The best NAS devices of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

As data storage needs have grown, local storage solutions are more important than ever. However, local storage poses risks because hard drives can fail, and this is where network-attached storage (NAS) systems come in. NAS utilizes RAID technology to distribute data across multiple drives, protecting you against drive failures and enhancing performance. With NAS, you can ensure your data remains secure and accessible, providing peace of mind in an increasingly data-driven world.

The range of NAS solutions in the market can be overwhelming. There are a lot of choices out there, and defining the best NAS is like naming the best vehicle — it depends on your needs. That said, I have a lot of experience using, advising, and setting up NAS units and can help you make the most informed purchase. In ZDNET’s latest update, we performed a thorough editorial refresh. We also added the Synology DS223, Ugreen NAS DH2300, and Synology BeeStation Plus to our recommendations.

Also: Should you invest in a NAS system at home to store your data? I did, and it’s already paying off

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What is the best NAS device right now?

Based on extensive testing, thorough research, comprehensive product review analysis, and expert opinions, my top pick for the best overall NAS device is the TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus. This exceptional NAS stands out as a powerful option, equipped with top-tier hardware, excellent supporting software, and SSDs. It offers storage capacities of up to 64TB using robust and reliable server-grade drives. I’ve pushed this system hard, and even simulated drive failures, and it took everything in its stride.

Also: The best M.2 SSDs of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

You can’t go wrong with this NAS, but at $765 for the unit alone without a gigabyte of storage, it’s not cheap. Read on to discover all of my recommendations for the best NAS devices available on the market today. Each option has been carefully selected to meet various needs and preferences, ensuring you find the perfect storage solution for your requirements.

The best NAS devices of 2026

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TerraMaster/ZDNET

The TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus is my favorite NAS overall as a fast, future-proof option for those who need top-notch reliability and performance.

Why we like it: Move over hard drives, solid state drives (SSDs) are the go-to choice for performance. While traditional spinning hard drives still excel in price and capacity, solid-state M.2 drives have proven themselves to be highly reliable.

SSDs offer significant advantages, including faster read and write speeds, greater durability, and lower power consumption. As technology advances, the price gap between SSDs and hard drives has narrowed, making them more accessible than ever. For those seeking a balance of performance and reliability, solid-state drives are undoubtedly the way to go.

The TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus is the first 8-bay, all-SSD NAS designed specifically for small businesses. Built around an N305 8-core, 8-thread processor with a turbo frequency of up to 3.4GHz, this NAS is no bigger than a hardback book, and yet delivers read and write speeds up to 1,024MB/s. This is literally a NAS that will fit into the palm of your hand.

Another advantage of using SSDs is that the unit doesn’t have a pile of spinning disks, so even with active cooling, it runs at a whisper-quiet 19dB, even under full load.

Who it’s for: This is the NAS for those who know they’re in the 21st century and that SSDs are the future of storage. Higher capacities do get more expensive than spinning HDDs, with this model coming in at $765, but the reliability and performance are exceptional.

Who should look elsewhere: Got a lot of HDDs to use? Moving a bunch of HDDs from an older unit? Need the cheapest possible storage options? Go for a NAS that uses HDDs.

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Synology

The Synology DS223 Diskstation NAS is my top choice if you want a NAS setup with compatible storage already included.

Why we like it: By far, the standout feature of any Synology NAS is the company’s exceptional DiskStation Manager (DSM) software. While the Synology hardware is on par with many other NAS offerings, the combination of hardware with DSM software makes Synology’s offerings noteworthy.

Also: We test the Synology DiskStation DS1817+ RAID

Available for $1,042, the 2-bay Synology DS223 Diskstation NAS comes with 2X 12TB Seagate IronWolf SATA drives as standard. You can use this NAS for basic storage, as a private media server, or as a means to securely and quickly share files.

Also included is Synology’s free Hyper Backup software, which allows you to back up your entire NAS or specific files and folders to most major cloud service providers. This flexible backup software provides users with enterprise-grade tools in an easy-to-understand format. This makes setting up a proper 3-2-1 backup environment a breeze, no matter what devices you’re responsible for or how many.

Who it’s for: Those in the market for business-ready NAS solutions with compatible storage included as part of the package.

Who should look elsewhere: This is a professional-grade NAS unit, and those looking for more modest desktop units should consider one of my other recommendations.

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Also: How to set up your own NAS for more reliable data backups

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Asustor/ZDNET

This Asustor AS5404T model bridges worlds in a number of ways, making it one of my favorite versatile offerings on the market.

Why we like it: This model provides four drive bays and support for four M.2 drives, enabling some very interesting performance-tiering work, both automatically and manually. There’s also an HDMI output, possibly moving this from the server closet to the family room.

