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GENERAL NAS FEATURE COMPARISON

NAS Plex (local 4K) Plex HD (remote) Plex 4K (remote) BACKUP (MS/GOOGLE OFFICE) BACKUP (BAREBONE) PHOTOS (OBJECT AI) VIDEO EDITING (4K) VIDEO EDITING (8K) DOCKER VIRTUAL MACHINES PC MODE (QVM) 2.5GbE 10GbE 25GbE Thunderbolt NVMe Pcie Expansion HDMI Drive Mixing
TS-216G - -
TS-262
TS-h1886XU-RP R2 - -
TS-233 - -
UC3200 - -

LATEST PRICE LIST

TS-216G239 USD
TS-262
TS-h1886XU-RP R2
TS-233
UC3200

BEST FOR Virtualisation

NAS CPU Cores Threads Speed (GHz) Docker/VM Score ECC
TS-216G ARM 4-core Cortex-A55 2.0GHz processor 4 4 2 Docker 694 NO /4 GB DDR4, not expandable
TS-262 Intel® Celeron® N4505 2-core/2-thread processor, ... 2 2 2 (MAX:2.9) Docker/VM 2378 NO /4 GB DDR4 on board (non-expandable)
TS-h1886XU-RP R2 Intel® Xeon® D-1622 4-core processor, burst up to ... 4 8 2.6 (MAX:3.2) Docker/VM 6205 ECC /32 GB DDR4 UDIMM DDR4 ECC (2 x 16GB)
TS-233 ARM 4-core Cortex-A55 2.0GHz processor 4 4 2 Docker 694 NO /2 GB DDR4, not expandable
UC3200 Intel Xeon D-1521 4 8 2.4 (MAX:2.7) Docker/VM 5897 ECC /8 GB DDR4 ECC UDIMM

BEST FOR MULTIMEDIA

NAS GPU Base_GHz/Max Codec FPS Transcoding Plex
TS-216G / H.264 30 1080 720p
TS-262 Intel® UHD Graphics 450/750 H.264, H.265 60 2160 2160p
TS-h1886XU-RP R2 / 0 1080p
TS-233 / H.264 30 1080 720p
UC3200 / 0 1080p

BEST FOR FILE STORAGE

NAS BAYS Bandwidth HDD storage expansion Drive mixing File System
TS-216G 2 HDD 3.5Gbit (2 ports combined) 44TB EXT4
TS-262 2 HDD 2.5Gbit (1 ports combined) 44TB EXT4
TS-h1886XU-RP R2 12 HDD 30Gbit (6 ports combined) 264TB ZFS/EXT4
TS-233 2 HDD 1Gbit (1 ports combined) 44TB EXT4
UC3200 12 HDD 12Gbit (3 ports combined) 264TB EXT4 BTRFS

*All NAS support multiple RAID/ volume groups, if you want to mix different size drive on non supported model.

BEST FOR BACKUP

NAS Level HA AI Google Microsoft encryption
TS-216G folder face HDD/volume /folder
TS-262 folder face HDD/volume /folder
TS-h1886XU-RP R2 folder face HDD/volume /folder
TS-233 folder face HDD/volume /folder
UC3200 folder face+object /folder

BEST FOR VIDEO EDITING

NAS MAX LAN speed Ports transcoding PCIe NVMe
TS-216G 2.5Gbit
TS-262 2.5Gbit Slot 1: PCIe Gen 3 x2 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3 x1
TS-h1886XU-RP R2 10Gbit 2 x 10GbE SFP+ PCIe-Slot =3 Slot 1: PCIe Gen 2 x4 (x8 Slot) Slot 2: PCIe Gen 3 x4 Slot 3: PCIe Gen 3 x8 or x4 (x8 Slot)
TS-233 1Gbit
UC3200 10Gbit 1x RJ-45 10GbE 1 x Gen3 x8

BEST FOR SURVEILLANCE (CCTV)

NAS HDMI QVM transcoding AI
TS-216G
TS-262 1, HDMI™ 2.1 (up to 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz)
TS-h1886XU-RP R2
TS-233
UC3200

BEST FOR SMART HOME/ AI

NAS Virtual switch Docker/VM HDMI S/PDIF / AUX
TS-216G Docker
TS-262 Docker/VM 1, HDMI™ 2.1 (up to 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz)
TS-h1886XU-RP R2 Docker/VM
TS-233 Docker
UC3200 Docker/VM

