The 5 Best NAS Devices on Amazon in 2026

By TwelveTabs · Updated

Illustration: a small two-bay network storage box beside a home router and an open laptop on a desk, drawn as a soft 3D render. Not a real product.

As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases. Our picks are independently researched, written by TwelveTabs AI and never sponsored.

The top picks

Our top pick is the Synology DiskStation DS223j, a two-bay network storage box that its listing sells without drives and describes as a private cloud with backups for Macs, PCs and phones. We read two pages of Amazon’s search for “nas storage”, 44 cards in all, compared the product pages of 11 finalists and kept five. A NAS here is a box that sits on your home network and stores files for several devices.

Then one pick for each other need. For a personal cloud with the drive already inside, the Synology BeeStation 4TB. For a four-bay home NAS with Docker support, the UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus. For a 10GbE network and virtual machines, the UGREEN NAS DXP4800 Plus. For dual 2.5GbE ports and NVMe cache slots, the QNAP TS-464. Wirecutter’s top pick, the Synology DS225+, sits in the comparison table.

The method

How this pick was made

Synology DiskStation DS223j is the top pick. This is the work behind that choice.

  1. 44Amazon search results read, across 1 search
  2. 11finalist pages read in full
  3. 2expert sources cross-checked: PCMag, Wired

Run on October 5, 2026. AI read the listings and what shoppers say, then wrote this guide. Full method and limits

Our picks in detail

The WinnerBest first two-bay NAS
Synology DiskStation DS223j

Synology DiskStation DS223j

Best for: A first two-bay NAS that you fill with your own drives

  • $209.99
  • 4.5 (868 reviews)
  • ★ Amazon's Choice
  • Pros Private cloud with multi-platform access, per the listing
  • Cons Listed as diskless, so drives are a separate purchase

Prices and ratings as of October 5, 2026.

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Pros and cons

Why it made the list

  • The listing describes a private cloud with multi-platform access from anywhere, plus file sharing and syncing.
  • It names set-and-forget backups for Macs, PCs and mobile devices, to cloud and external drives.
  • It adds support for multiple IP cameras with remote viewing and a 2-year warranty, and the product text calls it compact, quiet and energy-efficient.

Drawbacks

  • It is listed as diskless, so you buy the drives separately.
  • The bullets we read name no network port speed, memory size or Docker support.

Watch for this: a Synology DS223, without the j, sits beside it in search. It is a different model, and the provider groups it with a four-bay model on one listing page, so check the model name before you buy.

Skip it if you want the drive included. The Synology BeeStation 4TB comes with one.

Top AlternativeBest simple personal cloud
Synology BeeStation 4TB

Synology BeeStation 4TB

Best for: A simple personal cloud with no drive shopping

  • $364.99
  • 3.9 (284 reviews)
  • Pros Set up in minutes, per the listing
  • Cons One sealed drive: PCMag says no RAID and no upgrade

Prices and ratings as of October 5, 2026.

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Pros and cons

Why it made the list

  • Its listing says you set up a personal cloud in minutes and share storage so everyone gets a personal space.
  • It says files back up from Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and external drives to one place.
  • It names dedicated Mac backup space for Time Machine and three years of Acronis backup for one computer.

Drawbacks

  • PCMag says the 4TB drive is sealed and not upgradable, and that one drive means no RAID.
  • PCMag says it has no app library, unlike other Synology NAS devices.

Skip it if you want to add drives later or run a media server. The QNAP TS-464 has four bays.

Top AlternativeBest four-bay NAS for home media
UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus

UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus

Best for: A four-bay home NAS for photos and media

  • $373.98
  • 4.1 (319 reviews)
  • ★ Amazon's Choice
  • Pros Four bays, with up to 128TB of capacity per the listing
  • Cons Drives are not included

Prices and ratings as of October 5, 2026.

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Pros and cons

Why it made the list

  • The listing calls it an entry-level four-bay NAS for home media and names a beginner manual and video instructions.
  • It names a 2.5GbE port, 8GB of memory, 4K HDMI video output and Docker support, with Plex run through Docker.
  • It describes phone photo backup and an AI album that sorts by people, objects and pets, with up to 128TB of capacity once you add drives.

Drawbacks

  • The listing says storage disks are not included.
  • It says the box supports wired Ethernet only and does not support virtual machines.

Watch for this: the advertised capacity assumes RAID 0 with compatible drives, per the listing, so usable space in a mirroring setup will be lower.

Skip it if you need virtual machines. The UGREEN DXP4800 Plus supports them.

