Top 10 NAS Boxes for Home and Small Offices in 2027
By Kory White · Updated Nov 2026 · 4 min read
Direct answer
The Synology DS725+ is the best home and small office NAS, with 2 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots, a 2.5GbE port and a 17.9 dB(A) noise level. The Synology DS425+ is #2 with 4 bays, and the QNAP TS-464 is #3 with two 2.5GbE ports.
Drive bays: 2 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slotsNetwork: One 2.5GbE and one 1GbE portProcessor: AMD Ryzen R1600, 2 cores and 4 threadsMemory: 4 GB DDR4 ECC, expandable to 32 GBNoise level: 17.9 dB(A)
The Synology DS725+ has 2 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots, an AMD Ryzen R1600 and 4 GB of DDR4 ECC memory that expands to 32 GB. It runs at 17.9 dB(A) with one 2.5GbE and one 1GbE port.
Go ifA quiet two-drive NAS for a home office
Skip ifYou want more than two drives from day one
Why #1 over #2: Its 17.9 dB(A) is quieter than the DS425+’s 21.6 dB(A), and it gets ECC memory.
2
Synology DS425+
Looketup VerdictThe sensible four-bay Synology.
Drive bays: 4 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slotsNetwork: One 2.5GbE and one 1GbE portProcessor: Intel Celeron J4125, 4 coresMemory: 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC, expandable to 6 GBNoise level: 21.6 dB(A)
The Synology DS425+ has 4 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots and an Intel Celeron J4125 with 4 cores. It comes with 2 GB of memory, expandable to 6 GB, and one 2.5GbE port.
Go ifFour-drive RAID for a small team
Skip ifYou want ECC memory
Why #2 over #3: Its 6 GB memory ceiling gives it more room than the TS-433’s 4 GB built in.
3
Synology DS925+
Looketup VerdictThe four-bay Synology with ECC memory.
Drive bays: 4 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots; 9 bays with one DX525 unitNetwork: Two 2.5GbE portsProcessor: AMD Ryzen V1500B, 4 cores and 8 threadsMemory: 4 GB DDR4 ECC, expandable to 32 GBNoise level: 20.5 dB(A)
The Synology DS925+ has 4 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots and grows to 9 bays with one DX525 unit. It has two 2.5GbE ports, 4 GB of DDR4 ECC memory and a 20.5 dB(A) noise level.
Go ifA four-bay NAS with two fast network ports
Skip ifYou only need two drives
Why #3 over #4: Its two 2.5GbE ports beat the DS425+’s one 2.5GbE port.
4
QNAP TS-464
Looketup VerdictThe most expandable four-bay NAS here.
Drive bays: 4 bays, up to 72 TB of storageNetwork: Two 2.5GbE portsThroughput: Up to 589 MB/s with port trunkingSSD cache: Up to 4 TB of M.2 SSD cachingExpansion: PCIe slot for a dual-port 10GbE card, up to 1,647 MB/s
The QNAP TS-464 has 4 bays and supports up to 72 TB of storage. Two 2.5GbE ports reach up to 589 MB/s with port trunking, and a PCIe slot takes a dual-port 10GbE card for up to 1,647 MB/s.
Go ifA four-bay NAS you can upgrade to 10GbE
Skip ifYou want the quietest possible box
Why #4 over #5: Its two 2.5GbE ports go past the TS-433’s one 2.5GbE port.
5
Synology DS1525+
Looketup VerdictThe room-to-grow Synology.
Drive bays: 5 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots; 15 bays with two DX525 unitsNetwork: Two 2.5GbE portsProcessor: AMD Ryzen V1500B, 4 cores and 8 threadsMemory: 8 GB DDR4 ECC, expandable to 32 GBNoise level: 22.6 dB(A)
The Synology DS1525+ has 5 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots and grows to 15 bays with two DX525 units. It has two 2.5GbE ports and 8 GB of DDR4 ECC memory at 22.6 dB(A).
Go ifA small office that expects to outgrow four bays
Skip ifYou only need two drives
Why #5 over #6: Its 5 bays and two 2.5GbE ports beat the TS-364’s 3 bays and one 2.5GbE port.
6
QNAP TS-364
Looketup VerdictThe three-bay RAID 5 pick.
