Synology Compatible Hard Drives 2026: Full Database & Best Picks

This is your complete reference guide for every hard drive compatible with Synology NAS systems. We’ve compiled specifications, current pricing, and recommendations for NAS drives, surveillance drives, and enterprise options — all verified compatible after the DSM 7.3 update.

Table of Contents

• 2026 Compatibility Status
• NAS Drives Database
• Surveillance Drives Database
• Enterprise Drives Database
• Synology-Branded Drives
• Drives to Avoid
• Recommendations by Synology Model
• Recommendations by Capacity
• Frequently Asked Questions

2026 Compatibility Status

Good news: After the DSM 7.3 update (October 2025), virtually all quality hard drives work with Synology NAS systems, including the 2025 Plus series that previously had restrictions.

Compatibility Quick Reference

Related:Synology HDD Compatibility 2026: The DSM 7.3 Story

NAS Drives Database

These drives are specifically designed for Network Attached Storage and work perfectly with all Synology models.

WD Red Plus Series

The most popular NAS drive line. CMR technology ensures consistent performance.

WD Red Pro Series

Enterprise-class NAS drives with higher workload ratings and longer warranties.

Seagate IronWolf Series

Excellent NAS drives with included Rescue Data Recovery service.

Seagate IronWolf Pro Series

Enterprise NAS drives with higher workload ratings and 5-year warranty.

Toshiba N300 Series

Reliable budget NAS option with competitive pricing.

Surveillance Drives Database

For Synology Surveillance Station, surveillance-optimized drives provide better performance and reliability than NAS drives.

WD Purple Series

Industry-leading surveillance drives with AllFrame technology.

Related:WD Purple Complete Guide | WD Purple Synology Compatibility

WD Purple Pro Series

Enterprise surveillance with AI workload support.

Related:WD Purple Pro Complete Guide

Seagate SkyHawk Series

Surveillance drives with ImagePerfect technology and Rescue service.

Related:Seagate SkyHawk Complete Guide | SkyHawk Synology Guide

Seagate SkyHawk AI Series

Enterprise surveillance with AI analytics support.

Related:Seagate SkyHawk AI Complete Guide

Toshiba S300 Series

Budget surveillance option.

Related:Toshiba S300 Complete Guide

Enterprise Drives Database

For demanding workloads, data centers, and 24/7 enterprise environments.

WD Gold Series

Seagate Exos Series

Synology-Branded Drives (HAT Series)

Synology’s own drives (rebranded Toshiba) with guaranteed compatibility and support.

When to buy Synology HAT drives:

• Enterprise compliance requiring single-vendor support
• Mission-critical systems where guaranteed support matters
• Package deals from Synology resellers

When to buy third-party:

• Home and SMB use (99% of users)
• Budget-conscious builds
• Better price-to-performance

Drives to Avoid in Synology NAS

Desktop Drives — Not Recommended

Related:CMR vs SMR: Why It Matters for NAS

Recommendations by Synology Model

Best Drives by Capacity

Frequently Asked Questions

Drive Testing and Burn-In

When you receive new drives, testing before deployment can save headaches later.

Initial Testing Checklist

1. Visual inspection: Check for shipping damage
2. SMART test: Run extended SMART test in PC or NAS
3. Bad block scan: Use manufacturer tools or badblocks utility
4. Burn-in period: Run drives under load for 24-48 hours
5. Temperature check: Verify cooling is adequate

Testing in Synology DSM

1. Install drives and boot NAS
2. Go to Storage Manager > HDD/SSD
3. Select each drive and run “Extended S.M.A.R.T. Test”
4. Check results after completion (several hours)
5. Verify no reallocated sectors or pending sectors

Return Window Strategy

• Test drives immediately upon receipt
• Most retailers offer 30-day return windows
• Drives with any SMART warnings should be returned
• Don’t wait until the return window closes to test

Long-Term Drive Management

Monitoring Drive Health

Set up alerts in DSM:

1. Control Panel > Notification > Email
2. Configure email notifications
3. Enable alerts for: Drive warnings, S.M.A.R.T. errors, Volume degraded
4. Check Storage Manager monthly for any warnings

Proactive Replacement Schedule

Replacement Process

1. Purchase replacement drive (same or larger capacity)
2. Back up critical data (RAID is not backup!)
3. Power down NAS, swap drive in degraded bay
4. Power on — DSM will automatically start rebuild
5. Wait for rebuild to complete (hours to days depending on size)
6. Verify array health in Storage Manager

Related Guides

How to Choose the Right Drive for Your Synology

Selecting the right hard drive involves balancing capacity, performance, reliability, and cost. Here’s our decision framework.