LATEST VIDEOS RELATED


AVAILABILITY / RELEASE DATE

Brand Model TW USA UK Released
Qnap TS-216G 2024-03
Qnap TS-262 2022-08
Qnap TS-h1886XU-RP R2 2022-03
Qnap TS-233 2022-02
Synology UC3200 2020-06

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RELATED REVIEWS

SOFTWARE - 8/10
HARDWARE - 7/10
PERFORMANCE - 8/10
PRICE - 9/10
VALUE - 9/10


8.2
PROS
👍🏻Good value hardware and software at this pricepoint
👍🏻2GB of DDR4 Memory at the affordable tier is very welcome
👍🏻
👍🏻Runs the latest version of QTS 5
👍🏻
👍🏻First Value Tier NAS in the market to use the Cortex A55 Processor
👍🏻
👍🏻Quad-Core Processor is a nice bonus
👍🏻
👍🏻Inclusive AI-powered component built into the hardware
👍🏻
👍🏻USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port and Copy Button always good at the value tier
👍🏻
👍🏻Support for NAS-to-NAS/USB/Cloud backups and also supported Hybrid Storage and mounting
CONS
👎🏻1GbE in 2022 event at the value tier is underwhelming
👎🏻2x USB 2.0 Ports is equally underwhelming

SOFTWARE - 6/10
HARDWARE - 8/10
PERFORMANCE - 8/10
PRICE - 8/10
VALUE - 9/10


7.8
PROS
👍🏻Very compact chassis design, despite large storage potential
👍🏻A BIG jump in hardware and scale from the QNAP TS-251D
👍🏻Easily one of the most hardware-packed SMB/Mid-range 2-Bay on the market
👍🏻HDMI 2.1 Support is fantastically future-proof!
👍🏻m.2 NVMe SSD Bays AND a PCIe Upgrade Slot (no need to choose one upgrade path)
👍🏻8x Included Camera Licenses
👍🏻Includes Anti-virus, Firewall Tool, VPN client tools, Malware Remover, network manager and Security Councilor Tool
👍🏻3 Different Container/VM tools that also feature image download centers
👍🏻10Gb/s (1,000MB/s) USB Ports will be incredibly useful
👍🏻Large range of expansion options in the TR/TL series in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 Bays
CONS
👎🏻The PCIe Slot is PCIe 3x2 and the M.2 SSD Bays are PCIe 3x1 (likely limitations of all this H/W on a Celeron+chipset
👎🏻HD Station application needs more updates by the brand
👎🏻Fixed 4GB of memory will annoy some users
👎🏻The QuTS ZFS Platform is not available
👎🏻Software can be a little inconsistent under excessive use and features a steeper learning curve than Synology

SOFTWARE - 7/10
HARDWARE - 7/10
PERFORMANCE - 6/10
PRICE - 7/10
VALUE - 8/10


7.0
PROS
👍🏻Affordable 10Gbe LAN Ports
👍🏻Snapshot Replication
👍🏻AI Photo Recognition
👍🏻DLNA Support
👍🏻Apple Time Machine Support
👍🏻Surveillance including 4 camera licences and supporting 10-12 cameras at once
👍🏻iTunes Server
👍🏻Snapshot Support (previously the memory requirement was 4GB, but now reduced to 1GB)
👍🏻Email server
👍🏻Download server (FTP, HTTP, BT,NZB)
👍🏻CMS and CRM systems
👍🏻Media Center support
CONS
👎🏻Design is a pinch dated
👎🏻CPU is 32bit ARM
👎🏻Lack of embedded GPU limits application support in QTS

SOFTWARE - 8/10
HARDWARE - 10/10
PERFORMANCE - 9/10
PRICE - 7/10
VALUE - 8/10


8.4
PROS
👍🏻High Virtualisation Use
👍🏻Two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 Ports which can allow 2 devices access at once
👍🏻SSD Optimized with NVMe Support
👍🏻Business Use
👍🏻SMB Storage
👍🏻Optimized for Post Production and Broadcasting
👍🏻Embedded 10GBe Port
👍🏻Thunderbolt-to-10Gbe Adapter possible
👍🏻DLNA Support
👍🏻Apple Time Machine Support
👍🏻Surveillance including multiple camera licences – 8 Licences FREE
👍🏻iTunes Server
👍🏻email server
👍🏻Download server (FTP, HTTP, BT,NZB)
👍🏻CMS and CRM systems
👍🏻Office applications
👍🏻Media Center support
CONS
👎🏻Only 2 TB3 Ports – so only 2 Editors at once
👎🏻No Remote Control
👎🏻no Intel i7 8th Gen option
👎🏻Only 1 10Gbe Port
👎🏻PCIe Slot that is available not compatible with 40Gbe cards

