Checklist · 13 picks · 5 categories

home NAS checklist

Edited by Zach · updated Nov 1, 2026 · How I pick

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I earn a commission if you buy, at no cost to you, and it never decides a pick. How I make money

Easiest first NAS Synology DiskStation DS225+ Best for wanting the best software and no tinkering$300-500Shop on Amazon
Photo backup only Synology BeeStation 4TB Best for replacing Google Drive for your photos$200-300Shop on Amazon
Drive to fill it Seagate IronWolf Pro Best for photos you really can't lose$200-300Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

A NAS is a little always-on box that acts like your own private cloud: your phone backs up to it, your movies stream from it, and your photos live in your house instead of on somebody's subscription.

Most starter boxes come empty, so budget for the drives too. Tom's Hardware says hard drive prices are way up right now thanks to AI data center demand, so buy only the size you need. Start with the job: a two-bay box for most people, an all-in-one if you just want photo backup, or a beefier model if Plex is the whole point. Android Central's reviewer has used NAS boxes for over a decade, and TechRadar and Tom's Hardware cover the rest. Each card shows the drawback the reviewers called out, so you know about the missing M.2 slot before the box shows up.

Who this is not for. Skip this if you just need a place for a few folders; a portable SSD on its own, like the Samsung T9 on this list, is simpler.

plan my budget pick an amount ↓

Tell me what you can spend. I pick a tier for every item, essentials first, and show what is left. The first amount covers everything you need at the cheapest tier.

My budget

Pick a budget to see your plan.

see the plan, item by item

Estimates based on typical prices, checked Nov 1, 2026. Prices change; see the store for today's price.

The must-haves

0 of 2 on your list · tap one to see your options

Showing all 13 picks

More filters

01 The box

the first pick is the one I would start with

Compare these 3

Pick	Tier	Price	Best for	Evidence
Synology DiskStation DS225+	splurge	$300-500	wanting the best software and no tinkering	1 outlet
Synology DiskStation DS223j	budget	$150-200	a first NAS that mostly stores and streams	1 outlet
TerraMaster F2-425	mid	$200-300	hating tech setup and wanting it done in one sitting	1 outlet

Best two-bay nas

splurge pick · 2 bays

Synology DiskStation DS225+

Best for wanting the best software and no tinkering

Android Central's best overall home NAS: if you're just starting out and don't want to tinker, it calls the built-in software the ideal starting point.

Heads up. Hardware transcoding drivers aren't on by default, it has just 2GB of memory, and there are no M.2 slots

1 outlet. Android Central best overall home NAS.

$300-500

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link. I may earn a commission at no cost to you.

budget pick · 2 bays

Synology DiskStation DS223j

Best for a first NAS that mostly stores and streams

Android Central's best budget NAS: its pick for storing data in one place and streaming media on a budget, because the software is so much easier to use.

Heads up. No option to upgrade the hardware, and a single Gigabit Ethernet port

1 outlet. Android Central best budget NAS.

$150-200

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

mid pick · 2 bays

TerraMaster F2-425

Best for hating tech setup and wanting it done in one sitting

TechRadar's best NAS for beginners: genuinely tool-free setup in under 10 minutes, and it was barely audible even under load in its review.

Heads up. Only one 2.5GbE port limits upgrades, and it's not as expandable as pro models

1 outlet. TechRadar best for beginners.

$200-300

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

02 No-drive-shopping

Best plug-and-go nas

budget pick · 4TB built in

Synology BeeStation 4TB

Best for replacing Google Drive for your photos

Android Central's best beginner NAS: an all-in-one unit with a 4TB hard drive inside that's to set up and backs up your photos and videos.

Heads up. A single hard drive, no media streaming, and it misses most NAS software features

1 outlet. Android Central best beginner NAS.

$200-300

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

splurge pick · Portable

UnifyDrive UT2

Best for photographers backing up shoots on the go

TechRadar's best NAS device for portability: effectively a portable SSD with NAS abilities, with SD and CFexpress ports for dumping memory cards at a double-press of a button.

Heads up. Short battery life, UHS-II card issues and RAW thumbnail limitations

1 outlet. TechRadar best NAS device for portability.

$500+

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

03 Movie night

Compare these 3

Pick	Tier	Price	Best for	Evidence
UGREEN NASync DXP2800	budget	$300-500	more hardware for tinkering with Docker	1 outlet
TerraMaster F4-424 Pro	mid	$500+	four bays of room to grow	1 outlet
TerraMaster F4-424 Max	splurge	$500+	a big local movie collection on Plex	1 outlet

Best media server nas

budget pick · 2 bays

UGREEN NASync DXP2800

Best for more hardware for tinkering with Docker

Android Central's best connectivity pick among cheap NAS servers: one of the most powerful 2-bay models, with 8GB of RAM and a 2.5 Gigabit port.

