Prebuilt network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures can cost as little as $100, but they can also become extremely expensive when considering servers with countless bays, powerful Intel processors, and plenty of connectivity options.

This guide will highlight some of the best budget NAS available, including those with a focus on offering better value. We’ve included the best NAS from Synology, TerraMaster, Asustor, and QNAP, among other brands.

Our top picks for best budget NAS in 2023

Source: Synology

Synology DiskStation DS224+

Best overall

The best two-bay NAS just got even better

With its upgraded quad-core Intel chip, the Synology DiskStation DS224+ is a much more appealing proposition for your everyday use. You can easily play multiple streams of 4K movies or use it for your freelance work at home. The best part about the DS224+ is its MSRP, which hasn’t changed, and you can pick one for just $300.

Pros

• Quad-core Intel processor
• Affordable price
• Expandable RAM

Cons

• Only 2GB of base memory
• Still 1GbE LAN port

The same quad-core Intel Celeron processor that ran the uber-popular DS920+ now powers the DiskStation DS224+, giving it a big performance boost and extra headroom. The budget NAS is now capable of doing a lot more than its predecessor (the otherwise excellent DS220+) could with two more cores to spare, including running multiple streams of 4K movies via Plex without a hiccup. The Intel chip also has an in-built GPU (unlike AMD processors used on some of the top Synology NAS models), which allows it to be even more efficient at transcoding videos on the fly, should your client devices (for instance, your living room TV) need extra help in video playback.

Its two bays can take up to 14TB of hard drive each, which is more than enough for basic home use along with some freelance work, even after setting aside half the space for redundancy. For things like backing up your phones and computers and hosting your movie collection, its 2GB of included RAM should work without any trouble for all kinds of apps Synology supports. However, you will need to add more RAM if your work-from-home often requires running multiple apps simultaneously on the NAS.

Source: TerraMaster

TerraMaster F4-423

Premium pick

Upgrade your storage capacity with this expansive server

TerraMaster’s F4-423 is an Intel-powered NAS with four drive bays, M.2 SSD support, and 2.5Gb networking. For the price, it’s a very capable server foundation that can be used for various deployments.

Pros

• Four drive bays
• Intel Celeron CPU

For those who need a little more storage capacity or plan on building out their storage pool at a later date, something like the TerraMaster F4-423 will be the better option with four drive bays and support for M.2 SSDs. It has a very capable, modern Intel Celeron processor, upgradable RAM, and two 2.5GbE connections. It’s priced aggressively against competitor NAS, and as such you’ll not need to spend much to take advantage of features usually found inside more expensive SOHO enclosures.

With all four drive bays fully populated, it’s possible to configure the F4-423 with up to 80TB of capacity. That’s not taking into account RAID, which is strongly recommended, and even with a drive reserved, around 60TB can be available for storing just about anything. The specifications of this enclosure allow for a service like Plex Media Server to run comfortably as well.

Source: Synology

Synology DiskStation DS223j

Best value

You cannot beat this NAS deal

Synology’s DiskStation DS223j is the replacement for the popular and well-received DS220j, an affordable two-bay enclosure with access to the company’s excellent DiskStation Manager (DSM) OS. Rocking a new ARM processor and more RAM, it’s a solid choice for those who simply wish to store files and backups.

Pros

• Excellent OS
• Two drive bays

Cons

• Weaker CPU
• 1GbE networking

Synology launched the DiskStation DS223j as a direct replacement for its popular and super-affordable DS220j. The price is the same yet we’ve got access to double the amount of DDR4 RAM and a faster ARM processor. The best part about the DS220j and the new DS223j is how Synology’s DSM operating system is available. This is arguably the best OS for NAS and it’s good to go for a two-bay enclosure that costs less than $200. Because of the low price, you shouldn’t expect 2.5GbE networking, M.2 storage slots, expandable RAM, and support for 4K transcoding for media, but it’s great for storing data.

Inside the Synology DiskStation DS223j is the Realtek RTD1619B, an ARM chip capable of hitting speeds of up to 1.7GHz across four physical cores. There’s also 1GB of DDR4 RAM, double that of the outgoing DS220j. To help keep costs low, Synology still includes a single 1GbE connection, which should be sufficient for home use or in a small office. When you have a few backup files to store somewhere, the DiskStation DS223j can be a good candidate with support for RAID, Synology’s cloud platform, and the same excellent DSM operating system.

Source: TerraMaster

TerraMaster F2-210

Budget 2-bay NAS

This two-bay NAS has some good specs for the price

Powered by a Realtek ARM processor, the TerraMaster F2-210 won’t win any awards for performance, but it’s not designed to. This is an affordable entry-level NAS with everything you need to get up and running.

Pros

• Great value
• Good for beginners/backups

Cons

• Weaker CPU
• 1GbE networking

The TerraMaster F2-210 is very similar to what Synology offers with its DiskStation DS223j. Inside this capable compact NAS is a Realtek RTD1296 CPU with four cores and a burst speed of up to 1.4GHz. Just like the DS223j, TerraMaster installed 1GB of DDR4 RAM inside this NAS, which makes it good enough for a slightly busier household or a few colleagues in the office. It’s still not designed for running intensive apps and services such as Plex Media Server, but for storing files you’ll experience absolutely no issues.

