Best NAS Drives for Mac in 2024
This article summarizes the top Network Attached Storage (NAS) drives for Mac users. NAS drives offer a centralized storage solution for home and office networks, eliminating the need for individual external drives for each device.
Top NAS Drive Picks
- Western Digital My Cloud Home: Best overall due to its speed, Plex Media Server support, and various storage capacities up to 8TB. It offers easy backups with Time Machine and convenient file-sharing features. Consider cloud storage alternatives.
- Synology DiskStation DS723+: Ideal for small offices and work-from-home setups. It's expandable, supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and offers two bays for hard drives and two slots for SSDs. Explore top smartphones of 2024.
- Synology BeeStation: User-friendly for beginners, offering 4TB storage, easy setup via QR code, and mobile apps for photo and file backups. Check out Cyber Monday trends.
- Western Digital My Cloud EX2 Ultra: A powerful NAS drive with customizable features, RAID support, and the option to use your own hard drives. It's suitable for home users and professionals needing reliable backups.
- Buffalo LinkStation 220D: Versatile and affordable, available in various storage capacities or unpopulated for customization. It supports RAID configurations and offers features like Time Machine compatibility and remote access.
- TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus: High-performance NAS with 8 NVMe SSD slots, 10Gbe connectivity, and an Intel Core i3 CPU. Ideal for demanding workloads requiring fast transfer speeds.
Key NAS Features for Mac Users
- Time Machine Support: Enables seamless backups of your Mac's data.
- User Accounts and Sharing: Allows for creating private user spaces and shared folders.
- Mobile Device Support: Facilitates backups and file sharing with iOS and Android devices.
- File Streaming: Enables streaming media content to devices like Apple TV.
Choosing the Right Storage Capacity
Consider your storage needs and choose a NAS drive with sufficient capacity. Some NAS drives come with fixed storage, while others offer customizable options with replaceable hard drives.