Rankings
The DS925+ is a powerful 4-bay NAS aimed at prosumers and small businesses, offering an AMD Ryzen CPU, dual 2.5 GbE networking, SSD caching and extensive DSM features, though it lacks native 10 GbE and enforces a Synology-only drive policy.
The DS223j is a compact, diskless two-bay NAS that delivers the full DSM experience, RAID 1 redundancy and low power draw. It's ideal for basic file storage and backup, though its single-gigabit port and limited RAM keep it from handling demanding media tasks.
The DS225+ is a compact 2-bay NAS that adds 2.5 GbE networking and expandable memory, delivering fast transfers, quiet operation, and a feature-rich DSM platform for home and small-office use.
The DS425+ is a 4-bay NAS with 2.5 GbE networking and dual M.2 slots, offering quiet operation and DSM 7.2+ features, aimed at home offices and small businesses.
The DS124 is a compact single-bay NAS that runs DSM, offers Btrfs support and low power consumption, targeting home users and small offices needing reliable file storage. Its simplicity comes at the cost of limited RAM, no RAID and no media transcoding capabilities.
The DS223 is a compact 2-bay NAS that offers a rich DSM software suite, low power draw and quiet operation, targeting home users and small offices needing reliable backup and media streaming.
The Synology DS118 is a compact single-bay NAS that delivers 4K transcoding and a full DSM feature set while consuming very little power. It is ideal for home users and small offices that value quiet operation and security, but its fixed RAM and lack of RAID limit heavy workloads.
The DS220j is an entry-level two-bay NAS delivering a full DSM experience, solid performance for its price, and a broad app ecosystem, ideal for home users and small offices.
The BeeDrive is a pocket-sized NVMe SSD that adds automated backup and wireless transfer features, targeting non-technical users who want simple local protection without a subscription.
The DS223j is a compact, entry-level 2-bay NAS powered by a quad-core Realtek processor and 1 GB RAM, offering quiet operation, low power draw, and the full DSM ecosystem for home or small-office use.
The BeeStation BST150-4T is a plug-and-play personal cloud NAS with built-in 4 TB storage and on-device AI for photo organization. It excels in simplicity and privacy but offers no RAID, media server functions, or expandability.
| Attribute | | | | | | Synology DS124 1-bay | | Synology DS223j | | Synology DS118 | Synology DS225+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
32 TB | — | 200 TBbest | 36 TB | 1 TB | — | 80 TB | — | 4 TB | 16 TB | 40 TB | |
2 | 2 | 4best | 2 | — | 1 | 4best | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbpsbest | 1 Gbps | — | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbpsbest | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbpsbest | |
4best | 4best | 4best | 4best | — | 4best | 4best | 4best | 4best | 4best | 4best | |
0.512 GB | 1 GB | 4 GBbest | 2 GB | — | 1 GB | 2 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 2 GB | |
| ↓ lower better | 12.46 W | 16.31 W | 37.91 W | 17.343 W | — | 10.69 W | 28.25 W | 16.31 W | 7.85 Wbest | 9.4 W | 16.98 W |
| ↓ lower better | — | 18.2 dB | 20.5 dB | 14.6 dBbest | — | 19 dB | 21.6 dB | 18.2 dB | — | — | 19.6 dB |
2 years | 2 years | 3 yearsbest | 2 years | 3 yearsbest | 2 years | 3 yearsbest | 2 years | 3 yearsbest | — | 3 yearsbest |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | | | | | Synology DS124 1-bay | | Synology DS223j | | Synology DS118 | Synology DS225+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Security(2) | |||||||||||
Hardware Encryption | true | true | true | true | false | true | true | true | — | true | true |
