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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Google Drive

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Drive is a cloud file storage, synchronization, and collaboration platform and service, that features Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for document editing and presentation.

    $6

    per month

    DiskStation

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/ADiskStation is a line of network-attached storage (NAS) solutions from Synology headquartered in Taiwan.N/A
    Pricing
    Google DriveDiskStation
    Editions & Modules
    Basic
    $6.00
    per month
    Business
    $12.00
    per month
    Enterprise
    Contact Vendor for Quote
    per month
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Google DriveDiskStation
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsDiscounts are available for students, educators, and non profit organizations.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Google DriveDiskStation
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    No answer on this topic
    Synology
    Chose DiskStation
    When we were making a decision on what to go with we looked at storage capacity, extra features offered, package deals, and overall cost. When we considered Dropbox, it felt like it was too much for how much we would get and that we needed some growing to do before we moved …
    Incentivized
    Chose DiskStation
    We have evaluated the QNAP units (which have higher processor ratings, but the software isn't good), and the Western Digital NAS unit, and FreeNAS setup but none have the simplicity with their DSM software and support that Synology provides yes, being able to call Synology …
    Incentivized
    Chose DiskStation
    We transitioned from a standard Windows File Server. This solution is much cheaper. Easy to use and extremely reliable. We will be replacing our two Synology boxes in 2020 with newer versions.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    99%
    Would buy again
    120 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    29 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    114 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    29 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    117 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    29 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    81 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    26 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    99%
    Implementation went as expected
    93 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    27 Answers
    Features
    Google DriveDiskStation
    File Sharing & Management
    Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Google Drive and Synology DiskStation
    Feature
    Google Drive
    8.4
    221 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Synology DiskStation
    -
    Ratings
    Versioning8.7195 Ratings00 Ratings
    Video files7.8190 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio files8.3184 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document collaboration9.0218 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access control8.0216 Ratings00 Ratings
    File search8.1220 Ratings00 Ratings
    Device sync8.9205 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cloud Storage Security & Administration
    Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Google Drive and Synology DiskStation
    Feature
    Google Drive
    8.6
    215 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Synology DiskStation
    -
    Ratings
    User and role management9.0202 Ratings00 Ratings
    File organization8.0213 Ratings00 Ratings
    Device management8.799 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cloud Storage Platform
    Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Google Drive and Synology DiskStation
    Feature
    Google Drive
    8.9
    214 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Synology DiskStation
    -
    Ratings
    Performance9.2212 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reliability9.1214 Ratings00 Ratings
    Storage Reports8.587 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Google DriveDiskStation
    Small Businesses
    IDrive Online Backup and Object Storage e2
    Score9.1 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Apple iCloud
    Score8.4 out of 10
    FreeNAS
    Score5.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ownCloud
    Score9.2 out of 10
    FreeNAS
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Google DriveDiskStation
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.5
    (224 ratings)
    9.2
    (30 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    8.8
    (54 ratings)
    9.1
    (9 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (49 ratings)
    9.7
    (7 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Google DriveDiskStation
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    It is possible to share files and folders with up to 200 email addresses, as well as with persons outside the company.Use the drop-down arrow to select who may see, comment on, or change the file or folder before sending out an invitation.I am very much impressed with this feature
    Read full review
    Synology
    The Synology DiskStation is well suited as a NAS solution, easy enough to mirror a Windows file server shares setup. Access to the Hyperbackup utility eliminates the need to purchase a tape backup solution. A portable USB drive can be used as the initial backup target. For air gap purposes can connect Hyperbackup to the various cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, GCP to copy backup data there. Utilizing it as a backup solution has also been great, instead of purchasing a tape solution, tapes and an offsite tape repository. Active Backup for Business is another excellent backup utility for physical servers, VMWare virtual machines, etc. Restoring files is fairly intuitive. Until Synology introduced the dual controller setup, using it as a SAN was less appropriate as there was occasional downtime when the controller had an issue but this was less important for the scenarios we were using it for. It would be more of a concern if we had used it for things that require more robust uptime requirements. Overall we are happy with the features of the Synology DiskStation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • Any user with access can store a file using different platforms like Android, IOS, Windows, or Ubuntu (Desktop version)
    • You can share files with any number of different users with different access rights or you can even keep it public by providing the access link and assign different rights for public access
    • You can open Excel/Word files using google software Sheets/Docs in the browser environment without having to install software like Microsoft Office etc on your Windows OS
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Synology
    • Synology DiskStation offers lots of options for creating links to share files or request that some uploads files. It makes it really easy to just share a link that can have an expiration or a set number of times it is accessed.
    • We always had enough storage on our Synology DiskStation, we never had to worry about something being too big to upload or share.
    • Love how you can create folders that are shared and also have some that are private. This makes it so easy to have shared collaborations with coworkers or clients, but also allows you to have a private place to save things that only you need.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • Having a little bit more control and clarity over what is shared and how it is shared would be a useful improvement.
    • Could be more robust and flexible as far as assigning restrictions.
