In today’s world, most of us work with an astounding amount of digital data. With countless terabytes of information at stake, it is crucial that we trust secure, fault-tolerant systems with which to store, sync, and access our important files. Luckily, companies like Synology are leading the way by providing network-attached storage (NAS) services to enable fast, easy, and centralized filing of our sensitive data. Led by their flagship products, the DiskStation and DiskStation Manager (DSM), Synology is looking to make a mark on the world of file sharing and storage virtualization.
Do you want to find out if Synology is right for you or your business? In this article, our experts review Synology and their various enterprise and consumer-level products and services. By assessing both the upside and the downside to Synology, we offer a bias-free opinion about whether they deserve your trust.
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What is Synology and How Does it Work?
Synology is an information technology company that specializes in NAS data storage and cloud-based file syncing online backup and virtualization. As one of the largest computer-based NAS manufacturers, Synology creates devices that install FTP, SMB, and AFP protocols that can communicate on their network.
For those who work in environments with large amounts of data, such as in the media or banking industries, NAS is useful because it provides centralized storage space for client computers. Through Synology login systems, multiple computers can use their servers to enjoy fault-tolerant web server systems.
Synology is also a leader in the burgeoning consumer-oriented NAS market. Now recognized as a pioneer in the home NAS space, Synology sells home appliances in small form factors and large rack-mounted cages to offer secure, network-based file storage at a low cost. Like most consumer NAS devices, they are built around the Linux operating system.
Company History
Synology Inc. was founded in 2000 by Taiwanese nationals Cheen Liao and Philip Wong. Before founding Synology, Wong and Liao were sales executives and development managers, respectively, at Microsoft. With ambitions to create their own NAS software solution, they left their jobs at Microsoft to build their proprietary operating system (OS) called Filer OS.
Four years later, Synology released its first end-to-end, fully-integrated NAS solution, the DiskStation DS-101. In 2005, Synology launched DiskStation DS-101g, their first NAS compatible with a SATA port. Since then, Synology has launched a revamped version of their DiskStation software, or a new product altogether, every year.
In less than two decades, Synology has matured into a major enterprise with over 600 employees around the world. Today, both Wong and Liao are key members of the company, where they both serve on the Board of Directors. Their most recent release occurred in October 2023, when they launched the beta version of DSM 6.2.
Product Lineup
Currently, Synology offers a host of diverse software solutions for Home, Business, and Surveillance use. However, their flagship products extend across all three sectors. The core suite of Synology products is:
- DiskStation Manager (DSM)
- DiskStation (NAS)
- RackStation
- FlashStation
- Synology Router Manager (SRM)
Synology’s main product is the DiskStation Manager (DSM), which is based on Linux architecture. The DSM is the central OS for managing DiskStation and RackStation products. Year after year, Synology releases free updates for their DSM software so users can better manage their DiskStation, RackStation and FlashStation products.
DiskStation is Synology’s primary NAS appliance. The DiskStation appliance features a tower enclosure that contains between one and twelve bays for data storage. FlashStation is a variation of DiskStation that entirely consists of flash rather than physical storage. Likewise, RackStation is another NAS variation in which all storage units are housed within a large rack cage with a dedicated power supply.
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How to Sign Up
Signing up for Synology’s software suite is a relatively straightforward process. To get started, visit the Synology homepage and select the menu in the top right-hand corner. From there, you can either select “For Home,” “For Business,” or “For Surveillance” depending on your individual needs.
We signed up for Synology’s Home services, and we opted for their “File Syncing” category of products. Once we clicked on the “File Syncing” option, we were taken to their product page where pricing options are listed for their various subscription packages. From there, use the QR codes provided on the page to install the Synology app on your mobile device.
What is Network-Attached Storage?
It’s simple: you cannot understand the value that Synology provides without first grasping what NAS is and why it is so important. In short, NAS is a type of computer data storage server and file system that is connected to a larger network of heterogeneous clients.
As a computer appliance, NAS systems are specialized computers that contain several storage drives in a single storage container. Using high-level network file sharing protocols such as AFP, SMB, and NFS, NAS systems allow computers on the network to access, share, and serve files from other servers on the network.
Although the technology was once obscure, NAS networks have become popular as a convenient means for sharing files across a network. These networks are also catching on because they offer a faster, easier, and simpler data access process than general servers.
Pricing
Synology’s products range in cost depending on performance and data storage capabilities. For your convenience, we listed some of the best-selling Synology products and their respective prices (in US dollars) below:
- Synology DS218+ ($300)
- Synology DiskStation DS418play ($430)
- Synology RT2600AC Gigabit Router ($200)
- Synology DiskStation DS1817+ ($950)
- Synology 4-Bay RackStation RS816 ($541)
- Synology Expansion Unit DX513 ($455)
Coupons and Deals
Currently, there are no coupons or deals for customers to take advantage of. However, some products are currently eligible for Amazon Prime. If you are a Prime member, we recommend taking advantage of the opportunity for free, two-day shipping on Synology products.
