In case you haven't heard as of yet, Synology has officially reversed course on one of the most unpopular decisions it has made in many years. Earlier in 2025, the company rolled out new restrictions that limited some of its NAS models to only using Synology-branded drives. It was a move that immediately angered both home labbers and IT professionals who have historically favored Synology for flexible, reliable storage. The backlash was loud and fast, and now Synology has decided to walk it back.
From a technical and business perspective, it is not hard to see why the decision blew up. The policy essentially made third-party drives from Seagate, Western Digital, and others unusable or unsupported in higher-end models like the DS925+, DS1825+, and DS425+. It was framed as a way to ensure “compatibility and reliability,” but everyone knew what it really meant. It was hard not to see this as a total and complete money grab. Forcing customers to buy Synology’s much more expensive drives killed one of the biggest advantages of the platform and that is freedom of choice.
The result of this decision from Synology? Users simply stopped buying. Reviewers called out the company for being greedy and short-sighted, and people who were ready to upgrade started looking at QNAP, TrueNAS, or building their own setups. Quite frankly there are a world of other great NAS vendors out there as NAS devices have exploded in popularity, thanks to other vendors like Ugreen, Terramaster, and recently, Minisforum. There has never been a better time to build your own NAS or buy another brand, and Synology seems to have forgotten that. There are entire communities and hardware ecosystems designed around DIY NAS builds, and plenty of open-source software like TrueNAS Scale or Unraid that can do everything DSM can do, and probably more.
From my perspective as both an engineer and a home labber, this was a case study in how not to treat your customers. The whole appeal of Synology has always been that balance of reliability, polish, and flexibility. DSM is still one of the cleanest and most powerful NAS operating systems around, and the hardware is usually excellent. But when you start telling people they can only use your drives, that trust evaporates quickly. It’s one thing for enterprise vendors like Dell or HPE to certify components for support reasons, but Synology is a consumer and SMB brand. Those users value openness and the ability to mix and match.
The reverse decision shows that the market still has power. Enough people pushed back, and it clearly impacted sales to the point that Synology had no choice but to listen. I actually think this is a positive outcome overall. It is a reminder that competition in the NAS space is healthy. Companies can’t afford to ignore their most loyal users. The home lab and SMB community now has many options. Synology just got a crash course in that reality.
You can check out Synology's compatibility page here: Compatibility List | Synology Inc.
I’m curious how others feel about this. Does this move restore your confidence in Synology? Or has the damage already been done? For me, it is encouraging to see them correct course, but it’s also a lesson learned. Always keep your setup flexible. The more locked in you are, the less say you have when the vendor decides to change the rules.