N2W vs Synology DSM comparison

Why PeerSpot?

N2WS and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. N2WS is ranked #6 with an average rating of 9.9, while Synology is ranked #51. N2WS holds a 1.0% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of N2WS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

N2W

Read 26 N2W reviews

7,217 Views
3,681 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

4,831 Views
4,783 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

N2W

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

N2W and Synology DSM are competing products in the domain of data protection and management. Based on analysis, Synology DSM offers superior features and overall product quality, despite N2W's competitive pricing and support.

Features: N2W is recognized for its cloud-native backup solutions, efficient disaster recovery for AWS users, and policy-based automation for comprehensive protection. Synology DSM is known for its comprehensive suite of integrated applications, multi-platform support, and extensive third-party application integration, offering a robust file management system, virtualization, and data backup capabilities.

Room for Improvement: N2W could enhance cross-platform support, expand integration with third-party applications, and offer more extensive local environment features. Synology DSM may look to improve pricing flexibility, streamline cloud-native operations, and enhance AWS-specific optimizations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: N2W provides a straightforward deployment model optimized for AWS environments and accessible customer service suitable for cloud-centric organizations. Synology DSM offers a more flexible deployment model that supports both local and cloud environments, with robust technical support that ensures a seamless setup experience.

Pricing and ROI: N2W’s cost-effective pricing is attractive to organizations heavily utilizing AWS services, providing substantial ROI through focused cloud backup capabilities. Synology DSM requires a higher initial investment, reflective of its comprehensive on-premises capabilities, but justifies the cost through enhanced long-term organizational benefits and system-wide integration potential.

To learn more, read our detailed N2W vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

N2W vs. Synology DSM

September 2026

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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

N2W

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

6th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Backup (5th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (4th)

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

51st

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of N2W is 1.0%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.3%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
N2W	1.0%
Synology DSM	1.3%
Other	97.7%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

reviewer2802048

Service Delivery Manager at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Automated backups have transformed our multi-account recovery and now streamline compliance reporting

While N2WS has served us well, there are areas for improvement. The user interface feels somewhat dated and could benefit from modernization. Navigation between sections could be more intuitive, and the dashboard design could be more streamlined compared to contemporary AWS tools. The initial setup process has a steeper learning curve than we’d prefer, especially for complex multi-account configurations. More guided setup wizards would help new team members get up to speed faster. Reporting capabilities could be more granular, particularly around cost optimization metrics and backup performance analytics. Currently, we need to gather information from multiple screens to get comprehensive insights. For future releases, we’d value enhanced integration with AWS native services like Config and CloudTrail for better compliance reporting. More advanced scheduling options that adjust based on application load would also be beneficial. Better support for newer AWS services as they’re released would help us maintain comprehensive coverage as our infrastructure evolves. Additionally, native integration with popular ITSM tools beyond email notifications would improve our workflow automation.

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Michael Adejoh

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.

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

"The initial setup is easy."

"The recovery time is fantastic and proven. Also, by providing a simple interface, the solution lowers the cost."

"The combination of disaster recovery, backups, and scheduling helps us be flexible with our approach to backup, start and stop times while being cost-effective."

"The backup and restore functionality is very easy to use and manage."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."

"Having multiple policies and schedules handled for me takes the burden out of managing backups across multiple departments."

"N2WS is a perfect backup solution for AWS EC2 instances and VPC backups, and it has made our backup process and monitoring simple and effective."

"After acquiring two additional products in 2018, which we migrated from data centers to the cloud, N2W allowed us to streamline our backup process for three products within one tool."

More N2W pros

"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."

"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."

"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."

"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"The solution could benefit from a friendlier UI."

"The user interface feels somewhat dated and could benefit from modernization."

"The GUI has room for improvement."

"I would like them to make the controls a bit more user-friendly. The UI is a little dated and hard to use."

"The GUI could be slightly improved."

"It's a global feature that the customer thinks they don't have enough tools to manage, to copy, to delay, and to classify the object file in the backup directory. So they need more tools to manage files in object directory."

"An additional feature within resource control would be to automatically downgrade volumes to a cheaper storage tier through a policy or when instances are stopped via the resource manager."

"S3 storage backup for S3 backed services such as AWS Transfer Family."

More N2W cons

"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."

"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."

"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."

"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."

"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."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"AWS adds more features and offer things for free, or cheaply. Therefore, we will be evaluating AWS Data Lifecycle Manager, because it will probably do backups. Thus, make sure the product that you are using is competitive or adds more value than AWS."

"The price is not cheap, nor is it costly."

