Apr 28, 2025 23:00:00

Synology has released a NAS that limits storage from other companies, but the overwhelming majority of users online are switching from Synology to other companies' NAS.

Synology has announced that

it will restrict the use of third-party storage with its own NAS . On April 24, 2025 (Thursday, Japan time), the company released the DS925+ , its first personal NAS with a third-party storage restriction system. However, overseas reviewers have given the DS925+ negative reviews, and in an online survey, the overwhelming majority of respondents said they would switch from Synology to a third-party NAS.

DiskStation DS925+ | Synology Inc.
https://www.synology.com/ja-jp/products/DS925+

FAQs about Synology Storage System Drive Compatibility Policy Starting in 2025 - Synology Knowledge Center
https://kb.synology.com/ja-jp/DSM/tutorial/Drive_compatibility_policies

Synology has previously implemented a limiting system for third-party storage in its enterprise NAS systems, and on April 16, 2025, Synology's German subsidiary announced that it would also implement similar restrictions on consumer NAS systems. This means that Synology NAS systems released after 2025 will only be able to support Synology-branded HDDs and SSDs.

Synology NAS is trying to restrict the use of drives other than those certified by the company - GIGAZINE

Then, on April 24, 2025, Synology released the 4-bay NAS 'DS925+'.

When you check

the list of storage options available for the DS925+'s internal tray , you'll see a list of Synology-branded HDDs. In previous models, this list included a 'Third-Party' option, which included storage from manufacturers like Seagate, Toshiba, and Western Digital.

Only Synology brand SSDs can be installed in

the built-in M.2 slot .

Android Central, a foreign media outlet, published a review of the DS925+ on April 23, 2025, stating, 'Overall, it's a great product, but its inability to accommodate third-party storage is a major drawback.' The following warning screen appeared when Android Central installed Seagate'sIronWolf NAS HDD in the DS925+. Apparently, with the Seagate HDD installed, they couldn't even install the NAS management system DiskStation Manager (DSM) .

In addition, when NAS Compares, a NAS comparison site, contacted Synology, they received the following response: 'Using validated drives reduces the likelihood of serious disk problems by 40%' and 'Models

adopting the new HDD compatibility policy experience up to 88% fewer serious storage anomalies compared to previous models.'

Following Synology's decision to limit third-party storage, a Reddit poll was conducted asking users whether they would stick with Synology NAS or switch to another NAS brand. A total of 1,193 votes were cast, with 258 people choosing to stick with Synology products and 935 choosing to switch to another brand.

Reddit has seen numerous posts expressing dissatisfaction with Synology's past actions. The following post lists past actions such as removing the iTunes server function, significantly reducing support for USB devices, and disabling H.265 video playback. Disabling H.265 playback, which significantly reduces video file sizes, is seen as a measure to force users to store larger video files and increase the frequency of storage replacement.

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Synology partially lifts NAS storage usage restrictions, reviving support for third-party HDDs and SSDs in 2025 models - GIGAZINE