Ranked · Tech
Best NAS drives in 2026
The ten best NAS drives of 2026 for home backups, Plex and small offices, from Synology and UGREEN to QNAP, TerraMaster and Asustor, ranked on hardware and software.
Bitezine Editorial TeamRankings, reviews & guides 11 min read
AI generatedThe best NAS drives in 2026 give you a private cloud at home: a small box of hard drives or SSDs on your network that backs up computers, stores photo libraries, streams films with Plex or Jellyfin and replaces a monthly cloud storage bill. Synology still has the most polished software, but UGREEN, QNAP, TerraMaster and Asustor now offer faster processors, 2.5GbE or 10GbE networking and M.2 SSD slots for the money. The right network-attached storage depends on how much data you have and what you want the NAS to do besides storing files.
To build this ranking we compared independent reviews and buying guides from XDA Developers and TechRadar with the official specifications on each manufacturer's website. We weighed the operating system and apps, processor and RAM, number of drive bays, M.2 slots, network speed, expansion options, noise and value. The list covers beginner 2-bay units, powerful 4-bay NAS for media servers, an all-SSD model and a premium pick for heavy workloads. All ten are sold diskless, so budget separately for NAS-rated drives.
At a glance
#1 · Best for Home and small office backups
Synology DiskStation DS925+
The best NAS for most people
The DS925+ is a 4-bay NAS with an AMD Ryzen V1500B processor, 4GB of ECC memory expandable to 32GB and two M.2 NVMe slots for cache or storage pools. Two 2.5GbE ports double the network speed of older Plus models, and a DX525 unit expands it to nine bays. Synology DSM makes backups, photo management and remote access straightforward. It has no hardware transcoding for Plex.
- 4 drive bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots
- AMD Ryzen V1500B, ECC memory
- Dual 2.5GbE
- Expandable to 9 bays
- Synology DSM with Photos, Drive and Hyper Backup
- Bays
- 4 + 2 M.2
- Network
- 2 x 2.5GbE
- OS
- Synology DSM
- Price range
- Mid-range
#2 · Best for Value and speed
UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus
Fast 4-bay NAS for the money
UGREEN's DXP4800 Plus pairs a 12th-gen Intel Pentium Gold 8505 with 8GB of DDR5 memory, expandable to 64GB, four drive bays and two M.2 slots. It has one 10GbE and one 2.5GbE port, a 10Gbps USB-C port, an SD card reader and a 4K HDMI output. UGOS Pro includes AI photo albums and RAID 1, 5, 6 and 10. Its software is younger than Synology's.
- 10GbE and 2.5GbE ports
- Intel Pentium Gold 8505
- 8GB DDR5, up to 64GB
- 4 bays plus 2 M.2 slots
- SD card slot and HDMI
- Bays
- 4 + 2 M.2
- Network
- 10GbE + 2.5GbE
- OS
- UGOS Pro
- Price range
- Mid-range
#3 · Best for First NAS
Synology DiskStation DS225+
The best 2-bay NAS for beginners
The DS225+ is Synology's compact 2-bay Plus model with an Intel Celeron J4125, 2GB of memory expandable to 6GB and one 2.5GbE plus one 1GbE port. It runs the full DSM operating system, so it handles Time Machine and PC backups, Synology Photos and file sync with ease. There are no M.2 slots and the RAM ceiling is low.
- 2 drive bays
- Intel Celeron J4125
- 2.5GbE and 1GbE ports
- Full Synology DSM
- Quiet, compact design
- Bays
- 2
- Network
- 2.5GbE + 1GbE
- OS
- Synology DSM
- Price range
- Budget to mid-range
#4 · Best for Plex media servers
QNAP TS-464
A proven Plex and media NAS
The TS-464 uses an Intel Celeron N5095 with 8GB of RAM, expandable to 16GB, which handles 4K transcoding well. It has four bays, two M.2 NVMe slots, two 2.5GbE ports, an HDMI output and a PCIe slot for a 10GbE card. It ships with QTS 5 and can switch to the ZFS-based QuTS hero. QNAP's interface has a steeper learning curve.
