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Synology requiring proprietary-branded drives to be used with its NAS

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Synology Plus Series NAS devices released in 2025 onwards require the use of specific pre-approved drives to obtain full functionality. While other drives still work, functions often seen as essential, including estimated drive health reports and automatic firmware updates, are unavailable.[1][2][3][4][5]

Background[edit | edit source]

Synology manufactures and sells network-attached storage (NAS) devices, which allow users to store large amounts of data without having to sign up for cloud-based subscription services. NAS devices require drives to operate, which can be purchased from a variety of different brands, such Western Digital and Seagate. Synology also offers drives themselves, though the company doesn't manufacture its own drives, instead repackaging drives from existing vendors.[1][4]

Enterprise NAS drive lock-in[edit | edit source]

In February 2021, Synology released three new enterprise NAS devices. These devices were the first to follow a compatibility whitelist, where drives not listed would not be supported.[6] Additional devices would release the following year with similar restrictions.[7][8]

Some restrictions on unsupported drives were removed in a firmware update released in 2022,[9] though the overall concept still remained.

Restrictions of this kind are typically more widely accepted on enterprise-level equipment, as they better ensure vendor support in most cases.[6]

Plus Series devices from 2025 onward[edit | edit source]

In April 2025, it was reported that NAS devices in the Plus Series would be subject to a drive compatibility whitelist similar to that seen in enterprise devices.[1][2][3][4][5] This can be seen on Synology's compatibility list page. The first Plus Series NAS to incorporate such a whitelist is the DS925+, which released on May 3, 2025.[10][11] At launch, only Synology-branded drives were supported,[1][11] though the company pledged to later add a compatibility framework for third-party drives, and claimed that users could submit drives for testing.[4]

If a new unsupported drive is inserted into an affected NAS device, several functions are restricted that are often considered essential, including drive health reports, deduplication, lifespan analyses, and automatic firmware updates.[1][3][4][5]

The restrictions can be bypassed by migrating an affected drive from a Synology NAS device that still fully supports it.[1]

Synology claimed users would benefit from improved performance, reliability, compatibility, and support as a result of this change.[1][3][11]

Consumer response[edit | edit source]

Responses to this change have been mixed. Some speculate that the move to only supporting certified hardware is to ensure that connected drives support the features that were restricted, especially deduplication.[12] Concerns have also been raised about shipping times and the potential for supply chain issues to affect the ability for first-party drives to remain in stock.[13]

Consumer impact[edit | edit source]

This change impacts potential purchasers of Synology consumer-grade NAS devices, as their ability to use third-party drives has been considerably diminished, reducing choice and increasing vendor lock-in.[4] It is currently unclear whether this policy will affect consumer-grade NAS devices outside of the company's Plus Series.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Morales, Jowi (16 Apr 2025). "Synology requires self-branded drives for some consumer NAS systems, drops full functionality and support for third-party HDDs". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kennedy, Patrick (18 Apr 2025). "Synology Lost the Plot with Hard Drive Locking Move". ServeTheHome. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ferreira, Bruno (21 Apr 2025). "Synology Jumps The Shark And Restricts Hard Drives For Its NAS Devices". HotHardware. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Purdy, Kevin (18 Apr 2025). "Synology confirms that higher-end NAS products will require its branded drives". Ars Technica. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Davis, Wes (19 Apr 2025). "Synology is tightening restrictions on third-party NAS hard drives". The Verge. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Smith, Eric (4 Feb 2021). "Synology Launches Enterprise Hard Drive Line and Starts Locking Drives for New NASes". ServeTheHome. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ Crull, Conner (11 Feb 2022). "Synology Unverified Drive Experience". StorageReview. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ "Synology NAS and Hard Drive Compatibility in 2022 – Should I Be Worried?". NAS Compares. 2 Mar 2022. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.
  9. ↑ Smith, Lyle (22 Feb 2022). "Synology DSM 7.1 Beta Now Available". StorageReview. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ "Synology DS925+ NAS Released". NAS Compares. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Synology 2025 NAS Hard Drive and SSD Lock In Confirmed – Bye, Bye Seagate and WD". NAS Compares. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 26 Jun 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ https://linustechtips.com/topic/1609619-synology-is-implementing-drm-for-storage-drives-in-some-of-their-nas-units/
  13. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/1k7ufgf/what_happens_with_synologys_drive_lock_if_drives/
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