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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

"The product is very powerful and offers very good performance."
"The performance of Dell EMC Avamar is good."
"It's stable and offers good performance."
"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."
"Avamar has long been the best in its class, but that's changing as new solutions emerge. However, Dell has traditionally been a leader in deduplication and compression. Avamar enabled us to shift data from on-premise local appliances to data centers and multi-tenant infrastructure. That's a powerful feature. because customers can back up to the cloud without upgrading o high-capacity links or congesting their backups."
"With Dell, everything has been done for you; out of the box, it's ready to go, and it's very, very fast."
"Avamar is a very good solution, and it stands out compared to other options, especially when we expand storage with Data Domain or other accessible storage systems."
"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."
"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."
"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
"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."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
 

Cons

"Like any other company, many of the support calls go to places on the other side of the world. It is sometimes difficult to understand them."
"In my opinion, they should destroy all of their products and create them from scratch."
"Dell Avamar could improve by adding more backup features."
"There are limitations when trying to use this solution with Hyper-V."
"Technical support should be more knowledgeable."
"The technical support from Dell is very poor, especially in terms of response time."
"Avamar's user interface could use some work. When we open a ticket, they are working with Linux commands."
"The configuration and expansion aspects of the solution need improvement. They're complicated and don't really integrate well."
"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 product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is very expensive. It's a trust based licensing. So that's an ethical challenge."
"I rate the tool's price as a three out of ten if one means expensive and ten means it is a cheaply priced tool."
"It was approximately $70-80,000 when it was under support, but right now EMC has not been supporting this product for two years."
"Its licensing is weird. It is not just the licenses; we also purchase hardware. With most software products, such as Veeam, Commvault, and Data Protector, there is no hardware purchase at the same time. Because Avamar and Data Domain are tied together, they have an integrated pipe. You can separate them, but basically, they're designed to work as a couple. Because the Data Domain backend is designed to do dedupe and compression, we get 60:1. When you count it, you count it as a straight compression, but of course, that's with dedupe and some other stuff. You have to buy the hardware, the licensing, and the software at the same time. So, it's not just software."
"The solution is not expensive for the value one gets."
"It's an expensive tool"
"Avamar's pricing is quite competitive compared to other vendors."
"This is a fairly expensive solution. It cost approximately 21,000 each year."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"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 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 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...
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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.