSM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
16th
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 August 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Arcserve UDP is 1.2%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.9%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

TeresitaSabile - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost savings and efficient decompression but needs better cloud integration
Our primary use case for Arcserve UDP is its decompression feature, which helped us save money by reducing storage needs. Despite moving to cloud applications, we have been using Arcserve UDP for backup and disaster recovery Arcserve UDP has helped our organization save considerable amounts of…
Michael Adejoh - PeerSpot reviewer
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

"It allows us to back up all the servers and centrally manage them."
"It is a very stable solution...It is a scalable solution."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of Arcserve UDP is live replication."
"Arcserve UDP has a good configuration and user interface. It makes the job of an administrator easy."
"The most valuable feature of StorageCraft ShadowProtect is the speed and the compression of the backups. The compressed backed-up files do not take up as much storage. Additionally, the incremental backups can be done in one minute and be backed up on a disc very fast."
"The most valuable feature of Arcserve UDP is the initiative UI and the logs are clear and detailed that are generated when there has been an issue or failure on the user's system. We only have to log onto the client's system to retrieve the information. It is possible to precisely identify the problem's location. The system categorizes and logs every step in a structured manner, selectively displaying only the essential logs. However, to view a comprehensive log, one must access the line machine log and examine the actual client for detailed logging."
"Global deduplication is the best feature of this solution."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
"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 features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."
"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."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."
 

Cons

"It should be easier to switch between backup locations. We have multiple data storage locations and sometimes one of those storages need to be replaced. It would be nice if they made it easier to reconfigure the backup configuration."
"I think that the price could still be a bit cheaper and I do not like that they have been purchased by Arcserve."
"StorageCraft ShadowProtect can improve by making one console that can control backups of all desktops and servers in one place. Additionally, the recovery process of the backups is very slow and could improve. It's very slow when we went to recover a complete disc but to recover one file is very fast."
"Based on my experience, whenever we need support, there are difficulties with communication when trying to resolve the issue."
"Licensing is an area that needs improvement."
"The only problem with the solution is that when I change the drive capacity, it has to do a full backup. It's a problem when I have five servers to backup. When I only want to change the size of the drive, I have to do a full backup that can take one week."
"Licensing can be quite difficult."
"Arcserve UDP is in the middle range of complexity. The interface can be developed a little bit more to be user-friendly."
"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."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
"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."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I feel that the product is fairly priced."
"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."
"The solution is priced well compared to other solutions."
"The price of StorageCraft ShadowProtect is competitive in the market."
"As an MSP partner, I believe that the prices are fair."
"The pricing is moderate."
"In comparison to other vendors, it is a low-cost solution."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
"It is quite an affordable 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."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Non Profit
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
Pricing for SPX MRP/MSP is under $400 per server (Single VM) with a 1-year subscription. After discounts, it could decrease by 20%-30%, and opting for a 3/5/10 server pack may offer even better (lo...
What do you like most about Synology DSM?
The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Synology DSM?
The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive.
What needs improvement with Synology DSM?
Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly.
 

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
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Arcserve UDP vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.