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Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs ExaGrid EX comparison

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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
109
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 November 2026, in the Disk Based Backup Systems category, the mindshare of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is 33.1%, down from 39.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExaGrid EX is 10.1%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Disk Based Backup Systems Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain33.1%
ExaGrid EX10.1%
Other56.8%
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 a tech consulting company with 201-500 employees
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 most valuable features of the solution are recovery point, compression, and deduplication."
"The product, a disk backup solution, improves our data application tasks. We used tape libraries with Dev drives in legacy architectures, resulting in slow backups compared to modern drives like NVMe and SSDs. By transitioning to NVMe and SSDs, backups have become much faster. The tool's backup restoration is faster compared to other tools."
"EMC is under the Dell technologies portfolio, and you've got one of the best technical support teams looking out for you."
"At the end of the day, we feel comfortable with the backups and the security that the product provides us, and we have not had any issues with it for eight years."
"By using Data Domain, we get the advantage of data deduplication, reducing data size."
"We are very satisfied with this solution. It's easy to use and efficient."
"It's very easy to use Data Domain once it's been set up, and the interface is also user-friendly."
"This solution has a feature called Domain Boost, which allows for source deduplication and compression."
"I find ExaGrid EX to be a useful solution for customers looking for a budget-friendly product."
"Both the pricing and the performance are excellent."
"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

"One improvement to the solution would be in the integration with backup software. They still have hardware different from the software."
"Technical support needs improvement."
"The product lacks some security features that would make it more stand-alone and integrated."
"Dell PowerProtect DD should come out with its own system so we do not have to use Data Domain. For example, something similar to what Symantec has done."
"The price could be a little cheaper than it is now."
"The last downtime for upgrading the model 9410 took a long time, approximately two hours, which could be bad for production environments."
"The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD could improve, it is expensive."
"Its management can be improved."
"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

"Dell PowerProtect DD's pricing is expensive, and there is no option for perpetual licensing."
"The product is expensive."
"If we do not move to the cloud solution and stay with our on-premise version we will miss some new features."
"We usually buy products at the end year, and the license is included."
"The yearly subscription is very affordable for our customers, but the price could be a little cheaper overall."
"It could be more competitively priced. Its licensing was for five years. Obviously, the support will get renewed at some stage, but that's it."
"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."
"The price is really high compared to other vendors. The licensing cost is huge. Normal, mid-tier companies or small-scale companies wouldn't be able to afford it easily."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise50
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is primarily used in my organization for disk backups. We use it for production systems so that we have a backup and can make use of other devices where the VTL handle...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
I have not had access to the costs of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, so I could not tell you how my experience has been with the licensing, installation, and pricing costs.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
I think Dell PowerProtect Data Domain could be improved in terms of the integration with VTL, as I would like it to be a bit more accessible.
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: November 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.