OS Compatibility | DSM | DSM | DSM 7.2 | DSM | Windows 10+, Windows 11, macOS 12+ | DSM | DSM 7.2+ | DSM | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) | DSM |
Performance(5) | |||||||||||
CPU Model | Realtek RTD1296 | Realtek RTD1619B | AMD Ryzen V1500B | Realtek RTD1619B | — | Realtek RTD1619B | Intel Celeron J4125 | Realtek RTD1619B | Realtek RTD1619B | Realtek RTD1296 Quad-Core | Intel Celeron J4125 |
System Memory (GB) | 0.512 GB | 1 GB | 4 GB | 2 GB | — | 1 GB | 2 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 2 GB |
Ethernet Speed (Gbps) | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps | 1 Gbps | — | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps |
Power Consumption (Active) (W) | 12.46 W | 16.31 W | 37.91 W | 17.343 W | — | 10.69 W | 28.25 W | 16.31 W | 7.85 W | 9.4 W | 16.98 W |
Noise Level (dB) | — | 18.2 dB | 20.5 dB | 14.6 dB | — | 19.0 dB | 21.6 dB | 18.2 dB | — | — | 19.6 dB |
Build & Design(3) | |||||||||||
Weight (kg) | 0.88 kg | 0.87 kg | 2.26 kg | 1.28 kg | 0.043 kg | 1.247 kg | 2.18 kg | 0.88 kg | 0.82 kg | 0.7 kg | 1.3 kg |
Power Supply Type | External 60W adapter | 60W AC adapter | 100-120W adaptive | 60W | — | 36W AC adapter | External 90W AC adapter | External 60W adapter | 36W AC adapter | External | Internal 60W |
Warranty Period (years) | 2 years | 2 years | 3 years | 2 years | 3 years | 2 years | 3 years | 2 years | 3 years | — | 3 years |
Connectivity(3) | |||||||||||
Supported Network Protocols | SMB, AFP, NFS, FTP, WebDAV, CalDAV, iSCSI, SSH, SNMP, OpenVPN, L2TP, PPTP | SMB,NFS,AFP,FTP,WebDAV,iSCSI,CIFS,HTTP/HTTPS,SNMP,LDAP,CalDAV,Kerberos | SMB1–3,NFSv3–v4.1,iSCSI,HTTP/HTTPS,SNMP,LDAP,CalDAV | SMB1/2/3,NFSv3/v4/v4.1,iSCSI,FTP,HTTP/HTTPS,SNMP,LDAP,CalDAV,WebDAV | — | SMB,AFP,NFS,FTP,WebDAV,iSCSI,HTTP,HTTPS,LDAP,CalDAV,SNMP | — | SMB, AFP, NFS, FTP, WebDAV, CalDAV, iSCSI, Telnet, SSH, SNMP, PPTP, OpenVPN™, L2TP | — | iSCSI | SMB, AFP, NFS, FTP, WebDAV, iSCSI, Telnet, SSH, SNMP, CalDAV, PPTP, OpenVPN, L2TP |
Link Aggregation Support | — | false | true | false | — | false | — | — | — | true | true |
USB Ports | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Storage & Capacity(4) | |||||||||||
Maximum Raw Capacity (TB) | 32 TB | — | 200 TB | 36 TB | 1 TB | — | 80 TB | — | 4 TB | 16 TB | 40 TB |
Drive Bays | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
RAID Support | SHR, RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD, Basic | RAID 0,1,Basic,Hybrid RAID,JBOD | Synology Hybrid RAID,Basic,JBOD,RAID 0,RAID 1,RAID 5,RAID 6,RAID 10 | RAID 0,RAID 1,Basic,JBOD,SHR | — | Basic | SHR, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 | SHR, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 | None | None | SHR, RAID 0, RAID 1, Basic, JBOD |
Supported Drive Types | 3.5" or 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD | 3.5" SATA HDD,2.5" SATA SSD | 3.5" SATA HDD,2.5" SATA SSD,M.2 2280 NVMe SSD | 3.5" SATA HDD,2.5" SATA SSD | NVMe SSD | 3.5" SATA HDD,2.5" SATA SSD/HDD | 3.5"/2.5" SATA | 3.5" SATA HDD, 2.5" SATA SSD (optional holder) | 3.5" HDD | SATA HDD, SATA SSD | 3.5" SATA HDD, 2.5" SATA SSD |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praised the DS220j for its polished DSM operating system, impressive read/write speeds for a budget unit, straightforward setup, and comprehensive app ecosystem, while noting its hardware limitations such as a single LAN port, modest 512 MB RAM, and lack of HDMI or multi-gigabit networking.
Everyday users appreciate the DS220j's ease of use, low power consumption, and ability to serve as a reliable home cloud and media server, but many echo concerns about limited RAM, lack of HDMI, and the need to purchase drives separately.