The single 1GbE connection will also play a limiting factor in just what you can do with this NAS. For the price, it’s what we’d expect to see and TerraMaster does make up for this by supporting up to 40TB of raw capacity with the two drive bays. One area where TerraMaster falls a little behind the competition is the operating system the company uses for its enclosures. It’s not terrible and has improved greatly over recent versions, but it’s still not quite as good as what Synology, Asustor, and QNAP offer.

Synology DiskStation DS120j

Best basic NAS

You’ll struggle to find a more affordable enclosure than this

The Synology DiskStation DS120j is about as budget-friendly as we’d go with this buyer guide. It has one drive bay, a basic CPU, and just enough RAM to get you up and running.

Pros

• Super affordable
• Excellent OS

Cons

• Only one drive bay
• Weak specs

The Synology DiskStation DS120j is very similar to the DiskStation DS220j we’ve recommended as our best budget 2-bay NAS. In fact, the specifications of these two enclosures are almost identica, aside from the number of drive bays. We wouldn’t usually recommend a NAS with just one drive bay, but if all you need is somewhere for files to be stored securely, this is about as cheap as we’d go. Although this NAS costs around $100, it’s still loaded with the same Synology DSM operating system as the more expensive Synology NAS.

512MB of DDR3L RAM and the Marvell Armada 3700 88F3720 CPU won’t win performance awards, but they’re capable of running the OS smoothly, so long as you’re not running intensive apps and services in the background. Having multiple people access the enclosure simultaneously can also cause some strain on the processor, but for starting out with your first NAS or having connected storage in the dorm, the Synology DiskStation DS120j is a fine choice.

Source: QNAP

QNAP TS-264

Best budget NAS for Plex

Run your very own Spotify and Netflix with this NAS

$425 $429 Save
$4

The QNAP TS-264 is a very capable compact two-bay enclosure. This NAS has 2.5GbE networking, two M.2 slots, a PCIe 3.0 expansion slot, an Intel Celeron processor, and 8GB of RAM. It’s perfect for running intensive apps and services such as Plex Media Server.

Pros

• CPU transcoding support
• Impressive specifications

Costing $429, the QNAP TS-264 (similar to the QNAP TS-264) is one of the more expensive NAS recommendations in this buyer guide, but it’s well worth it if you can stretch to cover the cost. We’ll start with the impressive Intel Celeron 5095 CPU with four physical cores and the ability to boost up to 2.9GHz. This chip will be able to handle countless tasks thrown at it, be it surveillance or running a media server. The solid transcoding support, two M.2 slots, and a PCIe 3.0 x2 slot are why we recommend this as our best budget NAS for Plex.

The 8GB of DDR4 RAM included with the TS-264 is all you’ll be able to use with the enclosure, but this should be more than enough for most tasks. The QNAP QTS operating system will be able to fully utilize the processing power available and a single HDMI port ensures you will be able to hook up your big TV screen for buttery-smooth playback of all your purchased 4K content. Two 2.5GbE connections will also allow for enough bandwidth for streaming huge files over the network, making this a fine NAS for work and play.

How to choose the best budget NAS

Going for a budget NAS doesn’t mean you’ll be compromising on features or capabilities. Many of our top picks on this list don’t cost a bomb but still pack unmatched performance, offering fantastic value for your money. No matter how varied your needs are, ranging from basic home use to running a small business, you will find a perfect match without having to spend top dollar to safely store your data.

The DiskStation DS224+ from Synology is more than capable of handling mixed use thanks to its new processor, provided you bump up its RAM. But the standard configuration will still do an excellent job if you don’t do a lot of multi-tasking, while its up to 14TB of available storage is enough for years’ worth of photo and video backups with Synology Photos, which can easily replace Google Photos, and running a Plex server loaded with 4K movies and shows.

If you’re eyeing even cheaper options, you can consider the entry-level Synology DiskStation DS223j or the TerraMaster F2-210. These models won’t burn a hole in your pocket while still getting you the convenience of a network storage server for wireless file transfers, backups, and streaming.

The QNAP TS-264 may be a little pricier but it is made for people who want a capable NAS with an upgraded processor, ample RAM, and flexible network connectivity options but can do with a two-bay NAS. Meanwhile, the TerraMaster F4-423 gets you the same set of higher-end internals, including Intel’s newer-gen Celeron processor, but on a four-bay system, allowing you to get more work done off the NAS with double the available space that you won’t run out of for years.

No matter which NAS brand or model you go for, it is important to spare some cash for a pair of NAS hard drives to start with that can cost another couple of hundred dollars, depending on the size and variant you go for.

Source: Synology

Synology DiskStation DS224+

Best overall

The best budget NAS for most people

The DiskStation DS224+ is a fantastic deal at this price, given its upgraded internals and the excellent Synology software you get access to. For under $300, you won’t find a better NAS, and the DS224+ will serve you well for years to come. You can go for it without thinking twice.