Certified Overspending: Synology is known for its NAS appliances (network-attached storage) and other related products. While the company doesn’t manufacture its own disk drives, it is now selling a “certified” line of HDDs for “maximum” reliability and compatibility.

The next high-end NAS line from Synology will require the use of the company’s branded hard disk drives. The manufacturer announced the change in a recent press release, stating it will increasingly rely on a proprietary ecosystem for upcoming storage products. This new requirement will affect NAS models in the Plus series launching in 2025 and beyond, Synology said.

NAS appliances using Synology-branded hard drives will reportedly offer customers several benefits, including higher performance, improved reliability, and more efficient support. However, the Plus Series line of 3.5-inch HDDs are essentially standard drives sourced from established manufacturers like Toshiba and Seagate. These drives use conventional magnetic recording technology to ensure consistent performance during I/O operations.

Plus series NAS models released before 2025 will remain compatible with traditional, non-certified hard drives – though this does not apply to XS Plus or rack-mounted models. Even hard drives already in use with older Plus NAS appliances should continue to function “without restrictions,” but they may lose access to certain features in the future.

Some of these restrictions include the inability to create storage pools and the loss of access to official support. Synology has indicated it will not assist customers using “incompatible” storage media. Additional features that will soon be limited to Synology-branded drives include volume-wide deduplication, lifespan analysis, and automated firmware updates.

Also see: QNAP and Synology buying recommendations in our Best Storage 2025 list

Synology has confirmed the need for branded drives, stating that its “Product Compatibility List” will be updated with additional hard drive models. These drives have been “thoroughly vetted” through extensive testing and a rigorous validation process designed to minimize failures and compatibility issues over time.

Customers will also be able to submit third-party drives for testing, offering a chance for those units to meet Synology’s “stringent” standards and be validated for use. This, the company believes, provides a flexible enough ecosystem for users unwilling to pay a premium for Synology-branded drives, though the company presents this new proprietary approach as a significant improvement for the sake of reliability.