The internal 8GB RAM is respectable, and ZDNET was impressed with the dual 2.5G Ethernet port. The Lockerstor 6 uses the ADM operating system with more than 200 App Central applications, including various tools, business applications, office applications, and digital home entertainment.

A common theme in the reviews of this NAS is ease of use, which, for what can be a complex network product, will be a breath of fresh air for those who are not tech experts.

Who it’s for: This $583 NAS offers the best of both worlds — HDD for raw storage capacity, and SSDs for when performance is needed.

Who should look elsewhere: Want either HDDs or SSDs? Don’t need a NAS that looks as snazzy as a gaming PC? There are other choices that will work for you.

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QNAP

If you’re on the hunt for an affordable way to enter the NAS world, check out the QNAP TS-233-US 2-Bay NAS at Walmart or Newegg.

Why we like it: QNAP has a great selection of NAS devices, and this lower-cost entry-level unit is absolutely worth consideration. At only $219 without drives, this option provides you with a way to quickly create a private cloud at home or the office.

Powered by an ARM Cortex-A55 2.0GHz processor, this NAS station can serve two valuable purposes at home. It works as a backup machine for Windows and Mac via NetBak Replicator software and Time Machine. The unit also serves as a storage system for your multimedia, including photos, videos, and important documents.

The entry-level NAS comes with 3.5-inch drive bays that are compatible with 2.5-inch drives.

Who it’s for: This is the NAS for people who’ve just realized they need one because an external drive doesn’t protect their data as well as they thought.

Who should look elsewhere: This is a modest unit, perfect for home users who want a safe backup, but not up to the demands of a hardcore user.

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Terramaster/ZDNET

TerraMaster’s F4-425 is a solid storage space at a budget-friendly price.

Why we like it: TerraMaster has once again upped its game again with the F4-425.

The user interface is clean, and the overall usage experience is solid. This one is kitted out with the processing power to support hardware-level 4K H.265 decoding, a high-speed Ethernet port, an HDMI port that lets you turn this into a media center server, and support for additional applications.

This unit also supports TRAID, a proprietary storage technology that offers up to 30% greater storage efficiency than traditional RAID without affecting redundancy and reliability.

The unit is also super silent at only 21dB, making it perfect for peaceful offices or living rooms.

This unit is totally tool-free too, and all you need to swap drives are your fingers.

Who it’s for: This $387 NAS is great for people who want a high-performance, quiet unit without the eye-watering price tag that usually accompanies that.

Who should look elsewhere: If you’re eyeing a super-budget or top-end NAS unit, this won’t be on your radar.

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Ugreen/ZDNET

Ugreen is a new kid on the block in terms of NAS systems, but they are of the same quality that I have come to expect from the company’s other products.

Why we like it: This 2-bay unit features an Intel N100 Quad-core CPU, 8GB DDR5 RAM, 2.5GbE, and a 4K HDMI port. There are even two M.2 slots, and with all bays and slots filled up, the NAS can hold up to 64TB of storage.

This $390 NAS has it all, including advanced encryption and advanced user account setup, so your data is fully protected. While it’s not the most advanced NAS on the market, this option is a great all-rounder for your backups.

Who it’s for: This is a great entry or mid-range NAS for those who have modest requirements.

Who should look elsewhere: For high-end pros, the limit of two HDD slots will be restrictive, and you’ll probably want to level up with another NAS solution.

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Best network-attached storage	Price	Bays	Storage as sold	Ethernet
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus	$765	8	Diskless	4x 1GbE ports
Synology DS223 Diskstation NAS	$1,042	2	0TB to 24TB	1 x RJ-45 1GbE LAN-Port, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port
Asustor AS5404T	$583	8	Diskless	2x 2.5GbE ports
QNAP TS-233-US 2-Bay NAS	$219	2	Diskless	1x GbE port
TerraMaster F4-425	$387	4	Diskless	1x 2.5GbE ports
Ugreen NASync DXP2800 2-Bay NAS	$390	4	Diskless	1x 2.5GbE port

Choosing the right NAS device is straightforward, beginning with an assessment of your budget and storage requirements. Vendors typically offer models starting from two bays, allowing for two drives, and upwards.

For those requiring substantial storage, opting for a model with more bays is advisable. However, if you’re venturing into NAS devices for the first time, you might want to start with an entry-level or portable option. This allows you to become acquainted with NAS technology without immediately committing to more advanced and costlier equipment.

