Synology vs UGREEN NAS

Choose the Synology DS225+ for a family focused on recovering photos and computer files: DSM documents photo-library restoration and versioned file backup. Choose the UGREEN DXP2800 for a media household willing to configure apps, or the DXP4800 Plus for a four-bay media workstation with 10GbE.

Documentation checked November 2, 2026.

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Quick picks: compare equal bay counts

These are manufacturer specifications, with Ethernet link rates rather than measured file-copy speeds. Compare the two-bay pair or the four-bay pair before weighing the software differences. UGREEN supplies more memory in these pairs; the DXP4800 Plus also has the fastest individual port.

Follow the workflow, including recovery

The UGREEN phone guide applies to firmware 1.18.1.0098 or later; its computer-backup reference was verified on 1.21.0.0133. Check installed versions before following menu paths. Do not confuse UGOS migration “Image Backup,” which mirrors files, with a bootable Windows disk image.

Separate file recovery from application recovery: Hyper Backup Explorer downloads files, while the Photos package restore recovers albums and recognition results.

1. 1

   Family photos and recovery

   Start with DS225+; choose DS425+ when you need more SATA bays.

2. 2

   Media and containers

   Start with DXP2800; choose DXP4800 Plus when the workstation path supports 10GbE.

3. 3

   ECC and expansion

   Choose DS925+ when its memory and expansion features are the reason to upgrade.

Synology DS225+: the family backup pick

Start here when the smaller enclosure fits your storage plan. Its decisive advantage for this recommendation is the documented Photos restore: Hyper Backup preserves photos, videos, created albums, recognition results, package settings and sharing settings.

Budget for memory if you want object recognition: the DS225+ ships with 2 GB, while that feature needs at least 4 GB. The official maximum is 6 GB, and its storage specification lists SATA bays without M.2 slots. Buy it for the recovery workflow; use the larger enclosure below if the drive count is the constraint.

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UGREEN DXP2800: the small media-household pick

The N100, 8 GB installed memory and two M.2 slots give this recommendation its hardware basis. UGREEN documents both SSD caching and a separate SSD pool, plus Docker and Plex deployment. Its official memory ceiling is 16 GB.

Follow the maker’s Plex container guide: compatible Quick Sync graphics need container access and an active Plex Pass for hardware transcoding. Confirm (hw) in playback details during a transcode. Compatible Direct Play files do not need video conversion.

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Synology DS425+: the four-bay DSM pick

Choose this to keep the DSM workflow while moving to four SATA bays and two M.2 slots. It retains the DS225+’s J4125, 2 GB starting memory and mixed 2.5GbE/1GbE ports, so the extra bays do not establish a processor upgrade.

Read past the overview: Synology’s headline describes M.2 caching, while its detailed specifications also support M.2 storage pools using Synology-verified SSDs. Object recognition still requires a memory upgrade to at least 4 GB.

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UGREEN DXP4800 Plus: the 10GbE media pick

Choose the Plus for a wired workstation: Pentium Gold 8505, 8 GB DDR5 expandable to 64 GB, and 10GbE plus 2.5GbE. Its M.2 slots can host a separate SSD pool. Plex’s configuration folder contains the database and watch history; include it in your backup plan.

The faster port needs a matching computer connection, suitable cabling, a compatible switch or direct link, and storage that can keep up. Check that path before choosing this over the smaller media pick.

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Synology DS925+: the ECC and expansion alternative

The DS925+ starts with 4 GB ECC, supports 32 GB, has dual 2.5GbE, and expands to nine SATA drives with a separately purchased DX525. Choose it when those are actual requirements. Its Ryzen V1500B has no integrated GPU: AMD’s model-specific row lists zero graphics compute units. For a hardware-transcoding priority, our Intel UGREEN picks are the more appropriate starting point.

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How we choose

Selection is based on official product specifications, support procedures and documented recovery paths, without physical testing or speed measurements. We compare matching SATA bay counts and distinguish supported procedures from unverified feature parity. A faster port is a reason to check the rest of the network; a documented restore is a reason to rehearse it. Our research method explains the wider process.

Buying guide: drives, variants and a recovery rehearsal

Third-party drives: read the model and OS together

Synology’s policy FAQ explicitly covers DSM 7.3 and above. That is the compatibility threshold, not the latest release: the DS225+ release feed also lists DSM 7.4.1.

• Yes: Third-party SATA support on the covered Synology models requires the stated DSM policy scope.
• Partly: M.2 support is a separate compatibility check, even when third-party HDDs are permitted.
• No: Cross-brand migration is not a disk swap: copy files before repurposing the source drives.

Similar names are different hardware

Budget separately for storage drives in the diskless UGREEN picks. For enclosure alternatives and RAID capacity planning, use our home NAS hub; for the network path, see Cat6 vs Cat6a vs Cat8.

Rehearse the failure you need to survive

For phone uploads, grant photo permissions and enable the relevant background options; Synology recommends charging during backup. For UGREEN, confirm originals exist on the phone: its guide warns that locally optimized files may not be originals. Synology may require Image Assistant for HEIC previews and HEVC processing. Upload a sample photo and video, then open the NAS copies before freeing phone storage.

For Windows device recovery, set up Active Backup on Btrfs, activate it with a Synology Account, install the agent and prepare recovery media; Synology recommends at least 4 GB RAM. Active Backup does not connect through QuickConnect. Test your intended recovery connection before depending on remote backup.

For UGREEN rollback, Snapshot requires Btrfs and administrator access; restoring returns a folder to its saved state. Restore overwrites current folder contents; for a shared folder, Clone makes a separate copy you can inspect first. Snapshots and RAID still need an independent backup. For USB recovery, UGREEN’s incremental mode retains deleted source files while mirror repeats deletions; test Restore from Backup File with the .ubk package and a selected version. Its external-drive task does not expose package encryption, so treat that backup as unencrypted unless separately protected.

For migration, keep Synology disks in the source, create destination users, copy files over the network and test permissions. Original photos transfer; DSM albums and face metadata do not become UGREEN Photos metadata. Retain the old NAS until an independent backup of the destination has passed a restore test.

Verdict

Choose DS225+ for the family recovery workflow, DS425+ when that workflow needs more drive bays, or DS925+ specifically for ECC and expansion. Choose DXP2800 for the smaller media setup and DXP4800 Plus for the wired workstation path. Make the final decision by restoring a sample backup and checking the exact drives and variant before committing the household library.