Cloudwards.net may earn a small commission from some purchases made through our site. However, any earnings do not affect how we review services. Learn more about our editorial integrity and research process.

best cloud backup for synology

5 Best Cloud Backup For Synology in 2024: NAS Backup Providers

Synology devices are ubiquitous in offices around the world and even in homes, where they store your family’s media for easy access. Because they store such sensitive data, it’s only logical to backup your Synology devices. Finding the best cloud backup for Synology can be tricky, but don’t worry -- we’ll help you make the right decision.

Mauricio PreussAleksandar KochovskiAleksander Hougen

Written by Mauricio Preuss (CEO & Co-Founder) & Aleksandar Kochovski (Editor)

Reviewed by Aleksander Hougen (Managing Editor)

Last Updated: 2024-02-26T10:42:09+00:00

All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.

Synology DiskStations are among the most popular network-attached storage (NAS) devices in use today. You’ll find them in homes and organizations where they store massive amounts of data. However, they aren’t immune to failure. This article will help you find the best cloud backup for Synology, so you’ll never have to worry about losing all those precious files.

Key Takeaways:

  • Backing up your Synology NAS device is crucial if you want to protect your data, but choosing the right cloud backup service to do so can be hard.
  • IDrive is the best cloud backup for Synology devices, thanks to its low price and dedicated Synology backup app.
  • If you have security on your mind, Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is a good choice, as it offers both malware and ransomware protection. If you’re looking for a simpler solution, Backblaze Business can’t be beat.
  • More technically inclined users that don’t mind managing a separate cloud storage subscription, should consider CloudBerry Backup.

You may just be using your Synology NAS as a multimedia hub for the family, or you could be a large company storing sensitive project files, but whatever your use case is, you’ll want a good Synology NAS cloud backup solution. Our top choice is IDrive, but any of our top five services will serve you well.

  • 07/31/2022

    Updated to reflect a changes in IDrive’s pricing structure and new, larger free plan.

  • 05/23/2023

    Updated to remove IDrive’s discontinued free plan.

  1. 1
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    100GB - 5TB$2.95 / month(All Plans)
  2. 2
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    50GB - 1TB$3.33 / month(All Plans)
    Visit Acronis Cyber ProtectReview
  3. 3
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    Unlimited GB$7.88 / month(save 12%)(All Plans)
    Visit Backblaze for BusinessReview
  4. 4
    • :
    • :
    • : Yes but not on Basic plan (all other plans)
    • : Yes but only on Safe Backup Pro plan
    • :
    • :
    • :
    250GB - Unlimited GB$8 / month(All Plans)
  5. 5
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    • :
    1TB - Unlimited GB$1.67 / month(All Plans)

What Makes the Best Cloud Backup for Synology Devices

While there are many online backup services available, ones that offer backup for Synology devices are few and far between, and even rarer are the ones that are actually good. Here are the five best Synology cloud backup options.

  1. IDrive — Secure backup with a dedicated Synology backup app
  2. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office — NAS cloud backup service with built-in ransomware protection
  3. Backblaze Business — The best Synology NAS online backup for companies
  4. Carbonite — A simple and easy online backup option for your Synology devices 
  5. CloudBerry Backup — The best Synology backup for tech geeks

Whatever data your company stores on its NAS devices, you want it to be secure when you back it up. You want a cloud service that offers zero-knowledge encryption for the best possible security.

Plus, since you’re probably going to backup a large amount of data, it’s also important to choose an affordable cloud backup service (check out the companies that offer the largest free cloud storage). If you’re a home NAS user, IDrive is really your only backup option, as the rest are priced for business use — at least when it comes to backing up Synology devices.

Finally, you shouldn’t need a PhD in cloud tech to backup your NAS. An easy-to-use interface with plenty of accessible backup settings is ideal here, though multiple settings and a simple interface rarely go hand in hand.

The Top 5 Synology Network-Attached Storage Backup Providers

Now that you know what it takes to backup your Synology device to the cloud, let’s take a closer look at our top five cloud backup services for your network-attached storage.

1. IDrive

01_MultipleComputers_IDriveReview_DesktopApp
IDrive has a clean and intuitive interface.

