Best cheap NAS 2023

Network-attached storage (NAS) can get really expensive, especially if you want more premium features. You don’t need to spend much to buy something truly special, however. We’ve rounded up some excellent enclosures with the most affordable costing less than $200. Here’s our collection of the best cheap NAS.

1. Best overall: Synology DiskStation DS220j — ARM CPU, 2 bays, 512MB RAM, 1GbE.
2. Runner-up: TerraMaster F2-221 — Intel CPU, 2 bays, 2GB RAM, 1GbE.
3. Best value: Synology DiskStation DS220+ — Intel CPU, 2 bays, 2GB RAM, 1GbE.
4. Best for Plex: QNAP TS-364 — Intel CPU, 4 bays, 8GB RAM, 2.5GbE.
5. Best four-bay: TerraMaster F4-210 — ARM CPU, 4 bays, 1GB RAM, 1GbE.
6. Best budget: TerraMaster F2-210 — ARM CPU, 2 bays, 1GB RAM, 1GbE.

What’s the best cheap NAS?

It’s important to factor in price when picking a NAS enclosure. The more you spend, the better features will be made available, but you shouldn’t write off cheap enclosures altogether. They’re still exceptional for storing files and running a few lighter services.

It’s important to factor in price when picking a NAS enclosure.

Our favorite NAS that’s affordable is the Synology DiskStation DS220j. It has the same two drive bays as the DiskStation DS220+, which we include in our other roundups such as the best NAS. Where the company cut corners with the DS220j is with the processor and RAM.

The TerraMaster F2-221 costs a little more, but you do get an Intel processor and upgradable RAM, starting at 2GB. The DS220+ is the best NAS for Plex if your budget can stretch it and the F4-210 from TerraMaster is my four-bay pick.

The cheaper the NAS, the less powerful the specifications will likely be. At the bare minimum, you can expect to see an ARM processor, 512MB of RAM, and up to two drive bays. These won’t blow your mind, but they will be more than good enough for storing data.

1. Synology DiskStation DS220j

Best overall cheap NAS

Our thoughts: The DiskStation DS220j from Synology is a great affordable NAS. It’s cheap and still manages to allow you to store up to 36TB of data if you don’t use the drives in a RAID configuration.

Specification	Synology DiskStation DS220j
CPU	Realtek RTD1296 (4-core, 1.4 GHz)
GPU	–
RAM	512 MB DDR4 (max 512 MB)
Storage	2x SSD/HDD
Expansion	–
Cooling	1x 92 mm
Ports	1x 1GbE 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
Power	~12.46 W
Dimensions	165 x 100 x 225.5 mm
Weight	0.8 kg

If you want the best overall pick for a cheap NAS, it’ll have to be the Synology DiskStation DS220j. It’s restricted by the processor and RAM, being the Realtek RTD1296 and 512MB, respectively. This isn’t great for carrying out more intense tasks like running Plex Media Server.

It is, however, perfect for storing files, backups, and more. The two drive bays are capable of holding drives with a capacity of up to 36TB. If you’d like to better protect your data with redundancy measures, this will be slashed in half to a maximum of 18TB.

The best part about Synology NAS compared to the competition is the operating system. Synology DiskStation Manager is excellent and allows one to run multiple processes without issue. Just don’t try to do too much on the enclosure as the CPU and RAM will act as bottlenecks.

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2. TerraMaster F2-221

Best cheap NAS runner-up

Our thoughts: TerraMaster NAS is generally more affordable than the competition and the F2-221 is no different. It offers excellent value thanks to the Intel Apollo J3355 processor and upgradable RAM.

Specification	TerraMaster F2-221
CPU	Intel Apollo J3355 (2-core, 1.5 GHz)
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	2 GB DDR4 (max 6 GB)
Storage	2x SSD/HDD
Expansion	–
Cooling	1x 80 mm
Ports	2x 1GbE 2x USB-A 3.0 1x HDMI
Power	~22.1 W
Dimensions	227 x 119 x 133 mm
Weight	2.4 kg

The first TerraMaster NAS in this affordable collection is the TerraMaster F2-221. It’s very similar to the Synology DiskStation DS220+ but is a little cheaper. Inside is the Intel Apollo J3355 processor, as well as 2GB of DDR4 RAM.

The two drive bays will allow you to store up to 36TB of data without making use of RAID. Finally, there are two 1Gb LAN ports that can be linked together for additional bandwidth. It’s not all great news for the F2-221, however.

The operating system is a little behind the times compared to the competition. It’s good enough for running a NAS at home, but you may encounter some questionable design choices, though these are expected to be addressed in future OS updates.

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3. Synology DiskStation DS220+

Best value cheap NAS

Our thoughts: My favorite NAS is the Synology DiskStation DS220+ and it’s also on our best cheap NAS list. It’s your best pi9ck for an affordable enclosure to run Plex Media Server.

