Karandeep Singh / Android Authority
A network-attached storage (NAS) is supposed to give you an alternative to cloud storage — one that’s safer, more private, and free from monthly subscriptions. A lot of home users may still consider those strange black boxes nerd territory, but Synology wanted to make the transition easier for Google Drive users. Its own alternative, deceptively named Synology Drive, is made to offer Google Drive-like storage.
While it sounds compelling in theory and is genuinely useful in many cases, Synology’s solution didn’t feel quite there when I switched over. Google has mastered the art of making things seamless — something I sorely missed on my NAS.
Here’s how it went for me when I switched to Synology Drive — and why my fondness for Google Drive grew even more.
Would you ditch Google Drive for a self-hosted alternative? 25 votes Yes 76 % No 24 %
Synology Drive has got it all
This wasn’t the first time I tried going all-in with Synology Drive. When I first got my NAS a few years ago, I gave it a shot and came out impressed. The interface still looks quite similar to Google Drive — from the side menu and right-click options to the columned layout and shortcuts at the top. It’s clearly designed to feel familiar to anyone coming from Google Drive.
But Synology didn’t stop there — it built its own office suite to complement Drive. You get a Docs alternative, one for Slides, and one for Sheets. Of these, I use the document editor the most because that makes up most of my everyday work. I wrote a few pieces in it, and the experience was alright — it handles basic formatting well and has most of what you’d expect from Google Docs.
Synology Office even lets you share access with others — both on your local network and publicly if remote access is enabled using QuickConnect. Your collaborators can leave comments, and everyone can see each other’s cursor live. Sounds familiar, right? Synology really did try to mirror Google’s suite.
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