"The pricing and licensing on AWS is fine, because you can do it for smaller tiers depending on your number of instances, so it's not that scary."

"It's very economical and worth the cost."

"The purchasing process through the AWS Marketplace is easy. Just click the button."

"It has very good pricing per instance and comes with three options, for both small and large environments, to fit your needs."

"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

"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."

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

16%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for N2WS Backup & Recovery?

The pricing for N2W is a fixed cost based on the edition you want to use. All I would suggest is keeping an eye on billing in AWS, as N2W leverages AWS services such as the N2W instance hosting and...

See all answers

What needs improvement with N2WS Backup & Recovery?

There is room for improvement in the S3 storage backup for S3-backed services such as AWS Transfer Family.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for N2WS Backup & Recovery?

We used N2W primarily as part of our wider disaster recovery (DR) strategy in the business as a way to protect assets in AWS and to automatically schedule utilization of resources.

See all answers

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Comparisons

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HPE Zerto Software vs N2W

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UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 4% of the time

SyncBack Pro vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

HPE StoreEver Tape vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

Datto Endpoint Backup vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

N2W

September 2026

Download N2W product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

August 2026

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

N2WS Backup & Recovery, N2WS Cloud Protection Manager, N2W Backup & Recovery for AWS Free Trial/BYOL

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Interactive Demo

N2WS

Demo not available

Synology

Overview

N2W offers a cloud-native backup and recovery platform tailored for AWS and Azure environments, delivering secure and rapid data protection.

N2W enables IT teams to effortlessly manage backup and restore processes within AWS and Azure environments. By leveraging policy-based management, users gain full control over rapid, secure recovery across regions and accounts. Designed to scale with workloads of any size, N2W ensures business continuity through features like immutable ransomware-protected backups and smart data lifecycle management. Hosted directly in the cloud account, it simplifies the protection and recovery of mission-critical applications.

What are N2W's key features?

Immutable Backups: Protects against ransomware with unchangeable data versions
Fast Recovery: Ensures rapid data restoration within seconds
Policy-Based Management: Automates backup processes for efficiency
Cost Savings: Optimizes storage with smart data lifecycle management
Granular Reporting: Offers detailed compliance-ready audit trails
Seamless Archival: Supports low-cost storage integration including Wasabi

What benefits should users consider?

Ease of Use: Simple management for quick data recovery
Automation: Reduces manual intervention with automated policies
Cost Optimization: Manages storage efficiently to save costs
Business Continuity: Ensures resilience with flexible scheduling

Organizations across sectors use N2W for automated backup and disaster recovery of AWS resources like EC2 instances and RDS databases. It's employed to manage schedules, streamline backups in production settings, and rely on S3 for storage, providing a robust data protection approach.

N2WS

Synology DSM offers a comprehensive disk management and virtualization backup solution, known for its seamless connectivity across Mac, Windows, and Linux systems, enabling both novice and expert users to efficiently organize and secure their digital data.

Synology DSM integrates intuitive features like the Btrfs file system, built-in backups, and Active Backup for Business, streamlining application installations such as Plex Media Server and Docker. It provides robust security and versatility, supporting VPNs, web servers, and virtualization. Synology DSM is utilized for data backup in virtual machines, local user management, file-sharing networks, and remote file accessibility. It assists organizations in centralized data replication and protection, managing multiple terabytes across locations while serving as a firewall and file management system.

What features does Synology DSM offer?

Disk Management: Efficiently manages storage across multiple platforms.
Seamless Connectivity: Supports Mac, Windows, and Linux for a unified experience.
Btrfs File System: Offers advanced data protection and recovery options.
Active Backup for Business: Provides comprehensive backup solutions for critical data.
Versatility: Supports VPN, web servers, and virtualization for expanded utility.

What benefits should users consider?

Security: Maintains data integrity and protection across networks.
Stability: Ensures consistent operation for essential applications.
Ease of Use: Facilitates straightforward installation and management of applications.
Scalability: Handles large-scale data replication and protection efficiently.

In industries like IT and media, Synology DSM is an effective tool for centralized data management and security. Businesses rely on its extensive backup capabilities to manage and protect large datasets, enabling effective collaboration and remote access solutions across locations. Users incorporate its add-ons to enhance network deployment and connectivity, optimizing data flow and operational efficiency.

Synology

Sample Customers

Deloitte, NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Dyson, Deuthsche Bahn, Skechers, Allan Gray, Hewlett Packard, St. John's University, City of Oakland

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

N2W vs. Synology DSM

September 2026

Free Report: N2W vs. Synology DSM

Find out what your peers are saying about N2W vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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