Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro AS3302T

Superb all-round performance at an unbeatable price

All these systems provide reliable storage for Time Machine backups, and could replace a Time Capsule and provide shared storage for photos and docs. They differ in availability of other services, expandability, and cost. WD My Cloud is good and inexpensive, but won’t do much more than those basics.

The four conventional NAS systems offer different services and expansion. Their manufacturers also offer related models: QNAP’s four-bay TS-453D compares with the Synology tested, and Asustor offers its AS3304T. Each is a Linux computer with a file system more complex than your Mac’s, controlled through a web browser. If you’re not comfortable with that, or need macOSspecific services such as Content Caching, making your own NAS using a Mac is fine, if expensive.

Picking a winner on services or performance is impossible, as the QNAP, Synology, and Asustor are so close. When it comes to cost, though, none matches the Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro.