Cloud-based servers are terrible for video editing, as it takes forever to upload and download video to the cloud (even if you have a fast pipe). If you’re doing anything with video (or other large files), you’re unlikely to find cloud storage practical except, maybe, for backup. Second, cloud servers can get kind of expensive. Sure, if you’re equipping a NAS, you’re paying for drives, but once you pay out the expense for the NAS and drives, you’re done. You don’t have to pay for it month after month after month. Don’t get me wrong. I strongly recommend cloud storage as one leg in a 3-2-1 backup strategy, but for home and small office use, a NAS can be invaluable. It’s fast, it’s easy to get to, you can segment shares for family members or workgroups, and many NASes offer a wide range of additional applications that turn your box into a local, private, on-premises general-purpose business server. Let’s dive in. I’m showing you seven network attached storage machines that I am sure will serve you well over the years.
Check out: The how and why of network attached storage So, there you go. Let us know what you’re doing for file sharing, local storage, and NAS options in the comments below.

Price per bay: $150Drive bays: 5Max capacity: 90TBMax w/expansion units: 270TBRAM: 8GB DDR4 (32GB max)1GB Ethernet ports: 410GB Upgrade: with Gen3 x2 upgradeUSB 3.2 ports: 2eSATA ports: 2M.2 slots: 2

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, it’s when that hardware is combined with the DSM software that Synology’s offerings become best-in-class. Also: We test the Synology DiskStation DS1817+ RAID Synology’s DS1522+ ships with built-in enterprise-grade data software and support for dozens of applications, OS and SaaS services. Featuring five hard drive bays by default and expandable up to 15 bays total, the DS1522+ is a compact and economical NAS solution with plenty of room to expand as the user’s data storage needs grow. Running DiskStation Manager 7.1, DS1522+ comes complete with Synology’s suite of enterprise backup solutions. This includes Active Backup for Business which allows users to backup Windows PCs, VMs, SaaS applications like Microsoft 365 and more. All licenses and subscriptions are free. Active Backup for Business has a number of useful features baked in, including the ability to restore accidentally deleted instantly or destroyed data. Also included is Synology’s Hyper Backup software which allows you to backup your entire NAS or specific files and folders to most major cloud service providers. This flexible and free backup software gives the user 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 or how many you are responsible for. The DS1522+ is also a certified storage devices for VMware and is compatible with most major virtualization platforms, including Windows Server, Microsoft’s Hyper-V and Citrix. In addition to being ideal for standard iSCSI storage, DS1621+ also comes with Synology’s Snapshot Replication software which gives users the ability to Snapshot specific LUNs or shared folders and replicate them to an offsite Synology device.

Price per bay: $137Drive bays: 4Max capacity: 72TBRAM: 4GB (up to 8GB)2.5GB Ethernet ports: 2USB 3.2 ports: 2HDMI: HDMI 2.0, real-time transcodingGraphics: Intel HD Graphics 600 processorsPCIe Gen 3 x4 slots: 1x PCle Gen 2 x 2 slotM.2 slots: Optional via a PCle adapter

Don’t think of this box as just a NAS. Instead, think of it as a server with RAID and NAS capabilities. This is not just a file server. It could very well be equipped as a small departmental bare-metal VM or container server. And if you use it at home, it can be the hub of your media center. Also: We test the QNAP TVS-473 RAID The selection of applications QNAP offers is nothing short of ridonculous. Not only can you install the usual NAS suspects, but you can run a Chrome browser or even install a full Ubuntu on top of the NAS capabilities.  QNAP QTS environment keeps getting better and better. Plus, this NAS continues a relatively unique QNAP tradition of offering NAS boxes that can serve as complete media center machines, complete with HDMI output. But this can also perform as a pro machine, with the availability of PCIe extensibility So where does this fit in our overall pantheon of recommendations? Put simply, it’s an appliance server. But not just a file or web server. This can serve up containers and VMs, making it quite possibly the core of a small business or department.

Price per bay: $134Drive bays: 6M.2 SSD slots: 4Max capacity: 120TB + M.2 capacityRAM: 8GB2.5G Ethernet ports: 2USB 3.0 ports: Dual 3.2Gen 2x1PCIe Gen 3 x4 slots: Support PCIe 3.0 on M.2 SSDHDMI: HDMI 2.0b

ASUSTOR was founded in 2011 by an investment from ASUS, the world’s 5th largest PC vendor by unit sales, according to Gartner.  This Lockerstor model bridges worlds in a number of ways. First, by providing six hard drive bays as well as support for four M.2 sticks, it’s possible to do some very interesting performance tiering work, both automatically and manually. Second, like the QNAP, the Lockerstor has HDMI output, possibly moving this from the server closet to the family room. The internal 8GB RAM is respectable, and we were impressed with the 2.5G Ethernet port. However, be aware that many switches and routers don’t support 2.5GB, so that you might be limited to the performance of a typical 1GB Ethernet feed. The Lockerstor 6 uses the ADM 4.0 operating system. ADM has more than 200 App Central applications, including various tools, business applications, office applications and digital home entertainment. Overall, the ASUSTOR Lockerstor 6 is a solid offering with a compelling price-per-bay. We’ve noticed availability fluctuates, especially with current supply chain issues, but at this price, it’s understandable why some resellers are having difficulty keeping it in stock.

