Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Which Should You Buy?

Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Which Should You Buy?

Whether you are reading this article because you’re looking to upgrade your existing Synology network attached storage system and are exploring your current options, or you’ve heard about the remarkably successful UGREEN Kickstarter and are considering it for your data, today I want to discuss which of these two brands is best suited for your long-term personal cloud storage needs. Now that the UGREEN portfolio of NAS solutions is arriving at traditional retail, it is an opportune time to compare these two NAS options in terms of price, value, hardware, software, and support. UGREEN may have been in the market for over a decade, but their experience in the NAS industry is considerably shorter. Synology, on the other hand, has nearly 25 years of experience in this industry, which will certainly reflect in their software. So let’s compare Synology and UGREEN, what they bring to the table, how they differ, and ultimately help you

NAS Solutions	NAS Solutions
+ Better Software (In almost every respect!) + Much Better Global Support Presence + More More business desirable + Larger Range of solutions – Compatibility restrictions – Underwhelming hardware (comparatively)	+ Better Hardware for Price + Flexibility to Install 3rd Party OS’ + Excellent Mobile Application + Wide accessory compatibility – Software still has beta elements – The company has a much shorter NAS Market Experience
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Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Price and Value

It will almost certainly come as no surprise to the majority of you that the Synology portfolio of NAS solutions is more expensive at practically every tier. A significant part of this is due to Synology arguably having one of the best NAS software offerings in the industry. We will delve into this later in the software section, but when you buy a Synology NAS solution, a large percentage of the cost goes directly towards the software rather than the hardware. This often leads to a perception among traditional PC buyers that the value for money in a Synology product, in terms of hardware, ends up being a bit underwhelming. Synology does provide a wide array of solutions that range from the cost-efficient to the enterprise and expensive, but even when you compare individual Synology NAS solutions against similarly profiled solutions from UGREEN, you will always end up spending more on the Synology product.

SPECIFICATION	DXP2800	DXP4800	DXP4800 PLUS	DXP6800 PRO	DXP8800 PLUS	DXP480T PLUS
Kickstarter Launch	$239.99	$359.99	$419.99	$599.99	$899.99	$479.99
MSRP	$399	$559	$699	$999	$1499	$779
Operating System	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro
CPU Model	N100	N100	8505	1235u	1235u	1235u
CPU Brand	Intel	Intel	Intel	Intel	Intel	Intel
CPU Architecture	X86 12th Gen N Series	X86 12th Gen N Series	X86 12th Gen Intel Pentium Gold	X86 12th Gen Intel Core i5	X86 12th Gen Intel Core i5	X86 12th Gen Intel Core i5
Cores/Threads	4/4	4/4	5/6	10/12	10/12	10/12
Memory (RAM)	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5
ODECC Support	Supported	Supported	Supported	Supported	Supported	Supported
Expandable RAM (max)	16GB	16GB	64GB	64GB	64GB	64GB
Flash Memory (System Disk)	eMMC 32GB	eMMC 32GB	SSD 128GB	SSD 128GB	SSD 128GB	SSD 128GB
SATA Drive Bays	2	4	4	6	8	0
M.2 SSD Drive Slots	2	2	2	2	2	4

UGREEN, on the other hand, is definitely more affordable in terms of price and value, but this comes with a caveat. During the crowdfunding campaign when UGREEN first launched their NAS series to the public, they marketed it with a substantial 40% discount, making their solutions unbeatable in terms of price—not only compared to other NAS brands in the market but also versus DIY NAS solutions. In some cases, it was impossible to buy the components to build a NAS solution cheaper than buying the UGREEN NAS directly. However, Kickstarter is crowdfunding, and many users are not comfortable engaging in this model anymore due to the lack of traditional retail assurances. Now that UGREEN NAS devices are arriving at traditional retail, they should provide these assurances, but it also means that it’s not possible to get the same level of discount that was available during the crowdfunding campaign.

That said, the proposed pricing that UGREEN has in mind for their NAS systems at traditional retail still manages to be lower than that of comparable Synology solutions of the same profile. A significant part of this is because UGREEN is clearly prioritizing the hardware. The software is still robust, and they are working on further software feature updates and services, but a larger percentage of the money you spend on a UGREEN system goes to the hardware compared to that of a Synology.

UGREEN is definitely winning in terms of cost, but what you get for your money is where things get a little more complicated.

UGREEN vs Synology NAS – Hardware

As mentioned earlier, each of these brands has a different approach towards hardware and the features their systems offer. Since UGREEN has only launched around six solutions in the first stage of their NAS rollout, there is less diversity in the types of solutions available. Their systems come in 2, 4, 6, and 8-bay SATA desktop profiles (as well as a smaller 4-bay M.2 NVMe flash system).

