NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM comparison

NetApp and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. NetApp is ranked #42 with an average rating of 7.7, while Synology is ranked #53. NetApp holds a 0.8% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of NetApp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

NetApp SnapCenter

Read 28 NetApp SnapCenter reviews

1,831 Views
1,758 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

2,887 Views
2,858 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NetApp SnapCenter

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

NetApp SnapCenter and Synology DSM compete in the data management category. Despite NetApp SnapCenter’s strength in support and initial setup, Synology DSM has the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and overall user satisfaction.

Features: NetApp SnapCenter offers centralized management, robust backup capabilities, and high support ratings. Synology DSM provides an extensive app ecosystem, user-friendly design, and a broader feature set.

Room for Improvement: NetApp SnapCenter needs greater scalability, reduced setup complexity, and better integration with third-party services. Synology DSM requires improved third-party service integration, enhanced mobile access, and more advanced scalability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetApp SnapCenter has detailed and complex setup processes but is backed by highly rated customer support. Synology DSM is known for its straightforward installation process and responsive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: NetApp SnapCenter is considered a valuable investment with substantial ROI, although it can be pricey. Synology DSM offers competitive pricing with quicker ROI due to lower upfront costs.

To learn more, read our detailed NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM

February 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

NetApp SnapCenter

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

42nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

53rd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of NetApp SnapCenter is 0.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.4%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
NetApp SnapCenter	0.8%
Synology DSM	1.4%
Other	97.8%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

SaneeshC

Sr. engineer at Sify Technologies

Has reduced backup time for large workloads and supports smooth workload migration

Role-based access control and multi-factor authentication are security features available in NetApp SnapCenter. The one-time password comes to our multi-factor authentication tool; we work with Cisco Duo, and that OTP is generated through that tool, which we use to access the device. There are different options through which we can migrate workloads without downtime. The user interface is very easy to handle and not complicated. There are multiple features that make NetApp SnapCenter valuable. In case of any job failure, we get an alert over email. For jobs replicating from site A to site B, we know how long it will take to complete that replication. All that information is available in the console, and there aren't any difficulties or objections that need to be improved.

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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

"A feature that stands out is cloning databases. If you have a SQL database and it's huge, like one terabyte, the classical SQL way would be to do a backup-restore to create a clone of your database for test purposes. With SnapCenter now, we can clone a database but through the Snapshot technology, which means if you right-click and you click Clone, the one terabyte database is there instantly."

"Technical support has been very helpful when we have issues."

"The way that it interconnects with VMware is really handy, because you can go right into your vSphere client, where you spend a lot of the day anyway, right-click on one of the VMs where you have backups running for however long, and you can restore either some files or restore the entire thing."

"The most valuable feature is that it's centralized. In the old SnapManager days, we had software for each server. Now, with a centralized system, we're able to manage all systems remotely, and all agents remotely, and update them remotely. That's a huge benefit for us."

"It has very fast backup and can handle a huge amount of data. It also enables really fast recovery."

"The Exchange plugin is the most valuable because we have a lot of customers that use SnapManager Exchange and have to migrate to SnapCenter."

"What is very handy for our clients is the consolidated view. They have a dashboard with everything, through a single pane of glass. This is what they really need because, within seconds, they can have a good overview and see if there are any errors or any issues."

"The most valuable feature is the RBAC, the Role-Based Access Control. In our managed service, we can have different layers of security."

More NetApp SnapCenter pros

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

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

"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."

"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"The tool could be faster."

"One thing that might be improved is the ease of management."

"Groups might be helpful for each site or data center so that we know a given data center has these resources while another data center has those resources. It's not always easy to group hosts by type."

"The Microsoft environment is its biggest disadvantage due to the central management of all the actions. Because the SnapCenter server is where we deploy everything, it also affects the Microsoft environment, which can cause many difficulties when resolving issues like Windows update problems."

"Some of the minor functionalities from SnapManager did not transfer over to SnapCenter. These should be added in future releases."

"It needs to support vSphere 6.7."

"The UI, the User Interface, needs to be improved. It's not as clean or modern as it could be."

"We have hundreds of servers and systems and hundreds of customers and they're separated in a multi-tenancy way in NetApp SVM. Right now, the problem is that it always scan all SVMs. If I backup Customer A, it scans all SVMs, or tries to scan all SVMs, if there is a backup relationship on the storage. But it doesn't have the permissions, so we run into timeouts or the backup just takes too long. They're fixing that in the upcoming release..."

More NetApp SnapCenter cons

"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."

"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."

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."

"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's user interface is not quite intuitive."

"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."

"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."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We see a financial value with SnapCenter because we don't have to license Commvault, which is pretty expensive."

"The product is inexpensive."

"Pricing is very good because if you already have NepApp controllers, then it's included."

"It's free. The license is included with other NetApp products."

"We have a site license, so it comes with the product."

"The licensing is well-designed because it's already included in some packages with NetApp storage. Therefore, for most customers, it's okay as the SnapCenter license is already included in some NetApp bundles."

"It comes free with the amount of equipment we purchase from NetApp. In terms of pricing, zero is my favorite number."

"The license for SnapCenter was included with the storage array."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

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

"The price of the solution is very good."

"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."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	9
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 NetApp SnapCenter?

The product team handles the commercial aspects of pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp SnapCenter?

We have not started much with the automation capability in NetApp SnapCenter. Regarding the integration aspect, I am not certain about its complexity, as this was built by the OEM NetApp team.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for NetApp SnapCenter?

The major use case for NetApp SnapCenter is that our customer previously used Commvault. For huge VMs with sizes of five TB or 10 TB, taking the file level backup in Commvault took a long time, oft...

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Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 10% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 8% of the time

Rubrik vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 8% of the time

HPE Zerto Software vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 6% of the time

Dell Avamar vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 5% of the time

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Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

GoodSync For Business vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs Synology DSM

Compared 4% of the time

Barracuda Backup vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NetApp SnapCenter

January 2026

Download NetApp SnapCenter product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

January 2026

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

SnapCenter

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Overview

Unified, scalable platform for application-consistent data protection and clone management. This software simplifies backup, restore, and clone lifecycle management with application-integrated workflows.

NetApp

Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) is a comprehensive software platform designed for Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. It serves as the operating system for these devices, providing a wide range of features and functionalities.

The primary use case of Synology DSM is to centralize and manage data storage for organizations. It allows businesses to store, access, and share files securely across multiple devices and platforms. With its intuitive user interface, DSM simplifies the management of data, making it easy to create shared folders, set access permissions, and monitor storage usage.

One of the most valuable functionalities of Synology DSM is its robust data protection capabilities. It offers various RAID configurations, including SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which ensures data redundancy and safeguards against drive failures. DSM also supports advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions, such as Snapshot Replication and Hyper Backup, enabling organizations to protect their critical data effectively.

Furthermore, Synology DSM provides a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools. It offers applications like Synology Drive, which allows seamless file synchronization across devices, and Synology Office, a web-based suite for document editing and collaboration. DSM also supports various third-party applications, including popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, enabling organizations to integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.

Synology

Sample Customers

All for One Steeb AG, Accenture

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM

February 2026

Free Report: NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM

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