Price per bay: $89Drive bays: 2Max capacity: 36TBRAM: 1GB1G Ethernet ports: 1USB 3.2 ports: 2

Western Digital has a pretty broad selection of NAS devices, but we realized we hadn’t provided you with a lower-cost entry-level unit. At under $200 (without drives), the EX2 can add considerable value to your network, provide you with some fault tolerance, and help protect your data. App support wasn’t as comprehensive as some of the other vendors we’re spotlighting here, but if this is your first NAS or you’re just getting started sharing and protecting files on your home network, this is a great go-to starting point. We had some issues five years ago with an early WD RAID device, but all indications are that the company best known for its network drives has overcome any early reliability issues. In fact, the biggest complaint we found among user reviews was that this is not an external hard drive, as the reviewer thought it was, but was instead a full-function NAS. It is, in fact, a very nice full-function NAS and gets our nod as best entry-level NAS. 

Price per bay: $125Drive bays: 4Max capacity: 80TBRAM: 4GB2.5G Ethernet ports: 2USB 3.2 ports: 2HDMI port: 1M.2 slots: 2

Our experience with TerraMaster is a solid storage space at a budget-friendly price. We found the user interface to be clean and well done and the overall usage experience to be solid. Now, to be clear, this is not a QNAP or Synology, but those devices are considerably more expensive. This time, TerraMaster is upping its game. Instead of a budget device, this is a performance machine, but at a mid-tier price. It’s got two high-speed Ethernet ports, an HDMI port that lets you turn this into a media center server, and TerraMaster’s clean UI. Overall, a very solid offering for higher-stress loads at an approachable price.

Price per bay: $125Drive bays: 5Max capacity: 50TBRAM: 2GB DDR31GB Ethernet ports: 2Internal mSATA slots: 1

It’s kind of odd that Drobo hasn’t updated its one NAS storage array since 2017, but that goes to Drobo’s main focus as a direct-attached storage solution. Even though it’s been around for a while, the Drobo 5N2 has to go into our list of the best NAS devices, chiefly because its RAID functionality is just so good. Also: We test the Drobo 5N2 RAID Let’s clarify where this device fits: If you want a server with lots of apps and features, the Drobo is absolutely not for you. But if you want brain-dead easy RAID that keeps your drives safe and available on your LAN, and you don’t really care about much else, the 5N2 is a win. The Drobo justifiably won my best-in-show award for RAID performance, which was flawless in my testing. It also landed at the very bottom for network features, so you win some, and you lose some. Go ahead and read and watch my full review for the in-depth details. One more thing: this device appears to be really hard to find. We’re leaving it in our guide because it’s totally unique among NAS devices in terms of ease of management, but it’s not clear whether or when you’ll be able to get ahold of one. It could be the last of a breed, which means you might want to think about whether you really want to invest a little in complexity or just have a truly appliance NAS.

Price per bay: $465Drive bays: 2Max capacity: 32TBRAM: 2GB DDR4 (expandable to 6GB)1GB Ethernet ports: 2USB 3.2 ports: 1USB 2.0 ports: 1 (for peripheral device connections)

Face it. No matter where you work or what you do, one day, the #&@! is going to hit the fan. It doesn’t matter if it’s earthquakes or hurricanes (two things my home office had to live through) or some other form of disaster; it’s likely that your drives will be at risk, at least part of the time. Now, let’s be clear: We never recommend you store all your data in one place. In fact, the 3-2-1 backup strategy we recommend involves storing three copies of your data, using at least two different types of storage mechanisms and at least one copy of which is stored off-site. But restoring from off-site can be difficult and time-consuming, and cloud backups get very expensive as your data usage goes up. It’s not a bad idea to have a robust storage solution in-house. Also: We test the ioSafe 1515+ battle-hardened RAID That’s where ioSafe comes in. ioSafe builds NAS boxes inside boxes that are, essentially, safes. They’re fire and water-proof. They also weigh a ton and are rock solid, so (especially if you attach them to a floor or closet with an available bracket), you can prevent them from walking away. As a bonus, the ioSafe machines use Synology’s DSM software, making them very easy to use. I use an ioSafe machine as a second backup to my main Synology box. It comes on once a week, accepts a backup, and then shuts off. That way, even if my network is breached, the ioSafe is powered down except for a few hours each week. My drives are protected physically and (mostly) air-gapped from the internet. You can implement this strategy, as well. I have a five-bay model, but I’ve recommended a two-bay model here simply because they are quite expensive due to the added protection. Also, expect to pay $50 to $100 for shipping because these machines are very, very heavy. From there, here’s a good decision tree: While the devices here aren’t the identical ones tested in the lab (with one exception), these all reflect the technology from each vendor. In addition, I’m using devices from three of the four vendors recommended here on a daily or weekly basis, so I have a lot of experience with how well they work. For years and years, I always built my own NAS boxes, including some that were very customized. But as the NAS offerings from vendors like Synology, QNAP, and Drobo got better, the need to build my own diminished. I also had a ton of other projects to work on, and delegating NAS building to others saved me some time. If you’re super-comfortable with specing 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. I’m not going to go into too much more detail, because this article covers it in some depth. Not everyone agrees with my assessment, so if you want to really see what folks think, visit my YouTube video of the same name and dig through the hundreds of comments. There are good conversations there. But the RAID we’re most concerned with here is mirroring. A well implemented RAID array will allow one drive to completely fail without losing any data. I’ve personally been running RAID devices for more than a decade, have had a bunch of drive failures, and lost not a single byte. RAID is good. You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.