More details about IDrive:

  • Pricing: 10GB free, 5TB for $69.66 per year
  • Provider website: www.idrive.com

Pros:

  • Zero-knowledge encryption
  • Synology backup app
  • Many different backup types

Cons:

  • No monthly plans

Taking the top spot in our Synology backup roundup is IDrive. It’s a zero-knowledge backup solution that folds a cloud sync folder into its backup service. IDrive is compatible with NAS, but what pushes it to first place is its dedicated Synology backup app. We have to be brief here and we can’t mention everything it can do, so check out our IDrive review to get the full picture.

IDrive offers a plethora of features for backing up and restoring your devices. For Synology users, there are two ways to backup: you can map your Synology as a drive on your network and back it up using IDrive’s image backup, or you can use the dedicated Synology app. There’s even a special courier service that delivers a Synology backup device to you, which you can then use to backup your data.

IDrive’s Synology Backup App

The best way to backup your Synology is easily the dedicated browser app, which allows you to customize your backups by creating custom schedules and multiple backups. You can also protect your data using zero-knowledge encryption and receive notifications on your automated backups. Plus, there’s a “archive cleanup” tool that removes duplicate files. 

idrive synology backup app
You can easily backup your Synology with IDrive’s Synology backup app.

IDrive is the cheapest cloud backup for Synology, with its Personal plan offering between 5TB and 100TB of backup storage and a great value for your money. This plan can backup unlimited devices for a single user.  If you’re a business owner, you might want one of the Team or Business plans, but they’re much more expensive, as you can see in our IDrive pricing guide.

Basic
  • No credit card required.
  • 10GB
Personal
  • One user, multiple computers. Plans starting from 5TB up to 100TB. Big discount for first-time signup.
  • 5TB
More plans
Team
  • 5 computers, 5 users. Starting at 5TB up to 500TB. Big discount for first-time signup.
  • 5TB
Business
  • Unlimited users, multiple computers and servers. NAS devices. 250GB storage. Starting at 250GB up to 50TB. Large discount for first-time signup.
  • 250GB

Although we couldn’t quite fit everything IDrive can do in this brief review, suffice it to say it’s one of the most secure cloud backup services for your Synology device. Plus, since it’s one of the most affordable solutions here, it’s also the most appropriate for both home users and small business owners. This, along with its dedicated Synology app is why IDrive takes the gold in this roundup.

2. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office

06_MultipleComputers_AcronisTrueImage_BackupPage
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office has a well-designed desktop client, but the tons of features clutter it up.

More details about Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office:

Pros:

  • Plenty of backup features
  • Zero-knowledge encryption
  • Malware & ransomware protection

Cons:

  • Pricing could be better

Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is a zero-knowledge backup solution that is capable of backing up your Synology NAS. Acronis software recognizes Synology devices and treats them like any other storage device, which means you can backup their contents.

Unlike most cloud backup services, Acronis boasts a worldwide server network. This bodes well for speeds — you’ll likely have a server close to your location, which means less latency during transfers. Another thing to note is that Acronis offers secure servers in locations like Switzerland and the EU, which have excellent cloud privacy laws.

Protect Your Synology Backup From Ransomware

Ransomware is scary. If you don’t believe us, read our ransomware statistics article (it’s a real eye-opener). Suffice it to say that you need to protect yourself and your Synology device from ransomware. Backups are a great way to do this, but what if you backup infected files? Acronis has the solution to this problem in the form of built-in ransomware and malware detection and protection, so infected files never get uploaded.

acronis true image try now
Acronis offers ransomware protection for your backups, but it’s not the cheapest service.

That said, Acronis isn’t the most affordable cloud backup solution out there. In fact, its Advanced plan comes with only 500GB of storage, which might not be enough for your Synology device, and at $89.99 per year, it’s way more expensive than the previous entry. If you need to backup more than that, you can get the Premium plan which comes with 1TB, but you can purchase more storage if you need it.

Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office Essentials
  • For 3 computers No-limit hard drive backup No cloud storage
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office Advanced
  • For 3 computers No-limit hard drive backup
  • 50GB
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office Premium
  • For 3 computers No-limit hard drive backup
  • 1TB
More plans
Acronis Cyber Protect Standard (Workstation)
  • No-limit hard drive backup
  • 50GB
Acronis Cyber Protect Advanced (Workstation)
  • No-limit hard drive backup
  • 50GB
Acronis Cyber Protect Backup Advanced (Workstation)
  • No-limit hard drive backup
  • 50GB
Acronis Cyber Protect Standard (Server/VM)
  • No-limit hard drive backup
  • 250GB
Acronis Cyber Protect Advanced (Server/VM)
  • No-limit hard drive backup
  • 250GB
Acronis Cyber Protect Backup Advanced (Server/VM)
  • No-limit hard drive backup
  • 250GB

Acronis’ security is strong, with zero-knowledge encryption and ransomware protection included, and access to Swiss servers means privacy is top-notch as well. However, the cost for storage is a little prohibitive for home users, so we’re only giving Acronis second place. You can read our full review of Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office for more details about the service.