Below is a simple chart to assist you further in making your decision:

Choose this NAS device…	If you want…
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus	Forget the HDD and embrace the performance of the SSD. Not only does this NAS offer incredible performance, but the use of SSDs means that an 8-bay device is no bigger than a hardback book.
Synology DS223 Diskstation NAS	A top-tier NAS unit. By combining solid hardware and 24TB of storage, this unit promises comprehensive storage for small businesses and remote workers alike.
Asustor AS5404T	The best NAS from a reputable brand. This model also features four hard drive bays, support for four M.2 sticks, and uses the ADM 4.0 operating system.
QNAP TS-233-US 2-Bay NAS	The best value storage with solid performance. This entry-level model will add considerable value to your network without breaking the bank.
TerraMaster F4-425	The best mid-tier NAS has a nice user interface. Coming at the low end of mid-tier pricing, it still has a high-speed Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and the performance to handle 4K video decoding.
Ugreen NASync DXP2800 2-Bay NAS	The perfect NAS for your desktop. Compact, but powerful, with the capacity to put a whopping 64TB of storage on your desk.

When you are looking for a new NAS device, it’s crucial to consider several key factors to ensure you choose the option that best suits your needs:

Use Cases: Identify the primary function of your NAS device. Whether it’s for video editing, setting up a home office, or entertainment purposes, understanding its intended use is vital given the investment. This clarity will guide your decision-making process.
Budget: Determine your budget early on. NAS systems often carry a hefty price tag. Additionally, if you opt for a diskless model, remember to account for the cost of purchasing storage separately.
Bays: The number of bays you need is directly tied to your storage requirements. For those handling extensive multimedia files or planning long-term storage, opting for a device with more bays is advisable, but you don’t go overboard. Two or three might be enough for home use, whereas you may need more for work projects.
Expansion: If you believe you may need additional storage in the future, make sure the product you are interested in is scalable.
Connectivity: NAS devices vary in their connectivity options, from Ethernet and HDMI ports to portable models that can generate Wi-Fi hotspots. Ensure the device you choose has the connectivity features that align with your needs.
Backup features: The loss of data can be catastrophic. Check how your potential future NAS setup handles backups.
Customer reviews: Explore what existing users are saying to make sure it is the right investment for you.

Here at ZDNET, our expertise in NAS devices spans decades. Our selections are informed by a combination of in-depth testing, verified customer feedback, and real-world user interactions, with particular emphasis on user-friendly interfaces, performance, a thorough assessment of each model’s strengths and weaknesses, and, importantly, price point.

User-friendly Interface: We prioritize NAS models that are straightforward to set up and manage, featuring software that simplifies usage and enhances sharing and collaboration capabilities.
Fast Performance: A NAS device accelerates saving and retrieving the data, making it particularly efficient for tasks like video editing — outpacing many cloud storage services.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Understanding that no model is flawless, we highlight the advantages and drawbacks of each, providing clarity on how they might match your security needs, setup preferences, and workflow requirements, including portability.
Price: Recognizing budget constraints, we carefully consider each product’s price. Although initial costs can be high, they may offer savings over time compared to ongoing cloud service subscriptions.

Latest news

Analysts say the NAS market is on an upward trajectory, with businesses, in particular, asking for scalable solutions to ever-growing data storage needs.
Western Digital’s stock rose amid investor interest in AI.
Synology launched new all-flash storage solutions for the enterprise market.

It depends on how much data you have to store, how much access you want to it, and how precious that data is to you.

External drives are great for a few gigabytes of data, but if your needs are closer to terabytes, or you have data that needs to be accessible across multiple systems, or you want to protect your data from loss or corruption, this is where a NAS comes into its own.

Well, on the face of it, yes, but once you dig deeper, not really. NAS units need a network to connect to , ao unless you have this in place, a NAS isn’t going to be suitable.

Also, USB external drives are very much a plug-in-and-go experience, while NAS units require a fair bit of setup and some technical expertise (networking and RAID considerations) to get going.

The last thing you want to be doing is spending big bucks on a NAS and then putting regular drives into it.

Here are the drives I recommend:

You can repurpose an old PC or even build a very custom NAS solution to meet your exact needs.

ZDNET author and resident hardware expert David Gewirtz has built his own NAS boxes for years, including some that were highly customized. But as the NAS offerings from vendors like Synology, QNAP, and Drobo improved, the need to build his own diminished.

If you’re comfortable with the prospect of sourcing PC parts and building PCs, you’ll probably want to go it on your own. But if you’re new to PC building, buying an appliance NAS is probably the way to go.

RAID, which stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a data storage technology that combines multiple physical disk drives into a single logical unit for improved performance, redundancy, or both. The primary purpose of RAID is to enhance data protection and improve storage efficiency by distributing data across several disks in various configurations known as RAID levels.

