Synology NAS vs WD My Cloud NAS.
Which One is Better for Your Home or Business?
NAS stands for network-attached storage, which is a device that connects to your home or business network and provides centralized storage for your files, backups, media, and more. NAS devices can also run various applications and services, such as cloud sync, video streaming, data protection, and remote access.
There are many NAS brands and models on the market, but two of the most popular ones are Synology and WD My Cloud. Both of them offer a range of products for different needs and budgets, from entry-level to high-end. But how do they compare in terms of features, performance, reliability, and value? In this article, we will take a closer look at both Synology and WD My Cloud NAS devices and help you decide which one is better for your home or business.
Features
Synology and WD My Cloud both offer a variety of features that make them more than just storage devices. Some of the common features that they share are:
- Web-based user interface that allows you to manage your NAS from any browser
- Mobile apps that let you access your files, stream media, backup photos, and more from your smartphone or tablet
- Cloud sync that enables you to sync your files across multiple devices and cloud services
- Data protection that includes RAID configurations, snapshots, backups, and encryption
- Multimedia support that allows you to stream music, videos, and photos to your TV, computer, or mobile device
- Remote access that lets you access your NAS from anywhere with an internet connection
However, there are also some differences in the features that Synology and WD My Cloud offer. Some of the features that Synology has but WD My Cloud lacks are:
- DiskStation Manager (DSM), which is the operating system that runs on Synology NAS devices. DSM is widely regarded as one of the best NAS operating systems in the industry, as it offers a user-friendly interface, a rich set of applications, and frequent updates.
https://www.synology.com/img/dsm/overview/dsm_7_2_is_here_ui.png
- Synology Package Center, which is the app store that allows you to install various packages on your Synology NAS. These packages include productivity tools, security software, media servers, backup solutions, and more. You can also find third-party packages from other developers and communities.
https://kb.synology.com/helpfile/SRM/1.3.1/online_img/common/open_package_center.png
- Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), which is a proprietary RAID technology that optimizes the use of your disk space and allows you to easily expand your storage capacity by adding or replacing disks.
https://kb.synology.com/_images/tutorials/whats_Synology_Hybrid_RAID/0.jpg
- Btrfs file system, which is a modern file system that offers advanced features such as data integrity checks, snapshots, compression, deduplication, and self-healing.
https://kb.synology.com/_images/autogen/What_was_the_RAID_implementation_for_Btrfs_File_System_on_SynologyNAS/2.png
- Synology Drive, which is a unified file management solution that integrates your NAS with your PC and mobile devices. You can sync files across devices, share files with others, collaborate on documents online, and access previous versions of files.
https://global.synologydownload.com/download/Package/img/SynologyDrive/3.3.1-25084/thumb_256.png
- Synology Moments, which is a photo management solution that uses artificial intelligence to organize your photos by faces, places, subjects, and more. You can also edit photos online, create albums and slideshows, and share photos with others.
https://kb.synology.com/_images/autogen/What_can_I_do_if_Moments_doesnt_show_photos_and_videos_properly/2.png
- Synology Office, which is an online office suite that allows you to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on your NAS. You can also collaborate with others in real time, comment on files, and track changes.
https://global.synologydownload.com/download/Package/img/Office/3.5.3-20115/spreadsheet_1606383176_2.png
Some of the features that WD My Cloud has but Synology lacks are:
- Plex Media Server integration, which allows you to stream your media files to any device with Plex installed. Plex also offers metadata fetching, transcoding, subtitles support, and more.
https://www.westerndigital.com/content/dam/store/en-us/assets/features/plex_feature2.jpg.thumb.1280.1280.png
- WD Discovery software, which allows you to easily set up your WD My Cloud NAS on your PC or Mac. You can also access your files from your computer without using a web browser.
https://img.informer.com/p5/wd-discovery-v3.3-storage-tab.png
- WD SmartWare Pro software, which allows you to backup your PC or Mac files to your WD My Cloud NAS or to a cloud service such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
https://cdn.lo4d.com/t/screenshot/full/wd-smartware.webp
- WD Red drives, which are specially designed for NAS use. They offer high performance, reliability, and compatibility with most NAS devices.
Performance
Performance is another important factor to consider when choosing a NAS device. It depends on various factors such as hardware specifications, network speed, and workload type.
Synology and WD My Cloud both offer different models with different hardware specifications such as CPU, RAM, disk capacity, and ports. Generally speaking, Synology tends to have higher-end models with more powerful CPUs, more RAM, and more ports than WD My Cloud. For example, the Synology DS920+ has a quad-core Intel Celeron J4125 CPU with 4 GB of RAM (expandable to 8 GB), while the WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra has a dual-core Marvell Armada 385 CPU with 1 GB of RAM (not expandable).
However, hardware specifications are not the only factor that affects performance. Software optimization and configuration also play a role. Synology’s DSM operating system is known for its efficiency and stability, while WD My Cloud’s operating system is sometimes criticized for its sluggishness and bugs. Synology also offers more options for tweaking your NAS settings such as network, storage, and security.
Performance also varies depending on the type of workload that you run on your NAS. For example, if you mainly use your NAS for file sharing and backup, you may not notice much difference between Synology and WD My Cloud. However, if you use your NAS for more intensive tasks such as media streaming, video transcoding, or virtualization, you may find that Synology performs better than WD My Cloud.
Reliability
Reliability is another crucial factor to consider when choosing a NAS device. It refers to how well your NAS device can protect your data from loss or corruption due to hardware failure, software error, or human error.
