Favor predictable administration, permissions, backup jobs, network redundancy, and enough capacity for retention.
Updated 2026-08-31 · Editorial recommendations based on researched specifications, not hands-on testing.
2 bays · 1 × 2.5GbE
DSM permissions, endpoint backup, snapshots, 2.5GbE, and straightforward administration make this a conservative two-bay choice for a very small team.
Watch: Two bays, 2GB base memory, and no internal growth make this unsuitable for rapidly expanding shared data.
4 bays · 2 × 2.5GbE
Four bays, ECC memory, dual 2.5GbE, Btrfs, Active Backup, Snapshot Replication, and Hyper Backup provide the best-balanced self-managed office platform.
Watch: Hardware is conservative for the price, and exact third-party drive support must be rechecked.
8 bays · 2 × 2.5GbE
Eight bays, ECC memory, network expansion, and the same predictable DSM stack suit a larger retention set without moving into procurement-class rack hardware.
Watch: This remains one desktop appliance, not HA; budget an off-site target, UPS, monitoring owner, and replacement plan.
Read the full guide before choosing a tier.