Here’s a breakdown of three of the most common RAID levels:

RAID 0 (Striping)

RAID 0 splits, or stripes, data evenly across two or more disks. This configuration offers improved performance because multiple disks can be read or written simultaneously. However, be aware that this provides no redundancy. If one disk fails, all data in the array is lost.

RAID 1 (Mirroring)

RAID 1 duplicates, or mirrors, data across two or more disks. This setup offers high data redundancy because each disk in the array contains an exact copy of the data. If one disk fails, the data can be recovered from the other disk(s). However, note that RAID 1 does not improve performance and effectively reduces usable storage capacity by half.

RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)

RAID 5 combines striping with parity, distributing data and parity information across three or more disks. Parity provides fault tolerance, allowing the array to withstand the failure of a single disk without data loss. RAID 5 offers a good balance of performance, redundancy, and storage efficiency.

The primary difference between Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Direct Attached Storage (DAS) lies in how they are connected to and accessed by devices in a network.

NAS devices connect to a network, typically through Ethernet, providing storage that can be accessed by multiple devices on that network. This setup allows multiple users and devices to access and share data simultaneously over the network, making NAS ideal for collaborative environments. NAS units often come with their own operating systems and can support a variety of applications, including file sharing, media streaming, and even server functions like web hosting. These devices are managed via a web-based interface, allowing for remote administration and configuration. Additionally, NAS solutions are generally more scalable, allowing for easy expansion by adding more drives or connecting additional NAS units to the network.

In contrast, DAS devices connect directly to a computer via USB, Thunderbolt, or another direct interface, making them accessible only to that specific computer. DAS systems are typically single-user devices, meaning only the connected computer can access the stored data. For other devices to access this data, it must be shared through the computer to which the DAS is connected. DAS units are simpler and usually do not come with their own operating systems or support for additional applications beyond basic storage. These devices are managed directly through the operating system of the connected computer, without the need for web-based interfaces. Because they connect directly to a computer, DAS devices can offer faster data transfer rates compared to NAS, which relies on network speeds.

The choice between NAS and DAS depends on specific requirements for accessibility, scalability, and performance. NAS is best suited for environments where multiple devices need to access and share data, such as in homes with multiple users, small businesses, or professional settings requiring collaborative access to large files. On the other hand, DAS is ideal for single-user scenarios where fast data transfer rates are critical, such as video editing, graphic design, or personal data storage needs.

Vendors typically estimate the lifespan of a NAS device to be between three to five years. However, it’s possible for a NAS to exceed this range, potentially lasting up to a decade. Despite this, the risk of failure escalates over time.

Be on the lookout for signs of hardware deterioration, like sluggish performance and connectivity problems, which may indicate impending failure.

You can potentially improve a NAS device’s lifespan by allowing it to hibernate while not in use. For example, if you are away from home for several months, you may want to consider giving it a rest. However, NAS devices can be left on permanently, as many NAS devices have been specifically built to allow this.

The costs of setting up a NAS system can quickly spiral, but that depends on how many drives you intend to use. For a single drive setup, it might only be a few hundred dollars. As you need more bays and if performance is a priority, you may end up spending thousands of dollars.

Latest Updates

May 2026: In ZDNET’s May update, we performed a thorough editorial update. We also added the Synology DS223, Ugreen NAS DH2300, and Synology BeeStation Plus to our recommendations.
October 2025: My top pick of the TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus sees a big price drop, from $800 to $680 for the bare unit. Adding storage to this is still going to be pricey, but your money now goes a bit further. The Ugreen NASync DXP2800 has also dropped $30, so if you’ve been eyeing this one, now’s a good time to go for it. The FAQ has also been expanded to cover the difference between NAS units and USB external hard drives, and also to add some suggestions for HDDs and SSDs suitable for NAS.
September 2025: We added the First up, the TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus and the Asustor AS5404 as top picks. We also replaced the TerraMaster F4-423 with the newer F4-424.

Other NAS devices to consider

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Synology/ZDNET

An affordable desktop NAS alternative is the $285 Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS223.

This is the “diskless” package, so you need to add your own hard drives. A pair of the drives would be ideal.

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UGREEN

The $200 Ugreen NAS DH2300 2-Bay Desktop NASync is a great alternative for beginners who want an affordable, diskless setup.

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Synology

For something a bit different, the $560 Synology BeeStation Plus is an 8TB cloud storage system that could be perfect for your home office.

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Want to know how to set up your NAS for better reliability? Check out this piece by ZDNET’s David Gewirtz. Also, feel free to check out our guides on the best external hard drive solutions and the best microSD cards of 2026.

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Bree Lambert