--- title: "Synology's apps are why people stay, not the hardware, and that's finally changing" url: https://daily.dev/posts/synology-s-apps-are-why-people-stay-not-the-hardware-and-that-s-finally-changing-wydamiygh source_url: https://www.xda-developers.com/synologys-apps-are-why-people-stay-not-the-hardware type: article source: "XDA Developers" published: 2026-06-09T19:35:06.004Z updated: 2026-06-09T19:35:37.535Z reading_time: 4 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Synology's apps are why people stay, not the hardware, and that's finally changing **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Synology's DiskStation Manager (DSM) remains one of the best NAS operating systems for its beginner-friendly UI, mobile apps, and broad feature set — but Synology's own hardware is increasingly hard to justify due to high prices and stripped-down transcoding support. Alternatives like OpenMediaVault paired with cheaper NAS hardware offer solid functionality at a fraction of the cost. XPEnology, a bootloader that runs DSM on unsupported hardware, lets users get the best of both worlds: Synology's polished software on more capable and affordable machines, with the author having tested it successfully on multiple devices including an Intel N100 system and a decade-old PC. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [XPEnology gave me Synology's operating system on my own hardware, and now I can't justify the official price](https://daily.dev/posts/xpenology-gave-me-synology-s-operating-system-on-my-own-hardware-and-now-i-can-t-justify-the-offici-fv0znsxkr) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I installed Synology's software on a dead NAS and it runs circles around the original](https://daily.dev/posts/i-installed-synology-s-software-on-a-dead-nas-and-it-runs-circles-around-the-original-k33cnl25y) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [I built my own Synology alternative, and the hardest part was accepting how good DSM still is](https://daily.dev/posts/i-built-my-own-synology-alternative-and-the-hardest-part-was-accepting-how-good-dsm-still-is-ko1obfoep) · XDA Developers · 4 upvotes · 0 comments - [The only reason I still recommend Synology is DSM, but even that's falling behind](https://daily.dev/posts/the-only-reason-i-still-recommend-synology-is-dsm-but-even-that-s-falling-behind-1q08ros7f) · XDA Developers · 23 upvotes · 4 comments - [Your old NAS doesn't need to die when Synology stops supporting it; here's how you can breathe new life into it](https://daily.dev/posts/your-old-nas-doesn-t-need-to-die-when-synology-stops-supporting-it-here-s-how-you-can-breathe-new-l-ujmemtvhn) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/synology-s-apps-are-why-people-stay-not-the-hardware-and-that-s-finally-changing-wydamiygh)