No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs ExaGrid EX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

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 PowerProtect Data Domain
Ranking in Disk Based Backup Systems
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (1st)
ExaGrid EX
Ranking in Disk Based Backup Systems
4th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.0
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Disk Based Backup Systems category, the mindshare of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is 33.9%, down from 40.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExaGrid EX is 10.2%, down from 10.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Disk Based Backup Systems Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain33.9%
ExaGrid EX10.2%
Other55.900000000000006%
Disk Based Backup Systems
 

Featured Reviews

Branko Cirovic - PeerSpot reviewer
Storage Engineer at Comtrade Group
Provides seamless backup integration and long-term reliability for enterprise data protection
The price is quite high; this product is not considered cheap. Additionally, if you use higher availability boxes, they also come at a premium price. However, they provide business continuity, which is the main reason why companies invest in this solution. Tape is slow; when restoring several virtual machines or databases amounting to several terabytes, Dell PowerProtect Data Domain represents the fastest and most reliable solution, ensuring great integration with backup software. If a customer has limited budget constraints, they may opt for cheaper external storage comprised of just a bunch of disks and utilize it for backup, as backup is not a business-critical service. However, I see great value in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain because it is fully automated, features great integration with backup software, and provides good value for money. I would rate software support as a ten, while I would give hardware support a seven. I never give any product a perfect score; I think Dell PowerProtect Data Domain deserves a nine. The only minor problems are the certificate issue and the price. These certificate issues are quite rare and mainly arise when we forget to restart and upgrade the box for several years.
AhmedEl-Tayeb - PeerSpot reviewer
Sales Manager at MCS
Has offered a cost-effective option with solid results but requires automation features for better efficiency
For ExaGrid EX, I would appreciate additional features such as backup and restore, automation processes, and automation software for backup and restore processes. I mention that some additional features may be provided by VMware or Dell as support for the hardware they are selling, but ExaGrid EX is more of a budget-friendly solution for customers who are in charge on a daily basis of the solution itself, dealing with manual tasks rather than automated tasks. I am not in a situation to provide an exact answer for what I would specifically improve in this regard.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The DD Boost protocol is very fast in backup and while data is being transferred to Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, and I am using the immutability features built in so that the backup copies are immutable and no one can edit or delete them anymore unless the retention period is over."
"The features that I have found most valuable with Dell EMC PowerProtect DD are its deduplication feature and its DD Boost protocol for fast transfer, which is amazing."
"It's very competitive in terms of the price and technology. Also, the development team continuously makes updates. The data reduction feature is very useful."
"Data Domain is an excellent repository that's compatible with a lot of different solutions. Even Veeam Backup recommends sending backup to Data Domain. Space optimization is great. Currently, it guarantees 50-to-1 compression of the application in the same device. In all these years, I never had a client who was unsatisfied with Data Domain. It is a solid appliance with VMware integration, instant access to restore and search, and analytics."
"My advice about Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is straightforward: I recommend this product to all clients, because it provides the best deduplication, compression, and security."
"The initial setup was straightforward. Deployment takes about two weeks."
"We have never had any issues with Data Domain. It has been stable."
"The solution allows us to take a huge number of backups, and the footprint is quite small."
"Both the pricing and the performance are excellent."
"I find ExaGrid EX to be a useful solution for customers looking for a budget-friendly product."
"The most valuable features of ExaGrid EX are the Veeam features and Landing Zone."
"Backup and restore processes are much shorter now, and we don't need forklift upgrades every three to four years."
 

Cons

"There is a challenge when it comes to data recovery; the recovery window can exceed four to eight hours if you're dealing with backups older than five or ten years."
"The tool's DD Boost is expensive."
"The cost could be lower. Sometimes it's not very competitive."
"We would like to see the price of this solution brought down to be comparable with similar products currently on the market."
"The price could be a little cheaper than it is now."
"Their licensing matrix is confusing and is a feature they need to improve."
"Improvement is needed in terms of telemetry and high availability as the high availability feature is only present in the higher models of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)."
"The pricing should be adjusted."
"I would like to see free disk space."
"The solution’s web access should be improved."
"ExaGrid EX is more of a budget-friendly solution for customers who are in charge on a daily basis of the solution itself, dealing with manual tasks rather than automated tasks."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive. However, if you pay less you receive less, it is cost-effective."
"The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD could improve, it is expensive."
"The product is expensive."
"Pricing is related to size. A lower range solution might be about $33,000. My customers use higher range versions with a price of around $100,000. That's the price for both the hardware and software."
"There are many options in the pricing structure which can cause some confusion and necessitate the purchase of additional licensing."
"Users have to pay a capacity-based licensing fee for the solution."
"The approximate license cost for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is around 5,00,000."
"Dell PowerProtect DD's pricing is expensive, and there is no option for perpetual licensing."
"I rate ExaGrid EX ten out of ten for pricing."
"The renewal fee is approximately $3,500 to $3.750 for a 60 terabyte device."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Disk Based Backup Systems solutions are best for your needs.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business39
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise44
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
My main use case for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is as a data backup target.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
Pricing, setup cost, and licensing are not my areas of expertise, as I mainly focus on implementation engineering.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
To improve Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I would suggest making it cheaper. I would like to see the ability to use more back end data ports as a new feature.
What needs improvement with ExaGrid EX?
For ExaGrid EX, I would appreciate additional features such as backup and restore, automation processes, and automation software for backup and restore processes. I mention that some additional fea...
What is your primary use case for ExaGrid EX?
My role in relation to ExaGrid EX is partner and reseller.
What advice do you have for others considering ExaGrid EX?
I would prefer another way to provide support; sending all the questions in an Excel sheet or a Word file would allow me to answer them in a couple of hours and send them back. I have no problem re...
 

Also Known As

DataDomain, Dell EMC Data Domain, PowerProtect Data Domain
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The US Army, City of Houston, Lloyds TSB, TiVo, Teck, Ingram Entertainment, The New York Mets
7-Eleven, ABC, ACNB Bank, Admiration Foods, Aeroflex, AGH, Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Alberta Motor Association, Allegro MicroSystems, American Standard, Ameris Bank, Arch Reinsurance Ltd., Arthritis Foundation
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs. ExaGrid EX and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.