Dell Avamar vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager comparison

Dell Avamar and Dell PowerProtect Data Manager are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Dell Avamar is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.1, while Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.6. Dell Avamar holds a 2.6% mindshare in BRS, compared to Dell PowerProtect Data Manager’s 3.7% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Dell Avamar users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager users who would recommend it.

Dell Avamar

Read 90 Dell Avamar reviews

5,260 Views
4,787 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Read 14 Dell PowerProtect Data Manager reviews

7,126 Views
5,843 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Dell Avamar

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Dell Avamar and Dell PowerProtect Data Manager are prominent data protection solutions. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager appears superior in features and ease of deployment despite Dell Avamar's competitive pricing and support.

Features: Dell Avamar offers efficient data deduplication, robust backup capabilities, strong protection for virtual environments, and fast recovery times. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager provides advanced automation, integration, multi-cloud data management, and a modern feature set tailored for complex, diverse setups.

Room for Improvement:Dell Avamar needs a more intuitive experience, enhanced scalability, and refined reporting tools. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager requires improvements in documentation, more comprehensive support for legacy systems, and faster initial setup times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dell Avamar is appreciated for its relatively quick deployment process and reliable support but faces challenges with scaling. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager has a steeper learning curve but benefits from efficient deployment methods and responsive customer service with occasional setup complexity issues.

Pricing and ROI: Dell Avamar is cost-effective with reasonable setup costs and a good return on investment, especially for medium-sized enterprises. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, though more expensive, justifies its cost with rich functionalities and significant long-term ROI, particularly for large organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell Avamar vs. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell Avamar vs. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

September 2025

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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

Dell Avamar

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

7th

Ranking in Deduplication Software

5th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

9th

Ranking in Deduplication Software

7th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell Avamar is 2.6%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is 3.7%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Dell Avamar	2.6%
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager	3.7%
Other	93.7%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

SamuelThomas

Consultant at Key Information Technology L.L.C.

Have supported critical environments despite room for improvement in legacy backup options

It is very efficient in cyber resilience. Deduplication, automation, and everything is very efficient. It is multi-cloud enabled and has broad protections. The software delivers flexible and efficient backup and recovery options through its cyber resiliency features. Dell PowerProtect Manager provides insights in managing backup processes. Its encryption mechanisms are very efficient, helping to secure sensitive data. Its integration with Dell EMC Data Domain is very good. It is easy to integrate with Data Domain. Multi-cloud options are enabled, and backup in cloud options exist in Dell Avamar.

Read full review

MinaMagdy1

Senior System Engineer at Nutanix

Comprehensive integration and user-friendly dashboard enhance data protection workflows

PowerProtect Data Manager lacks the tape-out functionality, which is important for organizations relying on it for offsite backup. While PowerProtect Data Manager offers a workaround, it's not always accepted, notably by sectors like banking. Additionally, I would like PowerProtect Data Manager to provide microservices and container backup for modern applications.

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

"It works quickly and is very stable."

"I found the most valuable features of Dell Avamar are the user-friendly interface and ease to use. Our clients have administrated this software and there is no additional training required."

"The product has a proven track record of good backups without much of a failure ratio. It also has a good backup in terms of the compression ratio."

"It's simple to configure."

"We have seen huge data reduction and data deduplication and compression, which is very cost-effective and cost-reducing for the company."

"Every product is good and bad, but its claim to fame is that it is scalable. We're doing more than 3,000 VMs. Every single night a complete image backup to disks and replication are easily done in under four hours."

"Its deduplication technologies are the best in the market, currently."

"Client deduplication."

More Dell Avamar pros

"The product's initial setup phase was easy."

"The most valuable features of the solution are flexibility and data protection."

"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."

"The solution adequately handles data storage."

"I would say flexibility is the most important feature of the product. The performance and speed are the best on the market."

"Dell PowerProtect Data Manager helps to reduce the amount of data being transferred and stored."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its integrated approach."

"The management part of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager has improved significantly."

More Dell PowerProtect Data Manager pros

Cons

"Compared with Cohesity or Rubrik, which have some continuous data protection for backup and replication, this solution tends to lack in this area."

"The technical support from Dell is very poor, especially in terms of response time."

"Avamar is still competitive because of the way we have deployed it, but we need to diversify and shift away from specific technologies. In addition to hypervisors, virtual machines, and bare metal servers, our customers need protection for Microsoft 365, SaaS, and the public cloud, so we need other technologies in the business to cater to those customers' needs. Those are the enhancements we would want from the Avamar platform, but that's not likely to happen. Dell has PowerProtect and Apex backup services. There are other Dell solutions that we'll use to fulfill our customers' requirements."

"It's an expensive solution."

"The configuration and expansion aspects of the solution need improvement. They're complicated and don't really integrate well."

"Setting up Avamar wasn't so easy, and we had a partner doing the installation for us. Though it was hard at first, it's getting better. The main difficulty was finding plugins for Oracle Database. It took some time to open a ticket with Dell, but everything was fine after that."

"It was challenging to back up our Exchange database, which is one of the reasons we did not continue using this solution."

"Setup and deployment of this solution is complex and requires expert engineers."

More Dell Avamar cons

"PowerProtect Data Manager is missing a feature for takeout, which means I cannot store backup data off-site within the software. This is a limitation for organizations that require off-site solutions."

"As a new product, there are some things that still need to improve a bit as it matures."

"They should include a feature similar to S3 bucket."

"The solution should enhance its user interface and make it more flexible."

"The main issue that needs improvement is the support system. When I raise a ticket, it sometimes takes a while to get a response."