- Intel Celeron N5095 with transcoding
- 8GB RAM, up to 16GB
- 2 x 2.5GbE and PCIe slot
- HDMI output
- QTS or QuTS hero (ZFS)
- Bays
- 4 + 2 M.2
- Network
- 2 x 2.5GbE
- OS
- QNAP QTS / QuTS hero
- Price range
- Mid-range
#5 · Best for Home labs and power users
TerraMaster F4-424 Max
Laptop-class power with dual 10GbE
The F4-424 Max runs a 10-core Intel Core i5-1235U with 8GB of DDR5, expandable to 64GB. It has four drive bays, two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots and two 10GbE ports that support link aggregation. XDA Developers calls it its favourite NAS for enthusiasts. TOS 7 is capable, though less refined than DSM.
- Intel Core i5-1235U
- Dual 10GbE ports
- 8GB DDR5, up to 64GB
- 2 x PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots
- TOS 7 with TRAID
- Bays
- 4 + 2 M.2
- Network
- 2 x 10GbE
- OS
- TerraMaster TOS 7
- Price range
- Upper mid-range
#6 · Best for Creators with fast workflows
Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 (AS6804T)
Packed with fast ports
The third-generation Lockerstor 4 has a quad-core AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14, 16GB of DDR5 ECC memory, expandable to 64GB, and four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots alongside four drive bays. Connectivity is outstanding: two 10GbE ports, two 5GbE ports and two 40Gbps USB4 ports. It runs Asustor's Linux-based ADM. It costs more than most 4-bay rivals.
- 2 x 10GbE and 2 x 5GbE
- 2 x USB4 40Gbps
- AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14
- 16GB DDR5 ECC, up to 64GB
- 4 x PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots
- Bays
- 4 + 4 M.2
- Network
- 2 x 10GbE, 2 x 5GbE
- OS
- Asustor ADM
- Price range
- Upper mid-range
#7 · Best for Affordable media server
UGREEN NASync DXP2800
Best budget 2-bay with an Intel chip
The DXP2800 is a compact 2-bay NAS with an Intel N100 processor, 8GB of DDR5 memory expandable to 16GB and two M.2 NVMe slots. It has a 2.5GbE port, two 10Gbps USB-C ports and a 4K HDMI output. The N100 handles media transcoding, making it an affordable Plex or Jellyfin box. There is only one network port.
- Intel N100 processor
- 8GB DDR5, up to 16GB
- 2 bays plus 2 M.2 slots
- 2.5GbE and 10Gbps USB-C
- Quiet mode around 30 dB
- Bays
- 2 + 2 M.2
- Network
- 1 x 2.5GbE
- OS
- UGOS Pro
- Price range
- Budget
#8 · Best for Simple file and photo backup
Synology DiskStation DS223j
Cheapest way into Synology
The DS223j is a low-cost 2-bay NAS with a quad-core Realtek RTD1619B ARM processor, 1GB of memory and a single 1GbE port. It runs the same DSM software as pricier models, which makes it an easy way to replace cloud storage for documents and phone photos. It is too weak for transcoding and cannot be expanded.
- 2 drive bays
- Realtek ARM processor
- Single 1GbE port
- Full Synology DSM
- Low power draw
- Bays
- 2
- Network
- 1 x 1GbE
- OS
- Synology DSM
- Price range
- Budget
#9 · Best for Silent, compact storage
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus
The best all-flash NAS
The F8 SSD Plus replaces hard drive bays with eight M.2 NVMe slots, for up to 64TB of internal flash storage. An Intel Core i3-N305 with 16GB of DDR5, expandable to 32GB, and a 10GbE port keep it fast, while the compact, SSD-only design stays quiet. There is only one Ethernet port, and SSD storage costs more per terabyte.
- 8 x M.2 NVMe slots
- Up to 64TB internal
- Intel Core i3-N305
- 10GbE port
- Compact and quiet
- Bays
- 8 M.2
- Network
- 1 x 10GbE
- OS
- TerraMaster TOS 7
- Price range
- Mid-range, plus SSD costs
#10 · Best for Small businesses and virtualisation
QNAP TVS-h674
Premium NAS for heavy workloads
The TVS-h674 is essentially a small server, with Intel Core i3 or Core i5 desktop-class processors, up to 64GB of DDR4 and six drive bays. Two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, two PCIe slots for network cards or QM2 expansion cards and 2.5GbE ports make it very flexible. It defaults to the ZFS-based QuTS hero. It is expensive and draws more power than home NAS units.