In terms of these two brands, there is been a long-running theme all the way through that Synology has focused on FIRST-PARTY (i.e. Synology-brand) software and hardware priority, then supporting THIRD-PARTY services/hardware when they haven’t got a viable alternative in-house – to mixed degrees of popularity. Whereas QNAP has been a much more level playing field where they have released their own innovative hardware/software (occasionally a little too quickly) and singing its praises, but also tried to keep customization and flexibility for 3rd parties as open as possible and shouting loud-and-proud about that too – which can be a tad overwhelming for the less tech-savvy. Both brands have done an incredible job evolve their platforms as much as they have to date, especially when Microsoft, Google and Amazon are pouring BILLIONS into the SaaS (and PaaS and IaaS – Platform and Infrastructure as a Service) in order to create entirely streamable ecosystems for businesses, with NAS brands like Synology and QNAP not only integrating with them but also thriving alongside them as a local/bare-metal failsafe. These are all very lofty ideas and ones that most home or small business users will likely have little time for right now (aside from where NAS fits in with their Google/Office 365 office tools like documents, email and spreadsheets at a pinch) and for those users, who the NAS stands on its own two feet is what is going to matter most. Synology is earning its position in the market as the complete 1st party software and hardware package, with a genuinely groundbreaking range of available services, but still managing to make NAS accessible for all in DSM 6.2/7.0/7.1. That said, the trends we are seeing in those sub-enterprise services that are slowly receding in support of popular 3rd party hardware, software and services, making using a Synology NAS alongside your own existing setup in a frictionless way cannot be ignored and leading some to think Synology is shifting their industry position towards something higher.

QNAP NAS on the other hand, although maybe trying to cover too many bases at once, is still trying to cover as much as it can to appear to their audience. Their support of considerably more 3rd party platforms/software/services, even when they have their own software available, is certainly admirable and aside from rather aggressive pricing on their QVR Pro surveillance platform, are still the better choice for those who want a much more adaptable and customizable platform. Its a pretty understandable fact that most people who buy a NAS will be arriving with an existing collection of software in their daily workflow (Office 365 for docs, Gmail for their email, Plex for their media, Chromebook for their commute, Skype/Whatsapp for their communication, TB3 for their editing, etc) and it has to be said that QNAP keeps a more open platform to adapt a NAS into this mix than Synology – occasionally less intuitively and not without a little setup-friction, but certainly to more customizable results. Unsurprisingly, I am going to tell you that both Synology and QNAP NAS are good NAS brands and have earned their place at the top of the industry (whilst both making their own respective moves to integrate into the next tier – ie SaaS providers, Hyperscale environments and Boundless cloud storage), but there is no denying that no one brand has managed to do EVERYTHING to perfection. So, if in double, below is how I would recommend QNAP and Synology NAS to you, for each user case scenario and I hope this guide and my recommendations help you with your next big data storage purchase.

Why Choose Synology NAS?

Better Surveillance Software

More Intuative and User-Friendly Design

EXCELLENT 1st Party Alternative Apps to Existing 3rd Party Tools

(including Synology Chat, Mail, Office, Drive, Calendar and more)

Greater Support/Migration with VMware & Hyper-V

Better Redundant System Options (SHA)

Greater Support on Amazon Home Hardware

Synology Hybrid RAID for flexibility in Media Upgrades

BTRFS on Most systems

Longer Warranty Available on More Systems

First Party SSD and HDDs Available

Typically Quieter Operation

Why Choose QNAP NAS?

Better 1st Party/Hosting Virtual Machines

Better Plex Media Server NAS

More Adaptable and Customizable

Wider Support of Surveillance using AI Recognition

EXCELLENT KVM Support

More Camera Licenses

ZFS or EXT4 File System Choice on many systems now

2.5Gbe Network Interfaces at 1Gbe Cost

Allows NVMe SSD Storage Pools and Volumes

Support of QTier for intelligent Data storage for Access

Greater 1st and 3rd Party Hardware Upgrade Compatibility

(including Graphics Cards, WiFi 6 and Thunderbolt)


LATEST PRICE LIST

TS-216G239 USD
TS-262
TS-h1886XU-RP R2
TS-233
UC3200
DEAL WATCH - Is It On Offer Right Now?

QNAP TS-233-US 2 Bay Affordable Desktop NAS with ARM Cortex-A55 Quad-core Proces Amazon usa USA 5.76 OFF (WAS 276) [LINK]

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