This is written in a blog/article format, balancing education (why licenses exist) with practical solutions (how to avoid paying for them).
You have two legitimate paths to a "license free" setup. Neither lets you run 50 cameras, but both are perfect for home or small office use. synology surveillance station license free
Don’t record 24/7. Set cameras to record only on motion. With a 4TB drive, two cameras recording motion-only can store 6+ months of footage. This is written in a blog/article format, balancing
Unlike the free default licenses, paid licenses can be deactivated and migrated to a brand-new Synology NAS if you decide to upgrade your hardware in the future. Summary Checklist Default Free Licenses Purchased Paid Licenses Quantity Usually 2 (Model dependent) 1, 4, or 8 per pack Expiration Lifetime / Perpetual Lifetime / Perpetual Subscription Fee Transferable to another NAS? No (Tied to hardware) Yes (Can be migrated) Don’t record 24/7
If your Synology has Virtual Machine Manager (Plus series models), install Windows 10 LTSC and run Blue Iris. Blue Iris costs $70 for a full license, but it supports unlimited cameras. It is actually cheaper than buying 2 Synology licenses ($100) for 4+ cameras.
You should pay if:
Synology is known for its "buy once, use forever" approach to camera licenses. Unlike subscription-based competitors, Synology Surveillance Station licenses are perpetual and transferable. Default Free Licenses (2026)