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Dell Avamar 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

Dell Avamar
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
13th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (6th)
Synology DSM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
52nd
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 June 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell Avamar is 1.9%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.3%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell Avamar1.9%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other96.8%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

SamuelThomas - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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

"Dell Avamar has helped our organization by allowing us to do backups."
"Overall, this is a good product."
"I recommend EMC products due to their stability."
"Effective in protecting the virtualization system and end points."
"I think the biggest advantage it offers is backup, for end-users as well as computers, not only servers and storage paths."
"It is one of the best solutions for backing up Oracle and other servers."
"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."
"Easy to configure and highly reliable for backup."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
"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."
"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 solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."
"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
 

Cons

"When you get down to doing certain things, such as somebody wants a particular file restored, the process by which you do that is stupid. You kind of have to know exactly where to look for in order to find it. Even on older backup products that I've used, I didn't have that kind of problem. If we were looking for a file with a particular kind of a name, the solution would find that file anywhere irrespective of where it resides within the backup system. So, we didn't have to know the name of the specific server, the specific timeframe, almost all the characters of the file name, and all kinds of data in order to find a file. In Avamar, we got to know these details. We've gone around and around with them on that, and their attitude seems to be that it is working just fine. There is nothing for them to improve. The organizational system of other products that I'm working with, such as Zerto and Cohesity, seems to be centered around the tasks that you would most commonly do and want to do, as opposed to we've laid it out in a really neat technical hierarchy."
"It's really a nightmare if you want to tape out with Avamar."
"The challenges we do face typically revolve around aligning specific features with our accustomed tool usage."
"I think they could also move more towards cloud solutions. It already has some cloud tiering, but I think that could be more extensive. They should work with all cloud providers and I think in the future they will be on all cloud platforms."
"I would like to see better integration with third-party applications and platforms."
"It is integrated with the databases but it's not the best solution for big databases."
"It would be better if we could integrate easily with other platforms."
"Avamar is a good product with a lot of potential, but if Dell isn't willing to put more effort into developing it, my advice would be to look elsewhere."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It might not be beneficial to smaller businesses due to its high cost."
"When it comes to competition the price is not what is important, it's not the problem."
"It was approximately $70-80,000 when it was under support, but right now EMC has not been supporting this product for two years."
"This is a fairly expensive solution. It cost approximately 21,000 each year."
"The cost is high."
"The price is fair."
"This solution is less expensive than Veeam for us, although it depends on the customer because we get a great discount."
"Licensing fees are paid annually."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"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."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise47
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

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...
What needs improvement with Dell Avamar?
It is a very good product. My only concern is that there is no tape backup. For tape backup, we have to use Dell NetWorker. They could add more features for cyber resilience and multi-cloud options...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

Avamar
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Overview

 

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
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Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Avamar vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.