Looking for backup solutions for your Synology NAS? Did you know you have several free backup packages available in Synology Package Center? Today I want to present to you a summary of Synology backup tools with a comparison of their features.

• Active Backup for Business: Main purpose: Centralized backup to your NAS. Windows & Mac PCs, physical servers (Windows/Linux), VMs (VMware & Hyper-V), file servers (SMB/rsync), and other Synology NAS
• Hyper Backup: Main purpose: Backup of data that already lives on your NAS. Shared folders, packages, system settings to another NAS, USB drive, rsync server, or cloud (C2, S3, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
• Snapshot Replication: Main purpose: Fast local snapshots + replication. Instant point-in-time recovery and continuous replication of shared folders/LUNs to another Synology NAS.
• Active Backup for Microsoft 365: Main purpose: Backup of Microsoft 365 data. Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams.
• USB Copy: Main purpose: Simple copy to external storage. Automatic or manual copy when you plug in a USB drive or SD card.
• Cloud Sync: Main purpose: Two-way sync with public clouds. Keeping folders synchronized with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.
• Synology Drive ShareSync: Main purpose: Sync between multiple Synology NAS. Keeping the same folders in sync across several Synology devices

⭐Mariushosting Recommendation Guide

• Back up PCs, servers, virtual machines, or another Synology NAS. USE Active Backup for Business.
• Back up the NAS itself (files + packages + settings) to USB, another NAS, or the cloud. USE Hyper Backup.
• Need very fast local recovery or continuous replication between two Synology NAS. Use Snapshot Replication.
• Protect Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace accounts. Use the dedicated Active Backup packages.
• Simple USB copy or cloud folder sync. USB Copy / Cloud Sync / Drive ShareSync.

💾Recommended 3-2-1 Strategy

Use Active Backup for Business to protect endpoints, servers, VMs, and other Synology NAS.
Use Hyper Backup or Snapshot Replication to create a second copy of those backups (and of the NAS itself) to another location (second NAS, USB, or cloud).

This combination gives you a solid, free, and fully integrated backup system.

Note: I personally only use Hyper Backup as a backup solution for my system.
Note: Hyper Backup vs Active Backup for Business.