All Synology License Packs & Plans
Most people know Synology as a NAS manufacturer based in Taiwan, primarily producing and manufacturing network storage devices.
However, many are unaware that Synology has NO its own factories; all Synology devices are all produced by various Taiwan factories (In 2006, when I first joined Synology, one of my tasks was to inspect NAS units at these factories).
Therefore, we could treat Synology is a software company, developing OS and applications that run on network storage, turning them into private data centers for data management.
Besides, most Synology R&D are software designers, focusing on creating and maintaining various applications. When we buy a Synology NAS, we are actually purchasing the software developed by Synology.
Table of Contents
Does Synology require license?
No, running most Synology software with full function require NO license.
But Yes, those Synology software require extra license if the deployment/requirement exceeds the default capacity/preiod:
- Surveillance Station
- Synology MailPlus
- Virtual Machine Manger Pro
- Virtual DSM
- Presto File Server
- Extended Warranty Plus
If we need more than the basic default limits, we can expand the capacity through paid licenses.
Some paid licenses are perpetual and migratable. If we no longer need them, we can even sell those paid license to others. This is another unique aspect of Synology licensing plans.
Let us go though the main Synology licenses and their usage below.
Main Synology License Plans
▍Surveillance Device License ( Synology Surveillance Station License )
Default License: Synology NAS comes with 2 free default licenses for Surveillance Station. This license is also called Synology Surveillance license, Synology Surveillance Station license or camera license.
Paid License Packs: Available in 1-device, 4-device, and 8-device packs. Generally about USD 55-60 per device.
License Type: Paid Synology Surveillance license packs are global valid and perpetual. They could be migrated to another Synology NAS too. Default 2 licenses are not migratable.
Synology Surveillance Station is a software package could turns NAS into an Network Video Recorder (NVR) and Video Management System (VMS). Different Synology NAS can manage 5 to 650 network IP cameras.
If we need to manage more than 2 cameras, additional paid licenses are required. For example, to manage 7 cameras, we would need 5 additional licenses ( we could buy 5×1-device licenses or a combination of packs like 4-device plus 1-device packs ).
Default License: Supported Synology NAS models come with 5 default free email accounts for MailPlus.
Paid License Packs: 5U ( for adding 5 email accounts) and 20U (for adding 20 email accounts). Generally 1U ( 1 email account ) costs around USD 60-70.
License Type: Paid MailPlus license are global valid, perpetual and could be migrated to another Synology NAS. Default free 5 email licenses are not migratable.
MailPlus is Synology commercial mail solution, turning a Synology NAS into an on-premises mail server similar to Gmail or Outlook. It supports email access via mobile and web client, and offers migration tools for Google Workspace or Exchange. Supported Synology Model can handle 50-3500 simultaneous accounts and provide High-Availability ability.
▍Virtual Machine Manager Pro (VMM Pro)
Default License: Supported NAS models come with 1 month free use of VMM Pro.
Paid License Packs: Bind for 3-node, 7-node, with time periods of 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years. 3-node+1 year is about 150USD. If it is 7-node, the price is double, about 300USD.
License Type: Periodical Subscription. When the subscription expires, VMM Pro features will stop, leaving only basic VMM functionality. The core features include scheduled snapshots, replication, and live migration, which require a license pack to continue using Pro features.
We could treat VMM Pro is a simplified VMware alternative, suitable for commercial environments requiring frequent backups of critical virtual machines. The live migration feature currently does not support storage live migration, requiring a shutdown to transfer virtual machines to other storage.
This site SynoPower Club is also running under VMM Pro.
▍Virtual DSM ( VDSM ) License
Default License: Supported NAS model comes with one free Virtual DSM instance.
Paid License Packages: 1 instance + 3 years of vDSM updates. Generally cost around USD 150.
License Type: Permanent but with limited 3 years of vDSM software updates. After three years, if no new license key is added, Virtual DSM can still work, but its feature and security updates will cease. However, applications installed on vDSM, like Surveillance Station, will continue to update.
Virtual DSM needs to run on Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), which supported models must supporting Btrfs file system. Btrfs allows for quick snapshot and frequent backups and restores of virtual machines.
Bu this benefit, it is suitable to protect running Docker on vDSM with containers, or using it to host websites. Btrfs snapshots make it easy to backup some time point or restore to a specific time point.
SynoPower Club is also using a website running on vDSM. And all email notification are all sent from MailPlus of another vDSM.
Special Note: vDSM includes 5 free MailPlus accounts. This is its extra benefits that most doesn’t know. But if vDSM installs Surveillance Station, there is no default 2 free licenses.
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