Top AlternativeBest four-bay NAS for 10GbE and virtual machines
UGREEN NAS DXP4800 Plus

UGREEN NAS DXP4800 Plus

Best for: Families and small teams on a 10GbE network

  • $656.99
  • 4.5 (625 reviews)
  • ★ Amazon's Choice
  • Pros 10GbE network port and 10Gbps USB ports, per the listing
  • Cons Hard drives are not included

Prices and ratings as of October 5, 2026.

Run this search liveView on Amazon
Pros and cons

Why it made the list

  • The listing says it supports Docker and virtual machines, and that Plex can run through Docker.
  • It names a 10GbE network port and 10Gbps USB ports, with up to 144TB of capacity.
  • It lists access from Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and an AI photo album that removes duplicates.

Drawbacks

  • The listing says hard drives are not included and must be bought from a third party.
  • It says wired Ethernet only, and that the advertised capacity is based on RAID 0.

Skip it if your router or switch tops out at 1 Gbps, since Wired says that limit drags a fast NAS down to a little over 100 MB/s. The UGREEN DH4300 Plus has a 2.5GbE port.

Top AlternativeBest for dual 2.5GbE ports and NVMe cache slots
QNAP TS-464

QNAP TS-464

Best for: Fast file sharing with NVMe cache slots

  • $639.00
  • 4.4 (257 reviews)
  • ★ Amazon's Choice
  • Pros Dual 2.5GbE ports, per the listing
  • Cons Listing text we read does not say whether drives are included

Prices and ratings as of October 5, 2026.

Run this search liveView on Amazon
Pros and cons

Why it made the list

  • The listing names a quad-core Intel N5105/N5095 processor, 8GB of DDR4 memory and dual 2.5GbE ports.
  • It lists two M.2 NVMe slots for cache or an SSD storage pool, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports at up to 10Gb/s.
  • Wired lists the TS-464-8G among its other NAS options, noting two 2.5 Gbps ports, four USB ports, HDMI and a PCIe slot.

Drawbacks

  • The listing text we read does not say whether drives are included.
  • Wired calls the interface a bit basic and says little is preinstalled.

Skip it if you want the easiest first setup. The Synology BeeStation 4TB is built for that.

Expert picks

Synology DiskStation DS225+
Wirecutter's top pick

Synology DiskStation DS225+

Wirecutter's top pick, shown next to ours so you can compare. Our picks may differ from the experts'.

  • $364.99
  • 4.6 (240 reviews)
View on Amazon

Compare the picks

Prices and ratings as of October 5, 2026. They change often, so check today's price on Amazon.

Our picks and Wirecutter's top pick, side by side
PictureProductOutcome
1Synology DiskStation DS223jSynology DiskStation DS223jType: Two-bay NAS · Drives: DisklessPrice $209.99Not listedRating 4.5868 reviewsWinner. Best for: A first two-bay NAS that you fill with your own drives
2Synology BeeStation 4TBSynology BeeStation 4TBType: Personal cloud · Drives: 4TB, sealedPrice $364.99Not listedRating 3.9284 reviewsBest for: A simple personal cloud with no drive shopping
3UGREEN NAS DH4300 PlusUGREEN NAS DH4300 PlusType: Four-bay NAS · Drives: Not includedPrice $373.98Not listedRating 4.1319 reviewsBest for: A four-bay home NAS for photos and media
4UGREEN NAS DXP4800 PlusUGREEN NAS DXP4800 PlusType: Four-bay NAS · Drives: Not includedPrice $656.99Not listedRating 4.5625 reviewsBest for: Families and small teams on a 10GbE network
5QNAP TS-464QNAP TS-464Type: Four-bay NAS · Drives: Not statedPrice $639.00Not listedRating 4.4257 reviewsBest for: Fast file sharing with NVMe cache slots
Synology DiskStation DS225+Synology DiskStation DS225+Type: Two-bay NAS · Drives: DisklessPrice $364.99Not listedRating 4.6240 reviewsWirecutter's top pick

How to choose a NAS

This guide defines a NAS by what Google’s results rank for “best nas”: a network storage box, not a hard drive. PCMag describes it as a device that connects to your home or office network so you and the users you pick can reach your files from phones and PCs. A personal cloud box counts when it is sold that way. NAS-rated internal hard drives, empty drive enclosures and external hard drives show up in the same Amazon search. They are parts or single-computer storage, not network devices, so none is a pick here.

