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N2W vs Synology DSM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

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
5.2
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Backup (5th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (4th)
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 August 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of N2W is 1.1%, up from 0.3% 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 (%)
N2W1.1%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other97.6%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2802048 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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

"A recovery process that had previously taken a team of engineers the better part of a day was successfully completed in under an hour."
"The product is successful with the SMB market."
"N2W has positively impacted our organization by assisting us in areas of cost savings when compared to other tools available, and it has also given us an extra layer of protection."
"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."
"Provides easy, one-click functionality and flexible backup policies and schedules for AWS workloads."
"The initial setup is easy."
"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."
"N2WS Backup & Recovery is very easy to use and configure backup for AWS instances."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"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 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."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
"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."
 

Cons

"The GUI could be slightly improved."
"The user interface feels somewhat dated and could benefit from modernization."
"S3 backups, which I know is already in the feature pipeline, would be a useful improvement."
"The UI is a little dated and hard to use. Some of the buttons are a bit small. You have to go into the menu to get the settings you want."
"There is room for improvement in stability."
"Deployment is one area that could use improvement."
"The GUI has room for improvement."
"One area where we would appreciate improvement is support for additional AWS native services, such as Lambda function backups and S3 beyond archive."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
"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."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The purchasing process through the AWS Marketplace is easy. Just click the button."
"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 has very good pricing per instance and comes with three options, for both small and large environments, to fit your needs."
"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."
"It's very economical and worth the cost."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
16%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for N2WS Backup & Recovery?
Pricing is reasonable considering the features provided, especially for organizations heavily invested in AWS. The cost savings from automation and lifecycle management can offset the licensing cos...
What needs improvement with N2WS Backup & Recovery?
While the platform is strong overall, the user interface could be further modernized and made more intuitive in certain areas, especially when navigating complex environments. Reporting and analyti...
What is your primary use case for N2WS Backup & Recovery?
Our primary use case is automated backup and disaster recovery for AWS workloads across multiple accounts and regions. We use N2WS to protect EC2 instances, EBS volumes, and critical application da...
Ask a question
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Comparisons

 

Also Known As

N2WS Backup & Recovery, N2WS Cloud Protection Manager, N2W Backup & Recovery for AWS Free Trial/BYOL
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Deloitte, NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Dyson, Deuthsche Bahn, Skechers, Allan Gray, Hewlett Packard, St. John's University, City of Oakland
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about N2W vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.