"PPDM requires further development. It is primarily integrated with DevOps systems."

"The tool's scalability has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."

"There is always room for improvement. The compression ratio should be improved as well as the efficiency."

More Dell PowerProtect Data Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It might not be beneficial to smaller businesses due to its high cost."

"Dell Avamar, including its virtual add-ons and cloud-based offerings, is cheaper than other solutions, but in the end, the price still depends on your use case. Price-wise, I'm rating Dell Avamar as six out of ten."

"Its price should be reduced. It would be good if you could pay as per usage, and there is a subscription model like VMware. There should be some flexibility because sometimes, the customer only uses the backup for one month or three months. Currently, I have to pay whether I use it or not. Its licensing should be flexible and based on consumption."

"It is expensive. Its cost is the main thing."

"Licensing fees are paid annually."

"The cost of the solution is very expensive."

"The solution is costly."

"The price is the main thing I'd like to see them change. If they can come down in price, that would be a good thing. It's very cost competitive in the entry level range, because Veeam pricing is much cheaper than Avamar."

More Dell Avamar pricing and cost advice

"Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is not an expensive solution."

"The product is offered at a very competitive price in the market."

"The solution is not less expensive than competitors but pricing deals are available."

"We offer monthly or yearly subscriptions. The price could be cheaper."

"The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect Data Manager is reasonable."

"The licensing costs and pricing model are based on capacity and the license is easy to upgrade."

"The solution is more affordable than other vendors."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	26
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	48

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Dell EMC Avamar and Dell EMC NetWorker?

From the very beginning, Dell EMC NetWorker considers users and those who might potentially become users. In terms of both pricing and setup, this product offers an experience that is significantly...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC Avamar?

The cost is very significant, and it could be lower.

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell Avamar?

Easy to configure and highly reliable for backup.

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?

One notable feature is its robust backup support for Kubernetes and container environments. Additionally, PPDM stands out for its ease of deployment and management compared to other backup solution...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?

Overall, pricing does not significantly impact our decision. The main concern is the solution itself, presales activities, and positioning it in the right place. Commercial aspects are secondary to...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?

The marketing strategy is lagging behind competitors such as CommVault. Dell needs to improve its market presence and communication with customers and solution providers.

See all answers

Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs Dell Avamar

Compared 13% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Dell Avamar

Compared 7% of the time

Rubrik vs Dell Avamar

Compared 7% of the time

Dell NetWorker vs Dell Avamar

Compared 7% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs Dell Avamar

Compared 6% of the time

More Dell Avamar Competitors

Dell NetWorker vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 17% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 12% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 11% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 4% of the time

Rubrik vs Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

Compared 4% of the time

More Dell PowerProtect Data Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell Avamar

September 2025

Download Dell Avamar product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

September 2025

Download Dell PowerProtect Data Manager product report

Also Known As

Avamar

PowerProtect, Dell EMC PowerProtect

Overview

Dell Avamar data protection software delivers flexible and efficient backup and recovery operations that can scale from daily backup protection for endpoints to high-performance protection for large enterprises with diverse applications and workloads. With application consistent recovery, automation and fast backup and restores, Avamar can help you meet your SLAs and optimize your backup and recovery processes

If you are deploying all or part of your backup environment to the cloud, Avamar enables you to make the most of your cloud investment, enabling replication, disaster recovery and long-term retention for customers using AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud.

Avamar is available as part of Dell Data Protection Suite, which offers comprehensive data protection software applications and tools. Avamar is delivered as software and as a virtual edition.

Dell Technologies

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager provides efficient backup and recovery for hybrid and multicloud environments. It consolidates VMware, Kubernetes, database, and file system protection through a singular interface.

PowerProtect Data Manager is a software-defined platform that integrates modern backup and recovery capabilities, focusing on enhancing performance metrics like RPO and RTO. It supports operations through automated discovery, policy-driven protection, and intelligent analytics while offering cloud mobility and robust cyber recovery mechanisms. Its architecture is designed to address complex data management needs while providing flexibility, backup efficiency, and capacity management. With capabilities spanning on-premise and cloud options, it delivers a comprehensive approach for data protection.

What key features make Dell PowerProtect Data Manager stand out?

High Deduplication: Optimizes storage by reducing data footprint.
Kubernetes Support: Ensures seamless integration with containerized environments.
Data Domain Integration: Enhances recovery metrics and performance.
Advanced Access Controls: Strengthens security measures.
Scalable Architecture: Adapts to growing enterprise needs.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Ease of Deployment: Simplifies initial setup and configuration processes.
User-Friendly Interface: Facilitates an intuitive user experience.
Flexibility in Deployment: Supports both cloud and on-premise environments.
Efficient Data Reduction: Saves storage costs and optimizes resources.
Secure Data Management: Provides peace of mind with robust security features.

Organizations in telecom and enterprise sectors employ Dell PowerProtect Data Manager for backing up and securing data in virtual and cloud-native environments. It supports continuous data protection for VMware and Kubernetes and plays a crucial role in ensuring container stability in platforms like OpenShift. Its native application integrations and disaster recovery through incremental backups make it suitable for larger businesses seeking a reliable data management partner.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

Dodge County, St Laurence's College, FieldCore (a GE Company), Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Getronics, Lewisville Independent School District, EnvisionRxOptions, Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions

National Bank of Greece, USC Australia, PCS Publishing, Dell Digital IT, Rushmore Electric, Melanson Health, Arrow Electronics

Buyer's Guide

Dell Avamar vs. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

September 2025

Free Report: Dell Avamar vs. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager

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