- Intel Core i3 or i5 options
- Up to 64GB RAM
- 2 x PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots
- 2 PCIe expansion slots
- QuTS hero with ZFS
- Bays
- 6 + 2 M.2
- Network
- 2 x 2.5GbE, expandable
- OS
- QNAP QuTS hero / QTS
- Price range
- Premium
How to choose
Start with capacity and redundancy. A 2-bay NAS in RAID 1 mirrors your data across two drives, which suits most homes; a 4-bay NAS in RAID 5 or SHR gives more usable space and still survives a drive failure. Remember that RAID is not a backup, so keep a second copy elsewhere. M.2 NVMe slots add fast SSD cache or storage pools, and an expansion port lets you add bays later. If you plan to buy a Synology, check its compatibility list for drives before you order.
Then match the processor and network to your use. An ARM chip like the one in the Synology DS223j is fine for file sharing and phone photo backup, but an Intel CPU with Quick Sync graphics, such as those in the UGREEN DXP2800 or QNAP TS-464, is better for Plex transcoding. Choose 2.5GbE as a minimum in 2026, and 10GbE if you edit video directly from the NAS. Finally, try the software: Synology DSM is the easiest for beginners, QNAP QTS and Asustor ADM offer more tinkering, and UGREEN's UGOS Pro is simple with strong photo features.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best NAS for home use in 2026?
+
The Synology DiskStation DS925+ is the best NAS for most homes, combining four drive bays, two M.2 SSD slots, dual 2.5GbE and Synology's easy DSM software. If you want faster networking for less, the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus adds a 10GbE port and an Intel Pentium Gold processor.
What is the best NAS for beginners?
+
The Synology DS225+ and the UGREEN NASync DXP2800 are ideal first NAS devices. Both are 2-bay units with Intel processors and 2.5GbE networking, and both have simple setup apps. If you only need basic file sharing and phone backup, the cheaper Synology DS223j also works well.
What is the best NAS for Plex?
+
Choose a NAS with an Intel processor that supports hardware transcoding. The QNAP TS-464 with its Celeron N5095, the UGREEN DXP2800 with an Intel N100 and the UGREEN DXP4800 Plus are all good Plex servers. ARM-based models like the DS223j are not suited to transcoding.
Is a NAS better than cloud storage?
+
A NAS has no monthly fee, keeps your data at home and gives much more capacity for the money over several years. Cloud storage is easier and protects against fire or theft at home. Many people use both: a NAS for everyday storage and a cloud or offsite service as the backup copy.
Synology or UGREEN: which NAS should I buy?
+
Synology offers more mature software, a long track record and a large app ecosystem, and recommends drives from its compatibility list. UGREEN usually gives faster hardware, such as 10GbE and DDR5 memory, for the money, and its UGOS Pro software is improving quickly. Pick Synology for ease and reliability, UGREEN for performance per euro.
Do NAS drives come with hard drives included?
+
Most NAS devices, including every model in this ranking, are sold diskless. You need to buy NAS-rated hard drives such as Seagate IronWolf or WD Red Plus, or SSDs, separately. Some retailers sell bundles with drives preinstalled.
What is an all-flash NAS?
+
An all-flash NAS uses only SSDs, usually M.2 NVMe drives, instead of hard drives. It is silent, compact and very fast, like the TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus with eight M.2 slots. The trade-off is a much higher cost per terabyte than hard drives.
The Synology DiskStation DS925+ is the best NAS for most homes and small offices in 2026, thanks to DSM's excellent backup and photo apps, a Ryzen processor, dual 2.5GbE and M.2 slots. The UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus is the best-value 4-bay NAS with 10GbE, and the Synology DS225+ and UGREEN DXP2800 are the best 2-bay picks for beginners. For Plex, the QNAP TS-464 is a proven choice, while power users should look at the TerraMaster F4-424 Max, Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 or QNAP TVS-h674. If you want a silent, compact all-SSD NAS, the TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus is the one to get.
How we research: We compare each product on the same criteria, using makers’ documentation, independent reviews and owner feedback, and re-check the list when products change.
Written by
Bitezine Editorial Team
Rankings, reviews & guides
Our editors research every piece from makers’ documentation, independent tests and owner reports, and update it when products change.
