Synology, a prominent player in the network-attached storage (NAS) sector, has revealed a major policy update that will affect users of its forthcoming 2025 DiskStation Plus series. Beginning next year, new Plus series NAS models will exclusively support Synology’s own branded hard drives or third-party drives that have received direct certification from the company. This decision signifies a shift from Synology’s earlier policy, which allowed greater compatibility with well-known third-party hard drives from Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba.
Synology has been widely recognized for its user-friendly DiskStation Manager (DSM) software and dependable NAS hardware, making it a favored option for home users, businesses, and professionals. Historically, Synology NAS devices accommodated a diverse array of third-party hard drives, giving users the flexibility to select from top NAS HDDs available, such as Seagate IronWolf and WD Red.
Nevertheless, this freedom started to diminish in 2021 when Synology launched its own line of hard drives, implementing compatibility limitations on its enterprise-level NAS models. At that time, the company reassured users that consumer-oriented DiskStation models would not be affected. That assurance has now been overturned, with the 2025 Plus series ushering in a more restrictive Synology ecosystem.
As per a press release from Synology, the new Plus series NAS models will provide complete functionality and support solely with Synology-branded hard drives or third-party drives that adhere to Synology’s certification criteria. This encompasses access to essential features including:
Non-certified drives will still operate, but users may miss out on these advanced features and might encounter limited assistance from Synology’s customer support.
Synology asserts that this adjustment is aimed at “minimizing compatibility challenges while enhancing system reliability.” The firm has indicated that internal evaluations using its own drives led to a 20% reduction in support inquiries concerning storage-related problems. Over 7,000 hours of testing were performed to guarantee ideal performance and integration between Synology drives and NAS hardware.
Nevertheless, opponents contend that the true motivation lies in financial gain. By confining users to its proprietary ecosystem, Synology can escalate sales of its branded drives, which generally carry a higher price tag than third-party options. This tactic resembles strategies employed by tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, who have similarly shifted toward more stringent hardware ecosystems.
The new regulations apply only to Plus series models released in 2025 and later. Existing models such as the DiskStation DS923+, DS224+, and DS723+ will continue to be fully compatible with third-party drives. Furthermore, users transferring drives from older Synology NAS devices to a new 2025 Plus model will not initially encounter restrictions.
Enterprise-oriented XS Plus and rack-mounted models have already experienced similar limitations since 2021, so this update aligns the consumer Plus series with Synology’s overarching strategy.
This decision has generated worry among long-time Synology users and NAS aficionados. Many depend on high-capacity drives from Seagate and Western Digital for their storage requirements and are dismayed by the reduction in options. Detractors argue that this change compromises the flexibility and user empowerment that established Synology’s reputation in the first place.
“As a user of Seagate’s IronWolf and Exos drives extensively, I don’t want to be forced into selecting just one drive,” shared one user. “This appears to be a customer-unfriendly move aimed at enhancing profits at the cost of user satisfaction.”
If you intend to acquire a Synology NAS in 2025 or later, you’ll need to consider the pricing and availability
