Best home NAS 2026

The best home network attached storage (NAS) server gives you the flexibility to store all your precious data in a single location, and it has powerful tools that let you make the most of your media collection. A NAS server is particularly useful if you have a large music or media library; you can easily stream content to all connected devices, and the accessibility makes it highly convenient. With Prime Day 2026 just around the corner — the sale event is set to run June 23 to 26 — this is the best time to buy a home NAS server, and I'll be listing all the deals as soon as they go live.

There's so much more you can do with a NAS; the servers highlighted below make it effortlessly easy to back up photos and videos from all of your phones, back up documents and any other data from your Windows or macOS machines, and so much more.

So if you've already dabbled in this segment or are looking to get your hands on your first NAS, you'll find plenty of great choices below. I highlighted servers that are ideally suited for home users, whether that's media streaming via Plex, backing up data, or getting started with a budget NAS that has all the essentials.

Harish Jonnalagadda

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor covering mobile and networking products at Android Central. In addition to testing way too many phones, he is interested in storage servers and networking, having used several dozen NAS models over the last 10 years. He manages a 500TB homelab and is constantly tinkering with containers.

At a glance

Best overall

The DiskStation DS225+ is the NAS to buy if you want a reliable 2-bay model with the best software. Yes, it has issues; the hardware transcoding drivers aren't enabled by default, and you'll need to use a workaround to get Plex to use it — which is just annoying to say the least. There still isn't an M.2 slot, so you will be relying on traditional HDDs. The 2GB soldered RAM is nowhere enough if you want to use containers, and you will inevitably have to buy a memory module.

That said, the addition of 2.5GbE connectivity makes the NAS a much better choice. The upgrade gives the DS225+ greater flexibility if you've got a multi-Gigabit network, and it's a necessary upgrade.

The DS225+ wins out due to its software; it has the best pre-installed software features in this category, and that's the only reason why it's still on this list in 2026. There are other NAS servers that give you much better hardware, but if you're just starting out and don't want to tinker, the built-in software that comes with the DS225+ is the ideal starting point.

Best budget NAS

Don't need all the extras that the DS225+ has to offer? Then you'll want to take a look at the DiskStation DS223j. This is also a 2-bay NAS, but it doesn't have the same caliber of hardware; it is powered by a Realtek RTD1619B chip, has 1GB of memory, and a single Gigabit Ethernet port at the back.

The upside is that it costs under $200, and that makes it highly enticing. You still get most of the software features that are present in the DS224+, and while you miss out on containerization and virtual machines, those aren't features that make a difference to home users anyway.

While there are plenty of budget NAS servers, I always recommend the DS223j for the proven software. It is significantly easier to use, and Synology's mobile apps allow you to stream your media from anywhere in the world. And the best part is that it has a native Plex client, so you can set up a media server without any issues.

If you just need a NAS to store data in a single location and stream media on a budget, the DS223j is the best choice available today.

Best beginner NAS

You need a reliable way to store photos and valuable data, but don't want to invest in a full-fledged NAS. That's where the BeeStation comes in; this is an all-in-one unit that houses a 4TB hard drive (a HAT3300 Plus), so you can get started straight away. The goal with the BeeStation is to target consumers that don't yet have a NAS and are looking to get affordable local storage that's connected to the network.

Therefore, you don't get a lot of software features; there's the ability to back up photos and videos, and files from any of your connected machines. That's it. You don't get the usual DiskStation Manager software, and the interface is as barebones as it can get. That said, the BeePhotos mobile client makes it easy to back up photos and videos, and in the four months that I used the BeeStation, it has proven to be reliable.

The biggest limitation is the lack of media streaming. You can store your media library on the device, but you can't do much with it. The BeeStation is instead designed as a private cloud solution; instead of storing photos and documents on Google Drive and other public cloud providers, the idea is that you back it up to this device.

To that effect, the BeeStation integrates with Google Drive and other storage providers, and you can transfer the data from those services to the BeeStation easily. So if you need an easy way to back up photos and videos and don't need many additional features, the BeeStation is a good choice.