Specification	Synology DiskStation DS220+
CPU	Intel Celeron J4025 (2-core, 2.9 GHz)
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	2 GB DDR4 (max 6 GB)
Storage	2x SSD/HDD
Expansion	–
Cooling	1x 92 mm
Ports	2x 1GbE 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
Power	~14.69 W
Dimensions	165 x 108 x 232.2 mm
Weight	1.3 kg

Our all-time favorite NAS at the moment is the Synology DiskStation DS220+. It really has it all when looking for the best value NAS and one that can handle Plex transcoding. The Intel Apollo J3355 CPU is brilliant at even more intensive applications.

This great processor is joined by 2GB of DDR4 RAM, which can be upgraded to a total of 6GB should you require additional capacity. The two drive bays may be limiting for those who need to store more than 36TB of data, but it’s more than enough for anyone starting from scratch.

It’s easy to overlook the two 1Gb LAN ports, but you can link them together for enough throughput to almost keep up with a 2.5Gb LAN. Most homes only have a 1Gb network anyway. It’s just a shame there are no M.2 slots for SSD caching.

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4. QNAP TS-364

Best cheap NAS for Plex

Our thoughts: If you’re wanting the most powerful NAS you can buy on a tighter budget, look no further than the QNAP TS-364. It’s not too expensive and comes with an Intel processor, 8GB of RAM out of the box, and four drive bays.

Specification	QNAP TS-364
CPU	Intel Celeron N5095 (4-core, 2.9 GHz)
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics
RAM	8 GB DDR4 (max 8 GB)
Storage	4x SSD/HDD 2x M.2 SSD
Expansion	–
Cooling	1x 92 mm
Ports	1x 2.5GbE 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
Power	~32.8 W
Dimensions	142 x 150 x 260 mm
Weight	1.64 kg

The QNAP TS-364 is a beastly little unit. It has an Intel Celeron N5095 processor, which has four physical cores and is capable of bursting up to 2.9GHz. Then there is the integrated Intel UHD Graphics, making this chip ideal for running more intensive packages such as Plex Media Server.

8GB of DDR4 RAM is a fair amount to find pre-installed, but you won’t be able to expand it like other QNAP NAS enclosures. That’s one of the limitations placed upon this NAS since it’s aggressively priced. Four drive bays are joined by two M.2 SSD slots and the two latter storage options can be used for SSD caching or expanding capacity.

Everything is cooled by a single 92mm fan. For connectivity, there’s a single 2.5GbE port, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and one USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port. It’s the most expensive NAS in this collection but offers far more performance than all other enclosures.

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5. TerraMaster F4-210

Best four-bay cheap NAS

Our thoughts: If you need to store lots of data, it’s best you go with the TerraMaster F4-210. This NAS has four drive bays, an ARM processor, 2GB of RAM, and more than enough to get you started.

Specification	TerraMaster F4-210
CPU	Realtek RTD1296 (4-core, 1.4 GHz)
GPU	–
RAM	2 GB DDR4 (max 2 GB)
Storage	4x SSD/HDD
Expansion	–
Cooling	2x 80 mm
Ports	1x 1GbE 2x USB-A 3.0
Power	~25.6 W
Dimensions	227 x 225 x 136 mm
Weight	2.25 kg

The TerraMaster F4-210 is all about capacity. It has four drive bays that can hold an impressive 72TB of data. That is until you implement a RAID configuration for enhanced data redundancy. This NAS is designed with affordable file storage in mind.

The 2GB of RAM cannot be upgraded, but this shouldn’t be an issue for storing and accessing files. Two 1Gb LAN ports are great for rapid access using mechanical drives. What’s more of a bummer is the lack of any SSD caching M.2 slots.

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6. TerraMaster F2-210

Best budget cheap NAS

Our thoughts: If money is all you’re concerned with, go for the TerraMaster F2-210. It has two drive bays and an ARM processor, making it perfect for someone’s first enclosure.

Specification	TerraMaster F2-210
CPU	Realtek RTD1296 (4-core, 1.4 GHz)
GPU	–
RAM	1 GB DDR4 (max 1 GB)
Storage	2x SSD/HDD
Expansion	–
Cooling	1x 80 mm
Ports	1x 1GbE 2x USB-A 3.0
Power	~25.6 W
Dimensions	227 x 119 x 133 mm
Weight	1.35 kg

The final NAS on this list is the TerraMaster F2-210. It’s a more affordable version of the F2-221, substituting the Intel processor for a Realtek RTD1296 CPU. This isn’t particularly powerful and will limit just what you can do with the F2-210.

The 2GB of RAM cannot be upgraded and you may find the two drive bays a downer should you have multiple terabytes of data to store. It is, however, of excellent value as a first NAS enclosure. If you are looking to buy your very first enclosure, this is a solid place to start.