Synology requiring proprietary-branded drives to be used with its NAS

Synology Plus Series NAS devices released in 2025 onwards required the use of specific pre-approved drives to obtain full or any functionality. New non-approved drives were initially unusable,^[1] and drives migrated from older models were blocked from functions often seen as essential, including estimated drive health reports and automatic firmware updates.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The April 2025 drive restrictions sparked what became one of the most significant NAS industry controversies in years. Reporting indicated that sales were "plummeting",^[7] forcing Synology to reverse course in October 2025 before the policy could settle.

Synology manufactures and sells network-attached storage (NAS) devices, which allow users to store large amounts of data without having to sign up for cloud-based subscription services. NAS devices require drives to operate, which can be purchased from a variety of different brands, such Western Digital and Seagate. Synology also offers drives themselves, though the company doesn't manufacture its own drives, instead repackaging drives from existing vendors.^[2][5]

In February 2021, Synology released three new enterprise NAS devices. These devices were the first to follow a compatibility whitelist, where drives not listed would not be supported.^[8] Additional devices would release the following year with similar restrictions.^[9][10]

Some restrictions on unsupported drives were removed in a firmware update released in 2022,^[11] though the overall concept still remained.

Restrictions of this kind are typically more widely accepted on enterprise-level equipment, as they better ensure vendor support in most cases.^[8]

In April 2025, it was reported that NAS devices in the Plus Series would be subject to a drive compatibility whitelist similar to that seen in enterprise devices.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} This can be seen on Synology's compatibility list page. The first Plus Series NAS to incorporate such a whitelist is the DS925+, which released on May 3, 2025.^[12][13] At launch, only Synology-branded drives were supported,^[2][13] though the company pledged to later add a compatibility framework for third-party drives, and claimed that users could submit drives for testing.^[5]

Between April and July 2025, Synology released six additional Plus Series models beyond the DS925+, all subject to the initial Synology-branded drive requirement: the DS1525+, DS1825+, DS425+, DS725+, and DS225+.^{[14][15][16][17][18]}

As of June 2025, users reported that if a new unsupported drive was inserted into an affected NAS device, it would appear as unrecognized, blocking DSM installation and rendering the drive unusable.^[1] Every 2025 Plus model initially blocked DSM installation with non-Synology drives, preventing storage pool creation entirely and rendering third-party drives "useless in the new NAS systems" according to technical testing.^[19] The restrictions affected drives from WD, Seagate, and Toshiba, which are some of the same manufacturers whose drives Synology rebrands for its own HAT3300, HAT3310, and HAT5300 series.

Unsupported drives could regain some functionality by migrating from a Synology NAS device that still fully supported it,^[1][2] but several functions remained restricted that are often considered essential, including creating storage pools, drive health reports, deduplication, lifespan analyses, and automatic firmware updates.^[4][5][6]

On October 8, 2025, Synology released DSM 7.3 (version 7.3-81180), which reversed the policy for consumer models.^[20] Synology's response stated: "Synology is collaborating with drive manufacturers to expand the range of certified storage media, delivering more reliable options. In the meantime, 2025 model-year DiskStation Plus, Value, and J Series running DSM 7.3 will support installation and storage pool creation with third-party drives." The language "in the meantime" raised immediate concerns that restrictions could return in future DSM versions.^[21]

DSM 7.3 restored full functionality for third-party SATA HDDs and 2.5" SATA SSDs, including storage pool creation, SMART monitoring, health reports, deduplication, and automated firmware updates—all previously blocked or restricted. The update introduced what Synology calls "HCL 5.0 Framework" with an "unlisted but not incompatible" category, effectively opening the platform to any drive not explicitly blacklisted.^[21]

However, M.2 NVMe restrictions remain fully in place. Synology SNV3400 and SNV3410 drives are still the only options for storage pools or caching with M.2 slots, a tightened restriction compared to 2023 models. Enterprise models also maintain strict Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) enforcement, including RS+ (Rackmount Plus), XS/XS+ Series, SA Series, and others.^[22]

There is an open source project dedicated to bypassing these restrictions, although this is not officially supported and could be patched by Synology in future updates. The project remained continuously updated and fully functional throughout the restriction period, with developer Dave Russell (007revad) releasing version 3.6.111 as recently as March 4, 2025.^[23] Synology never successfully patched the bypass, instead reversing the policy entirely.

Responses to this change were overwhelmingly negative, with multiple independent sources reporting dramatic sales declines for 2025 Plus models. Guru3D stated "sales of Synology's 2025 NAS models dropped sharply in the months after the restriction was introduced."^[24] Nas Compares reported that numerous sources claimed sales were a 'fraction of the previous year,' indicating a mass rejection of the new hardware ecosystem.^[7] WebProNews estimated a 20% drop in units shipped compared to prior years.^[25]

Some speculate that the move to only supporting certified hardware was to ensure that connected drives support the features that were restricted, especially deduplication.^[26] Concerns have also been raised about shipping times and the potential for supply chain issues to affect the ability for first-party drives to remain in stock.^[27]

This change impacted potential purchasers of Synology consumer-grade NAS devices, as their ability to use third-party drives was considerably diminished, reducing choice and increasing vendor lock-in.^[5] While the October reversal restored functionality for SATA drives, it came with caveats suggesting restrictions could return, and the damage to customer trust appears substantial and potentially lasting. It is currently unclear whether this policy will affect consumer-grade NAS devices outside of the company's Plus Series in future releases.