3. Backblaze Business

12_MultipleComputers_BackblazeReview_DesktopApp
Backblaze Business is easy to use, but doesn’t give you too many backup options.

More details about Backblaze Business:

  • Pricing: Unlimited storage for $70 per user per year
  • Provider website: www.backblaze.com

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Flexible NAS backup pricing

Cons:

  • Flawed zero-knowledge encryption implementation
  • Lacks features

Although the consumer version of Backblaze is our second-favorite online backup service, it’s the business version that makes this list for its NAS backup capabilities. Backblaze Business is a simple backup solution without too many bells and whistles, but it’s definitely worth your while if all you need is a quick Synology backup without the hassle. You can see our opinions on the consumer service in our Backblaze review.

However, its simplicity can sometimes work against you. For example, instead of choosing which files to backup, Backblaze automatically backs up all your data and you have to choose which ones to exclude. If you need to backup your entire Synology device, though — and you probably do — then you’ll have no issues.

Flexible Storage for Your Synology NAS

Although Backblaze charges a flat per-user cost for unlimited storage on its Business plan, you’ll need to pay an additional fee to backup your Synology. Thankfully, Backblaze’s pricing is very flexible in this regard, as you only pay for the amount of storage you use. That means that if you only need to backup 500GB of Synology storage, you’re not stuck with paying for a whole 1TB plan, giving your company some much needed flexibility.

backblaze download cta
Backblaze Business is a cheap solution for small companies.

NAS backup charges notwithstanding, Backblaze Business is a very affordable service. It only charges $70 per year for each user, and if you only need to backup your Synology, you can choose to pay for a single user. This makes it affordable even for small businesses, but because of the NAS backup charges, it’s not really suitable for home users.

Backblaze Business is exceedingly easy to use, and it’s pretty affordable too. However, it comes with two major drawbacks: it charges extra for Synology backups and there is flawed zero-knowledge encryption. This step-down in security and the higher pricing is why we’re only giving Backblaze third place in this ranking.

4. Carbonite

best uk backup carbonite
Carbonite is a bare-bones cloud backup service, and that shows in its interface.

More details about Carbonite:

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Zero-knowledge encryption
  • Virtual drive

Cons:

  • Synology backup only on expensive plans
  • Lacks backup features

Taking the penultimate spot on this list is Carbonite. Like Backblaze, Carbonite offers a simple interface with very little fuss. However, only the more expensive plans support NAS backups (Synology included), and those don’t come cheap, either. Thankfully, Carbonite offers zero-knowledge encryption to keep your data secure, if your pockets are deep enough.

Unfortunately, Carbonite is even more simplistic in its design, giving you very little control over your backup. On the plus side, Carbonite offers 30-day versioning and keeps up to 12 old file versions. This means you’ll have a decent number of backups to restore if something goes awry with your Synology device.

Easily Manage Your Synology Backup Files

When you install Carbonite, it creates a virtual drive on your computer, which you can use just like any other drive. It shows the files you’ve backed up, and you can add files directly to the virtual drive to back them up, or you can choose to delete or restore data from it. Since it looks just like your regular file explorer app, it’s incredibly easy to use, even for novices.

carbonite buy now
Carbonite only allows Synology backups on its more expensive pricing plans.

Carbonite’s basic version is actually pretty affordable and comes with unlimited storage space. However, NAS backups are only available on the higher pricing tiers. The cheapest you can get is its Safe Backup Pro plan which comes with just 250GB of storage at $287.99 yearly. That’s no surprise, given the plan is geared toward business users, so it only makes sense to buy it if you’re planning on backing up several computers (read our guide on how to backup NAS).