Reliable hardware

ASUSTOR is doing all the right things with its home NAS servers, and the AS5402T is a testament to how far the brand has come in the last two years. The 2-bay NAS has the best hardware package in this category; it is powered by Intel's Celeron J5105, has 4GB of RAM with the ability to upgrade to 16GB, four M.2 slots in total, two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports.

There's also an HDMI port at the back that lets you connect the AS5402T to a TV, and the Intel hardware makes the NAS a standout choice if you need a powerful Plex server. It easily handles transcodes and playback without any issues, and in my testing, it did a better job than just about any other 2-bay NAS.

But it's the connectivity that allows it to stand out; with two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, the AS5402T is future-proof, and you don't need to switch to another NAS when you upgrade your home network. ASUSTOR's software still isn't as polished or easy to use, but it has gotten better over the last two years, and it comes with much better security this time around.

Best for media streaming

TerraMaster's F4-424 Max is costlier than other models on this list, but you're also getting what is arguably the best hardware in this segment. The NAS is powered by Intel's Alder Lake 10-core Core i5 1235U platform, and it demolishes all the Celeron-based models in synthetic workloads.

But where it truly shines is at Plex; the server manages to run high bitrate transcodes without breaking a sweat, and it is the ideal option if you have a sizeable local collection. While most Celeron-based NAS models also do a good job, they're not as effective at 4K transcodes as the F4-424 Max.

Another differentiator is the connectivity. With two 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports available, the NAS has a distinct edge in this regard, and there's no worries about the network being the bottleneck. It's a similar situation with the memory — you get 8GB of DDR5 RAM installed, and you can install a total of 64GB should you need it.

TerraMaster's software was unreliable in the past, but that's changing with TOS 6. It has a cleaner interface and better utilities, and while the associated mobile clients still need polish, all the basics are covered. Basically, TerraMaster is doing all the right things with the F4-424 Max, and if you need a high-end Plex NAS, this is the one to get.

Best SSD NAS

TerraMaster is changing its strategy, with the Taiwanese brand turning its attention to the high-end category. The result is the F8 SSD Plus, an SSD-only NAS that is the best you can get today. The NAS isn't as wide as a regular 2-bay unit, but you get the ability to slot a total of eight M.2 SSDs — four on each side — making it a fantastic choice if you're ready to switch to fast SSD storage.

It is powered by Intel's i3 N305 and comes with 16GB of DDR5 memory, and it is one of the fastest NAS models I used this year. You get 10GbE connectivity as standard, and while there isn't Thunderbolt 4, the USB-C port allows a lot of extensibility down the line.

The software is much better than previous years as well, with TOS 6 providing a polished interface with plenty of useful features. There's a native Plex client, container management, and a host of utilities to back up data.

SSDs are affordable enough that you can legitimately build a NAS with only M.2 storage, and if you're interested in going that route, you need to get the F8 SSD Plus.

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How to choose

If you're looking for the best NAS for home use, the DiskStation DS225+ is a good choice if you're just starting out. Need more drive bays? The F4-424 Max is the ideal choice. If you want a NAS with an HDMI port to connect to your TV, the AS5402T is a good model to consider. The 2-bay NAS has powerful hardware and gives you great value for your money.

What is the best NAS drive for home use?

Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

As a NAS server is designed to run 24/7, you can't use a standard hard drive. Thankfully, there are drives designed just for NAS use, and I've rounded up the best hard drives for NAS in a standalone article.

At a high-level overview, you'll need to buy either Seagate's IronWolf or IronWolf Pro series or Western Digital's Red Plus or Red Pro hard drives. I've used all of these drives for nearly a decade now, and they've proven to be reliable. Seagate also makes 30TB IronWolf Pro drives now, but they're overkill if you're just looking at home use.

If I had to suggest a drive, it would be the Seagate IronWolf. I have over 150TB of IronWolf drives in various servers, and it is hands-down the most reliable NAS drive that I have used. It starts off at 2TB and goes up to 18TB, and for home use, anything over 4TB should be an ideal choice.

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