Should any can’t-miss deals come to our attention, we will update this page below with the details. Check back around the holiday season, as this is usually when the best savings are found on NAS hardware.
What Makes Synology Unique?
Synology features millions of active servers around the world to help their customers surmount market challenges. Today, multinational companies such as Holiday Inn use Synology to centrally manage their surveillance systems. Other major companies, like Jetstar, trust the Synology suite of products for their backup data storage and file syncing needs.
Based on our experience, we found that the Synology login features made their products stand out in comparison to most others on the market, such as those made by QNAP or Netgear. For example, Synology has the smallest form factors out of any NAS product line, and they run the quietest too.
One underappreciated aspect of Synology’s NAS products is that the RAM hardware is upgradable. This means users with 16GB of RAM can easily slot in an extra couple sticks to double their system memory capacity at 32GB for a low-cost, yet immediately noticeable improvement in performance.
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Extensibility
Synology’s DSM products are unique for their ability to allow add-on applications produced by third-parties. In the IT world, interoperability with foreign software is an increasingly rare feature, and we are thrilled to see Synology break from the trend and offer extensibility features including media streaming, timed backups, and more that are made by outside developers.
System Vulnerabilities
In 2023, a ransomware bug named “Synolocker,” infected Synology devices. The system infiltration caused an uproar within the Synology user community, as their data was held captive by hackers who demanded a 0.6 Bitcoin ransom to access their files. Fortunately, the security threat was mitigated by Synology’s support team who eventually put an end to the attack.
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Public Perception (Other Synology Reviews)
After searching high and low, we found that a variety of customer testimonials and product reviews online paint a complex picture of Synology. Although most users report having had a positive experience with Synology, there are a handful of recurring criticisms that deserve to be mentioned.
To provide you with a bias-free assessment of what others think of Synology products, we summarized numerous customer testimonials and reviews below. However, readers should note that customers often over-report negative product experiences and under-report positive ones.
Negative
Based on our research, a few prominent criticisms stand out among customers. One common thread we discovered across several reviews and Amazon feedback posts is that Synology is on the pricier side of NAS products when compared to rival brands. Also, most Synology products have the lowest hardware power out of any NAS processors.
Synology is notorious for its network-only inputs. With a Synology DiskStation, you can kiss your HDMI, Thunderbolt, USB Type-C, or Audio Input/Output goodbye. The only inputs available on DiskStation products are Ethernet and other network-related ports.
By comparison, QNAP NAS products feature USB 3.0 connectivity, all-metal designs, and a more user-friendly GUI that runs speedy and smooth. Although Synology comes up short in these departments, these shortcomings are by no means deal-breakers.
Positive
Popular product review websites tend to have positive things to say about the Synology product lineup. One leading reviewer ranked the Synology DiskStation DS218+ as the best home NAS in 2023. Their glowing review was based on DiskStation’s blazing fast speeds, durable hardware, and reliable AES-NI encryption.
Most of the positive reviews that we read had to do with Synology’s home systems. For example, the consumer-level DiskStation products were complimented across the board for their speed, ability to stream media, host websites, and support third-party apps while uses no more electricity than a few lightbulbs.
These days, how a product fares on Amazon is a sort of litmus test for determining its quality. Fortunately for Synology, DiskStation products have generating mostly positive remarks from customers and, consequently, many have amassed a high star rating. For example, the DiskStation DS216J currently enjoys a 4.5-star rating based on 359 customer reviews.
How it Compares
The Synology login times compared to rival brands, such as QNAP, are impeccable. Although you end up paying more at checkout, the amount of time and stress you will save by choosing a Synology product will end up providing you with more value in the long run.
Compared to the QNAP TS-251A, the latest DiskStation towers run nearly twice as fast. However, a lack of HDMI input makes the DS218+ feel slightly antiquated if you want to use your device for media hosting.
In our view, Synology’s NAS systems are the superior choice compared to rivals QNAP, Asustor, and Thecus, because Synology allows for greater customizability and third-party compatibility. Despite lacking an HDMI port, DiskStation systems are fantastic options for backing up computers and serving files with upgradeable CPU and RAM.
What We Think
Overall, our opinion of Synology varies from product to product. Although their primary products, the DiskStation and DSM, boast plenty of great features, we hold several reservations about some of their other releases that are either buggy or susceptible to malware such as “Synolocker.”
Ultimately, whether you should purchase a Synology NAS system or cloud storage service, such as Synology login, will depend on your needs. If you work with sensitive data across large, multi-terabyte libraries (photographer and video editors come to mind), we recommend using a Synology NAS system for added peace of mind and network security.
However, those working in more traditional industries that have not yet fully migrated to digital may not require a NAS service. For those with only one or two computers or a small number of files, popular data storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, or DropBox may be the ideal choice for you.
Before deciding on investing in a premium piece of NAS equipment, like the Synology DiskStation 6.2, consider whether NAS is right for you. If you still can’t decide, try using Google Drive for a couple of weeks—should Drive be insufficient for your needs, make the upgrade to Synology.
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