Drive bays: 3 bays plus 2 M.2 PCIe Gen 3 slotsNetwork: One 2.5GbE portRAID: RAID 5 with three disksVideo out: 4K HDMI outputUSB: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) port
The QNAP TS-364 has 3 bays plus 2 M.2 PCIe Gen 3 slots, one 2.5GbE port and 4K HDMI output. A USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) port handles fast copies.
Go ifRAID 5 with the fewest drives
Skip ifYou want two network ports
Why #6 over #7: Its 4K HDMI output and RAID 5 with three disks are not offered by the TS-433.
7
Synology DS1825+
Looketup VerdictThe high-capacity Synology.
Drive bays: 8 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slotsNetwork: Two 2.5GbE portsProcessor: AMD Ryzen V1500B, 4 cores and 8 threadsMemory: 8 GB DDR4 ECC, expandable to 32 GBNoise level: 23.8 dB(A)
The Synology DS1825+ has 8 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots, two 2.5GbE ports and 8 GB of DDR4 ECC memory. It is rated at 23.8 dB(A).
Go ifA big-capacity NAS for a growing business
Skip ifYou have a small desk or shelf
Why #7 over #8: Its 8 bays give it more capacity than the DS225+’s 2 bays.
8
QNAP TS-433
Looketup VerdictThe budget four-bay NAS.
Drive bays: 4 SATA 6Gb/s baysNetwork: One 2.5GbE and one 1GbE portProcessor: ARM Cortex-A55 quad-core, 2 GHzMemory: 4 GB built inCopy button: Front USB port with One-Touch Copy
The QNAP TS-433 has 4 SATA 6Gb/s bays, an ARM Cortex-A55 quad-core at 2 GHz and 4 GB of built-in memory. It has one 2.5GbE and one 1GbE port, plus a front USB port with One-Touch Copy.
Go ifAn affordable four-bay home NAS
Skip ifYou plan to run heavy apps or virtual machines
Why #8 over #9: Its 2.5GbE port and 4 bays beat the TS-233’s one 1GbE port and 2 bays.
9
Synology DS225+
Looketup VerdictThe simple two-bay Synology.
Drive bays: 2 SATA baysNetwork: One 2.5GbE and one 1GbE portProcessor: Intel Celeron J4125, 4 coresMemory: 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC, expandable to 6 GBNoise level: 19.6 dB(A)
The Synology DS225+ has 2 SATA bays, an Intel Celeron J4125 and 2 GB of DDR4 memory that expands to 6 GB. It has one 2.5GbE and one 1GbE port at 19.6 dB(A).
Go ifBackups and photo storage at home
Skip ifYou want M.2 SSD cache slots
Why #9 over #10: Its 2.5GbE port beats the TS-233’s 1GbE port.
10
QNAP TS-233
Looketup VerdictThe entry-level pick.
Drive bays: 2 SATA 6Gb/s baysNetwork: One 1GbE portProcessor: ARM Cortex-A55 quad-core, 2 GHzMemory: 2 GB built inThroughput: 114 MB/s download and 103 MB/s upload over 1GbE
The QNAP TS-233 has 2 SATA 6Gb/s bays, 2 GB of built-in memory and one 1GbE port. QNAP lists 114 MB/s download and 103 MB/s upload.
Go ifThe simplest first NAS for family backups
Skip ifYou have a 2.5GbE network
How we ranked these
We ranked each NAS on drive bays, network speed, and the memory and processor each maker publishes, since none of these pages list a price. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
What is the best NAS for a home office?
The Synology DS725+: 2 SATA bays plus 2 M.2 NVMe slots, one 2.5GbE port and a 17.9 dB(A) noise level.
Which NAS on this list can add 10GbE?
The QNAP TS-464 can add a dual-port 10GbE card in its PCIe slot for up to 1,647 MB/s; its two built-in ports are 2.5GbE.
Which NAS can grow beyond its built-in bays?
The Synology DS1525+ has 5 SATA bays and reaches 15 bays with two DX525 units.
Which NAS on this list is the quietest?
The Synology DS725+, rated at 17.9 dB(A); the DS225+ is rated at 19.6 dB(A).
Drive bays or M.2 slots (as published) at a glance
Synology DS725+2 bays
Synology DS225+2 bays
QNAP TS-2332 bays
QNAP TS-3643 bays
Synology DS425+4 bays
Synology DS925+4 bays
QNAP TS-4644 bays
QNAP TS-4334 bays
Synology DS1525+5 bays
Synology DS1825+8 bays
Drive bays or M.2 slots (as published), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.