Synology and WD My Cloud both offer some features that can enhance the reliability of your NAS device such as RAID configurations, snapshots, backups, and encryption. However, there are also some differences in how they implement these features.
For example:
Synology offers Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), which is a proprietary RAID technology that optimizes the use of your disk space and allows you to easily expand your storage capacity by adding or replacing disks. SHR also supports mixed disk sizes and automatic RAID level migration. WD My Cloud does not offer a similar feature, but instead relies on standard RAID levels such as RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10.
https://kb.synology.com/_images/tutorials/whats_Synology_Hybrid_RAID/image_4.jpg
Another example is snapshots. Snapshots are point-in-time copies of your data that can help you recover from accidental deletion, modification, or ransomware attacks. Synology supports Btrfs file system, which offers native snapshot support and allows you to create and restore snapshots in seconds. WD My Cloud does not support Btrfs file system, but instead uses NTFS or EXT4 file systems, which require third-party software to create and restore snapshots.
https://www.synology.com/img/dsm/snapshot_replication/banner_notebook_snapshot_replication.png
Another example is backups. Backups are copies of your data that can help you recover from disk failure, disaster, or theft.
Synology offers various backup solutions such as Hyper Backup. Hyper Backup allows you to backup your data to local, remote, or cloud destinations with deduplication, compression, encryption, and versioning.
https://www.synology.com/img/dsm/hyper_backup/extensive_backup_destinations.png
WD My Cloud offers WD SmartWare Pro software. Smartware allows you to backup your data to your WD My Cloud NAS or to a cloud service such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
https://cdn.lo4d.com/t/screenshot/full/wd-smartware.webp
Another example is encryption, which is a method of securing your data from unauthorized access or theft. Synology supports AES-256 encryption for both shared folders and external devices. You can also encrypt your backups with Hyper Backup. WD My Cloud supports AES-256 encryption for shared folders only. You cannot encrypt your backups with WD SmartWare Pro software.
Value
Value is the final factor to consider when choosing a NAS device. It refers to how much benefit you get from your NAS device compared to how much you pay for it.
Synology and WD My Cloud both offer different models with different prices depending on their features and specifications. Generally speaking, Synology tends to be more expensive than WD My Cloud. However, Synology offers more features, performance, reliability, and value.
For example:
| The Synology DS920+ costs around $550 without disks, while the WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra costs around $150 without disks. However, the Synology DS920+ offers more features such as DSM operating system, Package Center, SHR technology, Btrfs file system, Synology Drive, Synology Moments, Synology Office, and more. It also offers better performance with a quad-core CPU, 4 GB of RAM (expandable to 8 GB), and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. It also offers better reliability with native snapshot support, Hyper Backup solution, and AES-256 encryption for both shared folders and external devices. |
 
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| The WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra offers fewer features such as Plex Media Server integration, WD Discovery software, WD SmartWare Pro software, and WD Red drives. It also offers lower performance with a dual-core CPU, 1 GB of RAM (not expandable), and one Gigabit Ethernet port. It also offers lower reliability with no native snapshot support, no backup encryption option, and AES-256 encryption for shared folders only. |
 
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Of course, the value of a NAS device depends on your personal needs and preferences. You may find that WD My Cloud meets your requirements and budget better than Synology. Or you may find that Synology offers more benefits and value than WD My Cloud.
Conclusion
Synology and WD My Cloud are both popular NAS brands. They both offer a range of products for different needs and budgets. Both of them offer some common features such as web-based user interface, mobile apps, cloud sync, data protection, multimedia support, and remote access.
However, there are also some significant differences in the features, performance, reliability, and value that they offer. Synology has an edge over WD My Cloud in terms of features. It offers a more user-friendly and powerful operating system, a richer set of applications, and a more flexible and efficient RAID technology. It also offeres a more advanced file system, and more online services. The NAS also has an edge over WD My Cloud in terms of performance. Synology offers higher-end models with more powerful hardware and more software optimization. It also has an edge over WD My Cloud in terms of reliability. Synology offers native snapshot support, more backup options, and more encryption options.
| Feature | Synology NAS | WD My Cloud NAS |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | DiskStation Manager (DSM) | My Cloud OS 5 |
| File system | Btrfs or ext4 | ext4 |
| RAID support | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud sync | Yes | Yes |
| Apps and services | Over 100 apps available | Limited apps available |
| Security | AES 256-bit encryption, firewall, antivirus, 2-factor authentication, etc. | AES 256-bit encryption, antivirus, etc. |
| Price | Higher than WD My Cloud NAS | Lower than Synology NAS |
As you can see, Synology NAS has more advantages than WD My Cloud NAS in terms of features, functionality, and security. However, WD My Cloud NAS is cheaper and simpler to use. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your needs and budget.
WD My Cloud has some advantages over Synology in terms of price.
It offers lower-cost models with less features and specifications. My Cloud also has some advantages over Synology in terms of integration with Plex Media Server. Plex is a popular media streaming service. WD My Cloud also has some advantages over Synology in terms of compatibility with WD Red drives. Red drives are specially designed for NAS use.
Ultimately, the choice between Synology and WD My Cloud depends on your personal needs and preferences. You should consider what features, performance, reliability, and value you are looking for in a NAS device. Compare the models that suit your budget. Also, read some reviews and benchmarks that can give you a more detailed and objective comparison of the two brands.
We hope that this article has helped you understand the differences between Synology and WD My Cloud NAS devices. Also it has given you some guidance on how to choose the best one for your home or business.
If you are interested in purchasing either NAS you can support ITAcute.com by clicking here or using the links below.
