Can it replace DSM?

[MGK]

Most in the Synology world have had their world rocked by removing or limiting third party HHD support.

As a long term Synology user who has better things to do with time than tinkering with TrueNAS or UnRaid and cares enough about data integrity and privacy to not go the Ugreen or Terramaster direction, there's really nothing else on the market but Qnap, meuh, and maybe HexOS.

Too bad it's not ready for prime time yet. I'm watching it but I have to upgrade soon, if I buy another couple Synology boxes, I'm in for another 10 years or so.

Can HexOS replace Synology DSM?

Hyperbackup
Snapshot and Replication
Immutable Snapshot
Drive encryption
Folder encryption
Detailed users permissions
Certificates management
External access
VPN server / client
Security Advisor
2FA
USB Copy
CMS
File Station
Antivirus Essential
Hardware Power
Task Scheduler
External Access / QuickConnect
Firewall
Account brute force block
SHR 1/2 equivalent
Cloud Sync
Space reclamation
Deduplication

It's a tall order, plus if it did not look like a Unix terminal it would not hurt. These functions are way more important than curated apps that can be manually installed in Docker.

What can we expect from HexOS and when

[mrbebe]

I'm in a similar situation and I'm curious about this as well. For me it's not as much about the when but more the what.

[Sonic]

The thing is, DSM really holds up well in terms of functionality, stability, and ease of use. When it comes to hardware, Synology is lagging behind, and it’s clearly moving toward a more closed ecosystem. But no other player has quite managed to match Synology’s level when it comes to software. TrueNAS and Unraid are both very solid, but neither is as user-friendly as DSM. HexOS is still in beta, and even after the 1.0 release, it will take time before it reaches feature parity with DSM.

This video mentions a few alternatives, but if QNAP is off the table for you, things start getting tricky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSkO1bdXLyg

Ultimately, what you should do really depends on how much effort you're willing to put into switching systems. If you’re not up for that, there’s nothing wrong with paying the "Synology tax" and accepting that you're tied to Synology drives. In return, you get a DSM system that’ll likely serve you well for years.

I’ve had a Synology running in my network for over 15 years, and it just does what it’s supposed to. My most important data still lives on it. Let me be clear: I’m definitely not happy with their recent direction. I think they’ve abandoned part of their user base with flimsy arguments—no 10GbE, Synology-only drives, EOL hardware. That criticism is everywhere on YouTube right now. But on the flip side, no one’s forcing you to buy Synology. If you want the DSM appliance experience and you're okay with Synology’s quirks, it can still be a solid choice.

Personally, I’m very disappointed with Synology’s 2025 releases. I was hoping for a lot more. But if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t rule out buying another Synology in the future. That would be strictly for NAS and backup functionality. I haven’t used DSM for anything else in a long time. I’m really into the vision behind HexOS. It’s a super promising project. But for now, it’s still a system in development, and it’s not yet a replacement for DSM when it comes to storing my most critical data.

At the end of the day, it’s about figuring out what matters most to you. In short: make your own call.