shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Synology Inc. Review

Depends

Should I use Synology Inc.?

Synology uniquely enables you to manage, secure, and protect your data - at the scale needed to accommodate the exponential data growth of the digital world. - synology.com

· 1 month ago

Buy if you want self-hosted storage, backup, or surveillance and have someone to patch and run it. Skip it if you want zero-admin cloud storage or balk at subscription add-ons and branded drive pricing.

Confidence

High. Based on 25 public sources: vendor pages, Reddit, SynoForum, CVE databases, case studies, and review aggregators.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Varies by model

Hardware + DSM

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • IT-comfortable SMBs self-hosting files and backups
  • Home labs and media hoarders
  • Surveillance camera deployments
  • Teams cutting Dropbox/cloud sync bills

Not for

  • Teams wanting zero-maintenance managed cloud storage
  • Anyone unwilling to patch firmware and administer hardware
  • Buyers who won't pay add-on subscriptions or branded drive prices
  • Hyperscale or SAN-grade datacenter workloads

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Exposed NAS units get brute-forced and ransomware-encrypted; patch DSM CVEs fast, never expose carelessly

medium

Hardware is one-time cost, but C2, Active Insight, and Surveillance365 add recurring subscription fees

medium

Synology-branded SSDs draw 'crazy prices' complaints versus third-party drives

medium

Routine help routes through community forums; guaranteed 24/7 response requires paid premium support

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 4.9/5 self-reported rating; 329 customer reviews and references listed
  • Wide lineup: NAS, backup appliances, surveillance, and cloud sync
  • Toyota relies on it for business continuity backup
  • Publishes advisories and operates as a CVE Numbering Authority
  • Strong enthusiast community; Drobo users migrating over

Cons

  • Deadbolt, Synolocker, Muhstik ransomware campaigns have targeted Synology NAS
  • Users complain about high Synology-branded SSD prices
  • Forum criticism of hardware stagnation and 'software hostility'
  • 24/7 premium support is a paid add-on
  • Some buyers publicly torn about committing in 2026

Sources & method

- 10 sources - Active CVE program and published advisories, but internet-exposed Synology NAS units have been recurring ransomware targets.

official x1review x4security x3news x2
  • Synology-SA-26:06 DSM, DSM vulnerabilities including CVE-2026-40530 and CVE-2026-4036, addressed via advisory
  • CVE-2025-1021, Tracked in NIST NVD; patch via DSM updates
  • CVE-2024-45539, Listed in the CVE record database

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • Varies by model

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Good hardware value; branded SSD and add-on complaints
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Guess: DSM OS widely praised for usability
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Storage, backup, surveillance, cloud, mail in one ecosystem
  • Support quality: 3/5. Community-first; 24/7 premium support costs extra
  • Security posture: 3/5. Active advisories and CNA status, but ransomware history
  • 4.9/5 User rating Self-reported on synology.com
  • 329 FeaturedCustomers reviews Customer reviews & references listed
  • April 2000 Founded Per StorageReview
  • Yes CVE Numbering Authority Runs own security advisory program

Pricing

Hardware + DSM

Varies by model

  • NAS purchased outright from Synology Store
  • DSM OS and core apps included
  • C2 cloud, Active Insight, Surveillance365 billed separately

Security

Active CVE program and published advisories, but internet-exposed Synology NAS units have been recurring ransomware targets.

  • Synology-SA-26:06 DSMDSM vulnerabilities including CVE-2026-40530 and CVE-2026-4036, addressed via advisory⁵
  • CVE-2025-1021Tracked in NIST NVD; patch via DSM updates⁶
  • CVE-2024-45539Listed in the CVE record database

What users say

Enthusiastic owner community and strong ratings, but growing grumbling about upgrade costs, branded drives, and software restrictions.

“pulled the trigger on Synology 8-Bay DiskStation”
Reddit, r/drobo
“Torn about becoming a Synology customer in 2026”
Reddit, r/synology
“Synology Lack of Hardware Innovation and Software Hostility Will Be Its Demise”
SynoForum

Companies that use it

  • Toyota⁹
  • Butler University
  • Geneva Doctors' Association (AMGe)
Full analysis

Based on 25 public sources: vendor pages, Reddit, SynoForum, CVE databases, case studies, and review aggregators.

Great self-hosted storage/backup for IT-comfortable teams; wrong pick if you want zero-maintenance cloud or won't patch hardware.

Methodology

Based on 25 public sources: vendor pages, Reddit, SynoForum, CVE databases, case studies, and review aggregators.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Synology Inc. official sitesynology.com
    official
  2. 329 Synology Inc. Customer Reviews & Referencesfeaturedcustomers.com
    review
  3. Torn about becoming a Synology customer in 2026reddit.com
    review
  4. A History of NAS Security Incidents – Deadbolt, Synolocker, Muhstiksynoforum.com
    security
  5. Synology-SA-26:06 DSM advisorysynology.com
    security
  6. CVE-2025-1021 - NIST NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  7. Synology brand SSD's and crazy pricescommunity.synology.com
    review
  8. Synology Lack of Hardware Innovation and Software Hostilitysynoforum.com
    review
  9. Toyota ensures business continuity with Synology backup solutionssynology.com
    news
  10. Synology NAS Solutions - StorageReview.comstoragereview.com
    news

Add this review to your site

This check for Synology Inc. says Depends.

Put the badge on your site.

Visitors see the independent review.

The link points here, and search engines follow it.

This is the badge visitors see on your site.

Depends Synology Inc. Independent review on Should I Use It

Paste one snippet. Keep the link as it is. A nofollow tag stops search engines from following it.

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.