Heads up. Costly for a cheap NAS, and its software has fewer utilities than other brands

1 outlet. Android Central best connectivity cheap NAS.

$300-500

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

mid pick · 4 bays

TerraMaster F4-424 Pro

Best for four bays of room to grow

TechRadar's best NAS device overall: fast, secure file access at an affordable price, with an N300 chip that has twice the cores of the non-Pro model.

Heads up. No 10GbE ports, and the N300 CPU and 32GB of RAM add lots of cost

1 outlet. TechRadar best NAS device overall.

$500+

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

splurge pick · 4 bays

TerraMaster F4-424 Max

Best for a big local movie collection on Plex

Android Central's best for media streaming: a Core i5 chip and two 10GbE ports make it a true powerhouse of a Plex server, built for high-bitrate transcodes.

Heads up. Costlier than the other picks on Android Central's list, and the mobile clients still need polish

1 outlet. Android Central best for media streaming.

$500+

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

04 The drives

Best nas hard drive

splurge pick · 2TB to 30TB

Seagate IronWolf Pro

Best for photos you really can't lose

Tom's Hardware's best NAS hard drive and TechRadar's best NAS drive overall: fast, with three years of data recovery services that Tom's Hardware likes.

Heads up. Tom's Hardware's only complaint is 256MB of cache, and TechRadar flags a 300TB-a-year workload limit on its 20TB review drive

2 outlets agree. Tom's Hardware best NAS Hard Drive. TechRadar the best NAS drive overall.

$200-300

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

budget pick · 2TB to 12TB

WD Red Plus

Best for filling a two-bay NAS without overbuying

Tom's Hardware's best lower-capacity NAS hard drive: a quiet, efficient CMR drive that spins at 7,200 RPM on the 10TB and 12TB models.

Heads up. A 3-year warranty

1 outlet. Tom's Hardware best Lower-Capacity NAS Hard Drive.

$150-200

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

05 Backup plan

Compare these 3

Pick	Tier	Price	Best for	Evidence
APC BE600M1 Back-UPS 600VA	budget	$50-100	getting through a power cut without a sudden shutdown	1 outlet
Lexar SL500	budget	$50-100	cheap extra storage for photos and video	1 outlet
Samsung T9	splurge	$100-150	fast transfers for video and big projects	1 outlet

Top pick

budget pick · Small tower

APC BE600M1 Back-UPS 600VA

Best for getting through a power cut without a sudden shutdown

TechRadar's best UPS for home use: small and unobtrusive, with enough power for smaller devices like home NAS drives, routers and consoles.

Heads up. Not a huge amount of ports, and not powerful enough for big businesses

1 outlet. TechRadar best UPS for home use.

$50-100

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

budget pick · 1TB to 4TB

Lexar SL500

Best for cheap extra storage for photos and video

TechRadar's best portable SSD on a budget: ultra slim and lightweight, and the cheapest branded portable SSD by capacity.

Heads up. Port connection a possible weak point

1 outlet. TechRadar best portable SSD on a budget.

$50-100

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

splurge pick · 1TB to 4TB

Samsung T9

Best for fast transfers for video and big projects

TechRadar's best portable SSD overall: a resilient drive that combines great speeds with a sturdy build.

Heads up. Expensive compared to the T7, large compared to competitor designs, and not water or dust resistant

1 outlet. TechRadar best portable SSD overall.

$100-150

Shop on Amazon

Affiliate link.

means three independent outlets recommend a pick, means one, and limited evidence means none has yet. I research these picks. I have not tested them myself. How I pick · Broken link, wrong price range or an outdated pick? Tell me

Questions people ask

What is a NAS, in normal words?

Android Central says to think of it as a private cloud: instead of your data sitting on a remote server at Google Drive or iCloud, it sits on a box on your home network, and you can stream to your devices and back up your phones to it. TechRadar adds that the costs are mostly one-offs instead of a running subscription, apart from the electricity.

Do NAS boxes come with hard drives?

Usually not. The Synology BeeStation is the exception on this list, with a 4TB drive built in. Android Central reports no issues installing Seagate or WD drives in the DS225+, and TechRadar notes a few makers get picky about third-party drives, so check the compatibility list first.

Do I need a battery backup for a NAS?

It's a nice extra. TechRadar says data could be corrupted if a computer shuts down suddenly in a power cut, and a UPS gives you a few minutes to shut down safely. It says the APC BE600M1 has enough power for smaller devices like home NAS drives and routers.

home NAS checklist

plan my budget pick an amount ↓

The must-haves