NAS Drive Compatibility

Backup & Data Recovery Software — the 2026 Encyclopedia

Every tool on this page earned its place: we cover what it actually does, what the free tier really gives you, what it costs in 2026, and which NAS situation it fits. Backup tools keep you from needing the recovery tools. The recovery tools are what you reach for when the backup did not exist. Each tool page links back to the security encyclopedia.

Backup software (7 tools)

Veeam Agent for Windows
Free up to 10 VMs; $219–$600+ per 10 VMs (2026 list)
Veeam Agent backs up Windows and NAS file shares to local disk or cloud in one agent — immutable (WORM) snapsh…
Acronis (formerly Acronis True Image)
From ~$60/yr (single PC); bundle tiers up to ~$250/yr for 10 devices
Acronis: image + file + cloud backup for Windows, Mac, Linux and phones. The long-running home standard — what…
Duplicati
Free (open source); optional paid 'Duplicati Cloud' hosting
Duplicati is open-source, runs natively on Synology/QNAP/Asustor/TerraMaster as a package, and does encrypted …
URBackup
Free (open source)
URBackup: free, scheduled, incremental backup that runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and NAS. The honest 2026 pict…
FreeFileBackup
Free (open source)
FreeFileBackup: free, open-source, scheduled file backup for Windows. What it does, what it cannot do, and whe…
Synology Hyper Backup
Free trial (30 days) + 7-day license on hardware ≥3 bays; paid license ~$40–$600/yr
Hyper Backup is Synology's native snapshot + replication + cloud backup tool. What 2026's 30-day free trial, 7…
QNAP HBS 3
Free base edition; paid 'HBS 3 Pro' license ~$50–$150/yr
HBS 3 is QNAP's native backup tool: NAS-to-cloud, NAS-to-NAS, PC-to-NAS. What the 2026 edition covers, what is…

Data recovery software (9 tools)

Ranked roughly by "which one should you try first": free tiers first, pro array tools last.

Recuva
Free (limited) / Recuva Pro ~$30/yr
Recuva is the free recovery tool most Windows households reach for first. What it can really find in 2026, whe…
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
Free up to 500 MB; ~$45/yr per license (2026 list)
EaseUS is the go-to paid data recovery tool for Windows households. What it recovers in 2026, how the free 500…
R-Studio
~$50–$80 one-time (personal); ~$300+ for server/enterprise tiers
R-Studio is the recovery standard for RAID, NAS, and complex file-system work. Why a household would buy it, w…
Disk Drill
Free up to 500 MB; ~$89 one-time (2026 list)
Disk Drill is the recovery tool most Mac and photo-heavy households reach for. What it does in 2026, how the 5…
DMDE
Free up to 2 GB recovered; ~$20 one-time (2026 list)
DMDE is the recovery tool you buy once for $20 and keep for years. It is the strongest free tier in the market…
Stellar Data Recovery
Free scan; ~$50–$100/yr or one-time (2026 list)
Stellar is the recovery suite that covers photos, video, and audio with a strong signature engine. What it doe…
ShadowExplorer
Free (open source)
ShadowExplorer is the free tool that recovers from Windows' own Volume Shadow Copies. If you have ever taken a…
UFS Raw
~$120 one-time (Personal edition, 2026 list)
UFS Raw is the recovery engine that understands every vendor RAID layout in existence. If your NAS array is de…
TestDisk
Free (open source)
TestDisk recovers lost partitions and unbootable disks for free. It is not a file-level recovery tool — but fo…

Dead array, drives still tick: the step-by-step (2)

When the NAS OS is gone but the disks survive — the exact sequence from "label the bays" to "rebuild on a USB dock", per vendor.

Recovering a Dead Synology SHR / SHR-2 Array
USB dock ~$30 + R-Studio ~$50–$80 (or UFS Raw ~$120)
Your Synology NAS will not boot and the drives still click. Here is the exact sequence — from 'do not re-seat …
Recovering a Dead QNAP Array
USB dock ~$30 + R-Studio ~$50–$80 (or UFS Raw ~$120)
QNAP arrays have a built-in 'HBA mode' that turns the box into a dumb disk passthrough — that feature is your …

Windows & DIY NAS platforms — their own ransomware story (4)

Storage Spaces, TrueNAS, Unraid, OpenMediaVault: same ransomware, different undo layers. Each page covers the real risks and the hardening steps for that platform.

Windows Storage Spaces
Windows license + your own disks
Storage Spaces turns a Windows box into a NAS-like storage pool. What ransomware does to it, what Windows Defe…
TrueNAS (CORE/SCALE)
Free (open source) + your own x86 hardware
TrueNAS is the self-built NAS OS for x86 hardware. What its snapshot and replication layers do against ransomw…
Unraid
Unraid license from ~$49 (Starter) to ~$109+ (2026 list) + your own hardware
Unraid's single-parity array and Docker apps are loved by home builders — and Docker is exactly where the risk…
OpenMediaVault (OMV)
Free (open source) + your own x86 hardware
OMV is the free Debian-based NAS OS for spare x86 hardware. What its snapshot story really is, and the hardeni…

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Last updated: November 2026 · As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.