    • Google Sheets could be enhanced because Excel really is not there yet as a product with equal capabilities as there are still quite a few limitations to the functionality.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Synology
    • While BTRFS is a more advanced file system than ext4, it also is in a perpetual state of development, with many features not fully functional and a plethora of bugs. Synology has managed to overcome many of these limitations by placing BTRFS on top of a LVM, but there are much better file systems that Synology could have used, such as OpenZFS.
    • DSM's built-in backup software, HyperBackup, while robust, oftentimes runs into issues. Specifically, backups can be working fine for months or years, and then suddenly the backups will fail. Sometimes these failures can be resolved, but oftentimes the backups need to be completely restarted. Fortunately, even when the backup fails, the existing backups are still accessible, it is just that new backups can not be performed.
    • The underlying Linux OS provides significant benefits, but also adds a fair amount of complexity. Most of that complexity is wonderfully hidden by the DSM interface, but when certain problems arise, delving into the Linux command line is not out of the question.
    • Perhaps the biggest issue with Synology DiskStation is Synology's support. The issue isn't that the support is bad, but it can be frustratingly slow when dealing with a major issue. Synology does have a very active community that is always willing to help, but nothing beats first-party support.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    It's perfect for me. It keeps things saved and is easy to remove items if needed. Also, I very much enjoy the formatting options. Along with the integrations it has for SSO. Overall, this is the most user friendly system I have ever come across.
    Read full review
    Synology
    As long as Synology give us support for our hard drivers we will not change. I know Synology has now forced their hands to buy their own hard drivers and their new line of products. But if we still have support for old hard drivers from other manufacturers then we will still use Synology Nas. Otherwise we change manufacturers
    Read full review
    Usability
    Google
    It's easy enough to use for computer users of all ages and skill levels. I am an advanced user, and I think the hardest part might be showing someone how to download and set up the app on their device if they weren't too familiar with computers, but overall it is very easy to understand.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Synology
    The Synology DiskStation is easy to set up and manage. The interface is clean and features are well documented. These units are reliable and can be set up to do scheduled integrity checks so failures can be mitigated before they halt business operations. The available packages for expanded roles makes these devices versatile.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Google
    Always available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Synology
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Google
    The documents load fairly quickly and also update in real time, especially given the fact that multiple people can be using it at once. The "Offline" feature works great to allow the user to make edits and access the document without access to the internet, and then sync changes later once they're back.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Synology
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Google
    It takes a few days for customer support to get back to you. Although, I have not had to use support too often. Once you get an email back, they are very thorough and work hard to fix the problem quickly. It is a really great resource and a great way to get the help you need if you're stuck. A phone call also works quickly but you have to call during specific times.
    Read full review
    Synology
    Unfortunately, the one time I've had to reach out to DiskStation support, it did not go well. My NAS appliance wasn't appearing on the network, and no matter what the support team tried, they could not get it back online. Instead of offering to send me a new unit, they told me to go buy a new one - obviously, this was a disappointing response and not very eco-friendly either! Fortunately, through some internet research of my own, and some ingenuity, I figured out I could restore my NAS to factory settings by removing all the drives and resetting. Only then did I realize I had a bad disk. I had to experiment for a while to figure out which one it was. Once I had done that, though, I was able to get the latest DiskStation loaded back on, no thanks to the DiskStation support crew. If notifications were rock solid, I suspect I would have caught the bad disk before it because an OS problem, but I never received a bad-disk notification.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Google
    The effective google workspace using training that my organization received and was conducted by me (as a team lead of the ICT team) was mind-blowing and as a result, our staff is performing well in terms of using the application for their daily jobs than before. Now, in my institution, all teachers and all the administrative personnel are very much interested in cloud storage facilities, in previous my institution was afraid of losing all important documents in the cloud storage. But, after having received the training they are now realized that if anyone has only one google account then he or she can use 15GB of cloud storage freely and they are now happy because now it is not necessary for anyone to carry the traditional pen drive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Synology
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Google
    It's an extremely easy software to implement, once you sign up for a google account you automatically have access to google drive with a set amount of storage space. The business or Google Suite accounts have more storage space than a regular free account, but setting up and accessing google drive is very easy in both cases
    Read full review
    Synology
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    In short, Google Drive is better for independent users who store a normal amount of stuff. OneDrive makes more sense for businesses and teams that are doing heavy-duty storage or large-scale syncing. Realistically, though, most users will fall somewhere in between the two, where either platform would meet their needs.
    Read full review
    Synology
    Synology DiskStation packs a punch with the latest and greatest feature set which goes above and beyond many other vendors. It allows for a turn-key solution to cover almost every use case in the SMB market leaving other vendors behind.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Google
    I have always been able to access
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Synology
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Google
    • It has given our operation remote capabilities
    • Easier to access and understand client's need through collaborative enviroment
    • availability to digital resources fast and easy
    • saved our operation hundreds of dollars in physical storage (both investment and maintenance)
    • our operation became easier for new staff to get onboard: small learning curve to use it
    Read full review
    Synology
    • Minimal investment in the hardware, big return on productivity
    • Streamlined IT needs, we no longer have to hire our IT vendor to assist us as regularly as we did when we were running servers
    • Productivity on the road through web access has increased productivity and billable hours for remote employees
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Google Drive Screenshots

    Screenshot of Google Drive PriorityScreenshot of Comment on Microsoft Files in Google DriveScreenshot of Shared drives