A NAS (Network Attached Storage) is the most reliable way to store and access your data across devices. Synology leads in software polish; QNAP offers more hardware flexibility. Our picks are ranked by value for home and small business use.
| # | Product | Capacity | Read | Write | TBW | Warranty | Score | $/TB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TerraMaster F4-420 4-bayBest value TerraMaster | — | — | — | — | 3 years | 89.8 | $0.00/TB | $499.99 | $499.99 |
| 2 | Synology DiskStation DS920+Best value Synology | — | — | — | — | 3 years | 89.8 | $0.00/TB | $499.99 | $499.99 |
| 3 | Synology DS720+ 2-bayBest value Synology | — | — | — | — | 3 years | 89.8 | $0.00/TB | $499.99 | $499.99 |
| 4 | QNAP TS-464 4-Bay NASBest value QNAP | — | — | — | — | 3 years | 89.8 | $0.00/TB | $499.99 | $499.99 |
| 5 | Synology DS923+ 4-Bay NASBest value Synology | — | — | — | — | 3 years | 89.8 | $0.00/TB | $599.99 | $599.99 |
Synology's DSM operating system is more polished and easier to set up — it is the clear winner for home users and non-technical buyers. QNAP's QTS OS offers more granular configuration and hardware options, making it better suited for technical users who want more control. Both support Plex media streaming and remote access.
A 2-bay NAS is ideal for home backup with RAID 1 mirroring (two drives, one is the mirror). A 4-bay NAS gives you RAID 5 redundancy (one drive can fail without data loss) and more total capacity. For most home users, a 2-bay Synology DS223 or DS720+ is the right starting point.