Synology DiskStation DS225+ review

The DS225+ is the box to buy when the software matters more than the spec sheet. Synology's DSM bundles a full private cloud: Synology Drive syncs files across phones and computers with versioning, Synology Photos sorts phone backups with facial and object recognition, and Hyper Backup copies the whole system to an external drive or a cloud bucket for a proper 3-2-1 setup. Synology lists over 20 cloud connectors, so a household can keep a copy of Google Drive or OneDrive at home. The hardware is modest by 2026 standards: an Intel Celeron J4125, 2 GB of DDR4 that can grow to 6 GB, and one 2.5GbE port next to a 1GbE port. Synology rates it at up to 40 TB of raw storage. Two caveats apply. Synology only guarantees full functionality with drives on its own compatibility list, and its US site lists no price, so we mark the price as pending and suggest checking authorized retailers.

Who it is for

households that want the most complete home cloud software

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core CPU with 2 GB DDR4, expandable to 6 GB
• One 2.5GbE and one 1GbE port
• Up to 40 TB of raw storage across 2 drive bays
• Synology Photos with facial and object recognition
• Over 20 cloud sync connectors, including Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: 3-year hardware warranty, extendable by 2 years with Extended Warranty Plus
• Strength: Versioning in Synology Drive rolls back deleted or changed files
• Strength: Hyper Backup can copy the whole system to external drives or the cloud
• Weakness: Synology only guarantees full functionality with drives on its compatibility list
• Weakness: Ships with 2 GB of memory, the least of the Intel models here
• Weakness: synology.com shows no USD price, so buyers must check retailers

Key facts

• Drive bays: 2 x 3.5" SATA HDD or 2.5" SATA SSD
• CPU: Intel Celeron J4125, 4 cores
• Memory: 2 GB DDR4, up to 6 GB
• Network: 1 x 2.5GbE, 1 x 1GbE
• Warranty: 3 years

Where it ranks

Synology DiskStation DS225+ is No. 1 in our Best Personal Cloud Storage Devices verdict.