  • Drives are usually a separate purchase. Wired says that, as on most NAS devices, you must provide your own drives, and PCMag says the same of the QNAP TS-233 it covers. The listings for the Synology DS223j, the UGREEN DH4300 Plus and the UGREEN DXP4800 Plus all say the drives are not included. The BeeStation is the exception: PCMag says it includes a 4TB Synology-branded drive. The QNAP TS-464 listing text we read does not say either way.
  • The number of bays decides what a box can do. PCMag says the BeeStation has a single drive and so offers no RAID, the way of mirroring drives that a multi-bay NAS offers. It points anyone who wants RAID to a dual-bay NAS.
  • Your network sets the speed. Wired measured a Synology two-bay at about 300 MB/s on reads, and says that falls to a little over 100 MB/s if any part of the path (router, port, cable or switch) is limited to 1 Gbps. A 2.5GbE or 10GbE port only helps when your gear matches it. The UGREEN listings add that actual speeds depend on your router, processor, drive and file size.
  • Check for Wi-Fi. Both UGREEN listings say the box supports wired Ethernet only. Plan a cable from the NAS to your router.
  • Apps and Docker. Wired says Synology has the largest app selection of the brands it covers, including Plex and Jellyfin. The two UGREEN listings say Docker is supported and Plex can run through it, and the UGREEN DXP4800 Plus adds virtual machines.

What we left out, and why

We read 44 search cards (34 distinct products, 32 of them organic cards) and the product pages of 11 finalists. We kept five and show one more in the table.

  • UGREEN NAS DXP2800. The provider lists the DXP2800 GT and DXP4800 Pro under the same parent listing, and both have far fewer reviews in the search rows, so its review total may not describe this one model.
  • Synology DS223. The provider groups the four-bay DS423 with it, and the DS423 has far fewer reviews in the search rows. We kept the DS223j as the Synology two-bay.
  • UGREEN NAS DH2300. It shares a listing page with the DH4300 Plus, a different model, and has more than double that sibling’s reviews, so it may be pooled. We kept the DH4300 Plus.
  • BUFFALO LinkStation 220 and 210. One page holds twelve variants across the one-bay and two-bay models, and the listing text we read describes the LS200 series rather than one model.
  • Hard drives and enclosures. The Seagate IronWolf and WD Red Plus are internal drives made to go inside a NAS. The ORICO and TERRAMASTER boxes are drive enclosures, and the WD Elements is an external drive. None is a network device.

Wirecutter’s top pick for this topic is the Synology DS225+, a two-bay diskless NAS, and Wired’s top pick is the same model. It was one of our finalists, and it appears in the comparison table as Wirecutter’s top pick rather than among our five. Wirecutter’s page was updated March 2, 2026.

How we researched

On October 5, 2026 we read two pages of Amazon search results for "nas storage" in a browser: 44 cards, 34 distinct products. AI compared them, set aside hard drives, drive enclosures, sponsored-only cards and pages that mix several models, read the product pages of 11 finalists through a data provider the same day and chose 5 network storage devices whose own listing text says what the box does and how it connects. AI wrote this guide from that research.

Listings change: we read them on October 5, 2026, and a seller, color or stock may differ today. Product details came through a data provider, which keeps each listing's text but not its star breakdown, its customer summary or its review text, so every feature here is the listing's own statement or is attributed to PCMag or Wired. The provider keeps only the opening of each bullet, so a feature may exist that the text we read does not name. It also shows no variant menu, so we judged mixed-model pages from each listing's parent and sibling ASINs. Wirecutter's page was read live by our collector.

Prices, ratings and review counts come from Amazon and were read on October 5, 2026.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the best NAS for home use?

For most first-time buyers, the Synology DiskStation DS223j: a two-bay box whose listing names backups, file sharing and camera support. If you want the drive included, choose the Synology BeeStation 4TB.

Does a NAS come with hard drives?

Usually, yes. Wired says you must provide your own drives on most NAS devices, and three of our five listings say the drives are not included. The BeeStation comes with a 4TB drive, per PCMag.

Is a NAS better than an external hard drive?

They do different jobs. A NAS sits on your network so several devices can reach the same files, while an external hard drive plugs into one computer or console at a time. If you only need to back up one machine, see our external hard drives guide or our external SSDs guide.

How did TwelveTabs choose these NAS devices?

AI read two pages of Amazon’s search for “nas storage” on October 5, 2026, set aside hard drives, drive enclosures, sponsored-only cards and pages that mix several models, and read each finalist’s product page through a data provider. It kept the network storage boxes whose own listing text says what they do and how they connect.

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