Carbonite Personal Basic
  • Cheaper price with promo link
  • Unlimited GB
Carbonite Personal Plus
  • Unlimited GB
Carbonite Personal Prime
  • Unlimited GB
More plans
Carbonite Professional Core
  • 250GB
Carbonite Professional Power
  • 500GB
Carbonite Professional Ultimate
  • 500GB

Despite the pricing, Carbonite is one of the most secure cloud backup platforms, offering both zero-knowledge encryption and HIPAA compliance. However, we really can’t forgive its inflexible backup system, which is why we’re only giving Carbonite fourth place. Our full Carbonite review reveals a few more details, so make sure to check that out if you’re interested.

5. CloudBerry Backup

cloudberry backup AWS client
CloudBerry Backup’s desktop client will give you Y2K flashbacks, but it’s a wonderful cloud backup service.

More details about CloudBerry Backup:

  • Pricing: 5TB backup for a one-time payment of $49.99
  • Provider website: www.msp360.com

Pros:

  • Zero-knowledge encryption
  • Highly customizable backups
  • Potentially very affordable

Cons:

  • Requires an additional cloud storage service to backup online
  • Complicated setup

Cloudberry Backup is a bit of an oddball here. It’s a very good backup service, offering client-side encryption and plenty of backup options to fiddle with (and yes, it can backup Synology devices, too). However, it doesn’t offer any cloud storage space. Instead, it relies on other cloud storage services, like Amazon Glacier, Google Cloud storage or even Backblaze B2.

Although it takes a while to set it up and you need a separate cloud storage subscription, CloudBerry Backup is a very capable service. It offers unlimited versioning, disk imaging, block-level uploading and various scheduling options for your backup, to name but a few of its features. We go over everything it can do in our CloudBerry Backup review if you want to know more.

Backup Your Synology the Way You Want

CloudBerry gives its users some of the most comprehensive backup features. There are myriad settings to tinker with, like choosing recurring or real-time backups and setting specific backup times and scheduled pausing. Along with the ability to choose which cloud storage service hosts your files, this makes for an incredibly flexible backup solution.

cloudberry backup download
CloudBerry gives you a ton of flexibility, but it’s complicated to set up.

Although IDrive is the cheapest option out of the box, CloudBerry has the potential to be even cheaper if you opt for dirt-cheap Amazon Glacier backup storage. There’s a one-time fee to purchase a CloudBerry license, plus a small annual maintenance fee. However, you can only backup 5TB of storage with the Desktop Pro version — if you need unlimited storage space, you’ll need to pay up for CloudBerry Ultimate.

Desktop Backup Free
  • 200GB
Desktop Backup (Linux)
  • $6 annual maintenance fee
  • 5TB
More plans
Desktop Backup (macOS)
  • $6 annual maintenance fee
  • Unlimited GB
Linux Server
  • $16 annual maintenance fee
  • 5TB
Linux Ultimate
  • $30 annual maintenance fee
  • Unlimited GB
Backup VM Edition
  • 2 sockets included ($89.99 per socket)
  • Unlimited GB

Overall, CloudBerry Backup is extremely capable. It encrypts your files before uploading them, so it’s super secure, plus it is potentially very cheap. However, it’s not for everyone. Most folks don’t want to get an additional cloud storage subscription, and its interface looks incredibly dated. We’d rank it higher, but because of its complex setup, we can’t in good faith give it anything other than fifth place.

Final Thoughts

Synology DiskStations are good for storing large amounts of data, and backing them up is just as important as backing up your personal computers. It’s unfortunate that there aren’t many good backup apps that cater to the needs of Synology users. IDrive is a low-cost Synology backup service that’ll get the job done easily, but you can rely on our other choices just as well.

Did we help you find the right backup for your Synology? Have you tried any of the services we chose? Feel free to share any thoughts or comments you may have below, and thanks for reading!

FAQ

  • Backing up your Synology isn’t any harder than backing up your computer. Most services let you simply choose your Synology device as a backup source, as long as your computer is connected to it.

  • IDrive is the best choice for backing up your Synology. It’s cheap, has lots of features to play around with and comes with a special app made for backing up Synology network-attached storage devices.

  • Backblaze does work with Synology, but you can’t backup your NAS with its consumer version. Instead, you’ll have to purchase a Backblaze Business subscription — but don’t worry, it’s just as cheap as the regular Backblaze for a single user.

  • With most cloud backup services, restoring your Synology is as simple as selecting your backed-up files and choosing your Synology device as the destination.

↑ Top