UGREEN 8-Bay NAS Rear Ports and Connections

These come with a choice of three CPUs: the Intel N100, 12th Gen Pentium, and 10-core i5. The systems offer a variety of connections, ranging from 2.5G and 10G networking to USB 4, Thunderbolt connectivity, and PCIe upgradability with third-party cards. They even include an SD card slot, which has become increasingly rare in recent years. Overall, for such a modest selection of solutions, you can’t fault the scale and caliber of the hardware UGREEN has rolled out across their initial range.

Synology DS1823xs+ Rear Ports and Connections

Synology, however, is a different story. Having been in the market for as long as they have, they have had plenty of time to expand their portfolio and analyze the market to understand users’ data storage requirements for both home and business use. Synology has released hundreds of NAS solutions over the 25 years they’ve been operating, many of which have been refreshed every 2 to 3 years. Currently, the brand has around 35 different active solutions in their portfolio, while simultaneously supporting a few hundred others with legacy features and firmware updates.

They have around 15 different CPU configurations spread across their range, as well as numerous accessory upgrades and expansion boxes to enhance your storage system over its lifetime. Most solutions come with either 1G Ethernet or 10G Ethernet, the latter of which costs notably more than other 10G solutions in the market. Lastly, Synology has a massive range of rackmount devices (something currently absent from UGREEN). These can be further broken down into dual-controller, redundant PSU, and highly scalable storage solutions. In recent years, Synology has shifted its focus more towards large business and enterprise solutions than home and prosumer-class devices.

This leads to some inconsistency when comparing UGREEN and Synology in terms of hardware. If you are looking for a prosumer solution in the $300 to $1,500 range in desktop form, UGREEN offers much better hardware solutions for your needs. However, if you are looking for a more modest, low-powered solution for under $300, or if you are a business-class user that needs to scale up your storage from day one to day 1000, Synology provides a wider array of solutions and better scalability through accessories and upgrades. We should also consider the subject of compatibility and support, which has been a criticism of Synology recently as they have reduced the range of officially verified storage media and PCIe upgrades compatible with their systems. This doesn’t mean you can’t use drives or PCIe upgrades not on their compatibility list, but it can often lead to using the systems in ways that don’t fully conform to how Synology advertises their product use. UGREEN, with its smaller range of accessories, doesn’t have the same level of limited support and compatibility on its verified optional add-ons for their systems.

UGREEN ACTIVE NAS SOLUTIONS	SYNOLOGY ACTIVE NAS SOLUTIONS
6 x Desktop Solutions	17 x Desktop Solutions
Zero Rackmount Solutions	25 x Rackmount Solutions

In terms of hardware for home, prosumer, and very small businesses, the UGREEN NAS gives you a lot of hardware power in a compact and well-designed chassis. However, you can’t fault Synology’s massive range of configurations, system scalability, and options for spending your budget on the perfect hardware solution.

Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Software

This is the big one! If you are going to buy your NAS server solution and intend to be fully reliant on the software it includes, you simply cannot fault the Synology platform and DSM. DSM, or DiskStation Manager, is arguably the best NAS software on the market in 2024. With an enormous range of first-party applications and services for the system software itself, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and bespoke Linux tools, Synology prioritizes their software options on their solutions. Stylizing themselves much like the Mac, UX, and GUI, the massive range of apps and services included with your Synology NAS would take ten times the length of this article to describe.

Review of the UGREEN UGOS NAS Software

UGREEN’s software, by comparison, feels significantly leaner. They have nailed down some good fundamentals, and the UGOS NAS software that UGREEN NAS devices come with feels robust, responsive, and fluid. However, with only around 20 applications currently available in its app center, many of which are still running individual beta features yet to be completed, there is really no comparison between UGOS and DSM right now. UGREEN has been constantly updating this software since the Kickstarter campaign, and they clearly have plans to add more features. In the last two months, they have integrated Docker, a first-party virtual machine tool, media streaming tools including metadata scraping, backup and synchronization tools, and system scanning tools for monitoring protection against malware and viruses. However, there are still notable gaps in their software for a modern NAS, such as the lack of two-factor authentication, write-once-read-many protection to prevent data loss from ransomware attacks, encrypted volumes, and native multi-site 3-2-1 backup options. I am confident these will be added to UGOS in the coming months and years, but for now, their absence only strengthens the argument for choosing a Synology NAS in terms of software.