“airplane noise”
“Easy setup and migration”
“Perfect for home backups - set it and forget it”
Choose the DS124 for better performance and data-integrity features; stick with the DS223 only if price is the primary concern.
Choose DS124 if you need expandability, app ecosystem, and media streaming; choose BeeStation for a simple, fixed-capacity personal cloud with AI photo features.
Professional reviewers view the DS223j as a solid successor to the DS220j, highlighting the faster Realtek quad-core CPU and polished DSM experience, but note the lack of tool-less drive bays and limited media-streaming capability.
Everyday users appreciate the straightforward setup, reliable file access, and the ability to replace cloud storage costs with a one-time purchase, while recurring complaints focus on the noisy fan during spin-down, limited RAM, and difficulties with H.265 video playback.
Professional reviewers praise the DS925+ for its powerful AMD Ryzen processor, dual 2.5 GbE networking, and flexible SSD caching, noting enterprise-grade performance in a compact form factor, while criticizing the loss of 10 GbE and strict drive ecosystem.
Everyday users appreciate fast file transfers, quiet operation, and the ease of DSM, but some are disappointed by the locked-down drive ecosystem and lack of 10 GbE for future-proofing.
Professional reviewers describe the DS223 as an ideal entry-level NAS that prioritises reliability, a rich DSM software ecosystem and low noise over raw processing power, while noting limitations in transcoding and virtualization.
Everyday users praise its effortless backup setup, quiet operation and intuitive DSM interface, but note the limited RAM and modest CPU for heavier workloads.
Professional reviewers praise the BeeDrive for its user-centric design, reliable automated backup, and NAS-grade endurance, while noting that raw benchmark speeds lag behind pure SSDs and capacity is limited.
Everyday users love the out-of-the-box simplicity and automatic photo backup, but complain about the need for a powered host PC and the lack of built-in encryption.
Professional reviewers consider the DS124 a solid upgrade over the DS223, highlighting its faster Realtek ARM processor, Btrfs snapshots and ultra-quiet design, while noting the lack of transcoding and internal expandability.
Everyday users praise the plug-and-play setup, quiet operation and dependable backup tools, but criticize the limited 1 GB RAM, single-bay design and inability to handle media transcoding.
Professional reviewers consider the DS425+ an evolutionary update that modernizes networking with 2.5 GbE and adds dual M.2 slots, but they caution that the aging J4125 processor and limited memory cap its performance for demanding virtualization or transcoding tasks.
Everyday users appreciate the silent, "library-quiet" operation and the speed boost from 2.5 GbE, finding the setup straightforward and the DSM interface user-friendly, while noting the lack of 10 GbE and occasional instability with the USB-C expansion.
Professional reviewers praise the DS223j for its whisper-quiet operation and energy efficiency, noting that the Realtek processor and 1 GB of RAM are adequate for light file serving, backup, and media indexing, but recommend higher-end Synology models for Docker, VMs, or heavy transcoding.
Everyday users consistently highlight the silent operation, straightforward setup, and low power draw as major positives, while noting the modest 1 GB RAM, lack of hot-swap capability, and limited performance for demanding applications.
Professional reviewers praise the BeeStation for its ultra-simple QR-code setup, AI-driven photo organization, and solid SMB file sharing performance, but criticize the lack of media server functions, iSCSI, and extensibility.
Everyday users love the quick setup, AI photo tagging, and subscription-free private cloud, while common complaints focus on the absence of media streaming, audible HDD noise, and the fixed 4 TB limit.
Professional reviewers praised the DS118 as the most impressive compact NAS from Synology, highlighting its quad-core ARM processor that brings 4K transcoding and surveillance capabilities typically reserved for higher-end models.
Everyday users appreciate the straightforward setup, reliable 4K transcoding, silent operation, and the small, unobtrusive design, though they note the limited RAM and missing Plex support.
Professional reviewers praise the upgraded 2.5 GbE port, quiet build, and Btrfs snapshots, while noting the lack of M.2 slots, 10 GbE, and limited RAM as drawbacks.
Everyday users consistently commend the fast 2.5 GbE networking, low noise level, and ease of setup with DSM, while echoing the desire for M.2 SSD caching and higher RAM capacity.
