Western Digital My Cloud (2013) vs Synology DiskStation DS119j (2019)

The Western Digital My Cloud Single Drive is a relatively good Home NAS for people that are willing to spend around $300. The Synology DiskStation DS119j, by contrast, is quite unremarkable and doesn't stand out in any meaningful way from other products at this price point.

In both cases, however, we recommend that you take look at some other options at the $300 and $160 budget ranges; in all likelihood you'll find some better alternatives.

If you're still interested in learning more about the Western Digital My Cloud Single Drive and Synology DiskStation DS119j, however, we wrote a summary of what we know about them:

While the Western Digital My Cloud Single Drive wasn't able to make it to the very top of any roundups from sources that perform quality hands-on testing, it still got featured in a large number of them. CNET, Expert Reviews, PCmag, TechSpot, Laptop Mag, PCWorld, Techradar, and Digital Camera World have all deemed it worthy of a place on their respective shortlists.

As for the Synology DiskStation DS119j, it wasn't able to earn a top spot in any roundups from trusted sources that conduct their own hands-on testing. Nevertheless, it managed to impress reviewers at Tech Advisor, Windows Central, and PCmag enough to make it onto their respective shortlists.

When we thoroughly analyzed their review scores, we learned that all of the sources that tested both Home NASs, including PCmag, preferred the Western Digital My Cloud Single Drive over the Synology DiskStation DS119j.

We also took a look at which sources they managed to impress the most. The Western Digital My Cloud Single Drive was liked best by CNET, which gave it a score of 8.3, while the Synology DiskStation DS119j got its highest, 8, score from Tech Advisor.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Home NASs on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Home NASs being 7.4 out of 10, whereas the Western Digital My Cloud Single Drive and Synology DiskStation DS119j managed averages of 8.0 and 7.7 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Western Digital My Cloud Single Drive vs. Synology DiskStation DS119j comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.