Review of the Synology DSM NAS Software

The same goes for client tools for your mobile and desktop devices. UGREEN provides a single app for each platform to manage everything, while Synology offers both multi-purpose tools and individually tailored tools for each type of user and access need (such as Synology Drive, Surveillance Station applications, Synology Active Backup, and more). There are occasional wins for UGREEN over Synology, such as the UGREEN photo application, which offers a more diverse selection of AI tools and a broader range of identifying elements. However, on the whole, everything UGREEN provides in UGOS is done better and more smoothly on the Synology platform.

We also need to discuss third-party operating systems. Many users look at UGREEN NAS systems with the intent of using operating systems like Unraid and TrueNAS. UGREEN has made it clear that they will continue to support the hardware warranty of any user who chooses to use their systems with third-party operating systems, as long as these do not harm the NAS hardware (e.g., the software massively overclocks the CPU and causes damage). Synology, on the other hand, has been clear that they will not support their systems if third-party NAS software is installed, which will likely result in them being unable to support users moving forward. For many, this is a deal-breaker and is one reason why many users are drawn to UGREEN and their NAS solutions. So, bottom line: if you are buying a NAS for both its hardware and software, the Synology platform gives you much more. However, if you are purchasing a NAS solution for its hardware and plan to use third-party software, UGREEN offers considerable flexibility.

UGREEN vs Synology NAS – Support & Availability

Assessing the support provided by the manufacturer of the NAS you buy is difficult. It’s easy to find both positive and negative reviews for any brand, but these do not necessarily represent the average user experience. Comparing the support of Synology and UGREEN is also challenging because, although both companies have decent histories, this history differs significantly in relation to NAS.

At a glance, Synology is the clear favorite here. They have a proven history in the network-attached storage industry, managing security updates, supporting countless applications, and maintaining physical locations for their technical support teams across different continents. Synology has a deservedly widespread and positive reputation for their support. The same goes for purchasing a Synology solution or accessory; it is much easier to find the hardware available in your region.

UGREEN, on the other hand, is harder to pin down. Although they have been in the market for around 12 to 14 years, their focus has been largely on accessories and power supplies. It’s only in the last six months that they have made significant moves in the NAS world. They did have a range of NAS solutions before this new iteration, but these were mainly available in the East and are not comparable to a globally available solution. At the launch of the crowdfunding campaign, UGREEN only supported purchases in the US and Germany to gauge interest in their solutions and determine if there was a market for their products. This suggests a more limited level of support for their user base. They have plenty of staff and offices worldwide, but very little of this is focused solely on NAS solutions, which raises questions about the speed of their support and the global availability of their solutions compared to an established name like Synology. Looking at the comments on the UGREEN Kickstarter page, the feedback has been broadly positive, with UGREEN addressing technical concerns and questions. However, managing a Kickstarter campaign is different from supplying support and managing RMAs on a global level via traditional retail. Ultimately, I have no reason to doubt UGREEN’s commitment to their NAS solutions. Everything so far indicates they are taking this new part of their business seriously and making sensible long-term moves. But as of 2024, Synology has a larger global coverage and a longer established history of support, which is a significant advantage.

Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Conclusion

Bottom line, choosing between a UGREEN and Synology NAS solution will come down to your priorities in terms of hardware and software. Most business users will prioritize the software and services included with their NAS purchase, as well as closely observe the level of support and availability the brand offers. With its long and well-established pedigree in the field of network-attached storage, Synology is clearly the favorite for business users, who will almost certainly opt for a Synology NAS over a UGREEN one. However, the level of hardware that UGREEN offers in this first phase of their NAS portfolio is genuinely unbeatable value compared to practically every other player in the NAS market. UGREEN has been methodical in launching this product series, and everything indicates that they will continue to expand. They also support the use of third-party NAS software like Unraid and TrueNAS, which have strong reputations in the NAS software community, allowing you to use well-established software with UGREEN’s hardware.

I recommend the UGREEN NAS solution portfolio for DIY server users, home users, prosumers, and those who don’t mind a system that is a work in progress. On the other hand, I highly recommend the Synology NAS portfolio to those who want a more polished and established NAS solution, particularly for business and enterprise needs, or for those seeking a user-friendly system with reliable long-term support. Thank you for reading today’s article. More comparisons like this are available all over the site here at nascompares.com. If you want to support the work we do here and plan on purchasing a Synology or UGREEN NAS solution, please use the links below. If you intend to visit the shops listed, it really helps us out and keeps the site running! Have a fantastic week.

NAS Solutions	NAS Solutions
+ Better Software (In almost every respect!) + Much Better Global Support Presence + More More business desirable + Larger Range of solutions – Compatibility restrictions – Underwhelming hardware (comparatively)	+ Better Hardware for Price + Flexibility to Install 3rd Party OS’ + Excellent Mobile Application + Wide accessory compatibility – Software still has beta elements – The company has a much shorter NAS Market Experience
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