Step 1: Determine Your Primary Use Case

General NAS (files, backup, Plex):

• Choose NAS drives (WD Red Plus, Seagate IronWolf, Toshiba N300)
• Optimized for mixed read/write workloads
• 24/7 operation with vibration tolerance
• TLER/ERC enabled for RAID compatibility

Surveillance Station:

• Choose surveillance drives (WD Purple, Seagate SkyHawk)
• Optimized for sequential write-heavy workloads
• AllFrame/ImagePerfect prevents dropped frames
• Often lower cost per TB than NAS drives

Business/Enterprise:

• Choose Pro/Enterprise drives (WD Red Pro, IronWolf Pro, Gold, Exos)
• Higher workload ratings (300-550TB/year)
• Longer warranties (5 years)
• Better MTBF ratings

Step 2: Calculate Required Capacity

Capacity formula: Calculate current needs × 2 for growth, then add 25% buffer.

Example capacity planning:

• Home photos/documents: 500GB current → 2TB needed → 4TB drives recommended
• Media server: 5TB current → 15TB needed → 8TB drives in 4-bay (24TB usable)
• Surveillance (8 cams, 1080p, 30 days): ~4TB needed → 8TB drives for headroom
• Small business: 10TB current → 30TB needed → 12TB drives in 5-bay

Step 3: Consider Total Cost

Price-per-TB sweet spots (February 2026):

• Best value: 8TB drives (~$17-19/TB)
• High capacity value: 12-14TB drives (~$17-18/TB)
• Premium: 16TB+ drives (~$18-21/TB)

Total system cost examples:

Step 4: Match to Your Synology Model

2-bay models (DS224+, DS725+):

• Maximum 2 drives, limited total capacity
• Buy larger drives (8-14TB) to maximize space
• SHR provides single-drive redundancy (50% usable)

4-bay models (DS423+, DS923+, DS925+):

• Sweet spot for home/SMB
• 8TB drives provide good balance
• SHR gives 75% usable capacity

5+ bay models (DS1522+, DS1621+):

• Consider SHR-2 for two-drive redundancy
• Larger capacity drives (12-16TB) cost-effective
• Enterprise drives (Red Pro, IronWolf Pro) recommended

Understanding Drive Specifications

CMR vs SMR: Why It Matters

CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording):

• Tracks don’t overlap — consistent write performance
• No slowdowns during RAID rebuilds
• Required for NAS use — all recommended drives use CMR

SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording):

• Tracks overlap like roof shingles — higher density
• Severe write slowdowns under sustained loads
• RAID rebuilds can take days instead of hours
• Found in desktop drives (WD Blue 2TB+, Barracuda)
• Avoid for Synology NAS

Workload Rating Explained

The workload rating (TB/year) indicates how much data the drive is rated to handle annually.

Recommendation: 180TB/year is sufficient for most home users. Business and heavy surveillance should use 300TB/year+ drives.

MTBF and Reliability

MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) indicates expected reliability:

• 1 million hours: Standard for consumer NAS drives
• 1.2 million hours: Pro/enhanced NAS drives
• 2.5 million hours: Enterprise drives

Real-world note: MTBF doesn’t predict individual drive lifespan. Plan to replace drives proactively at 4-5 years regardless of MTBF rating.

Cache Size

• 64-128MB: Budget drives, adequate for basic use
• 256MB: Standard for modern NAS drives
• 512MB: High-capacity drives (14TB+)

Larger cache improves burst performance but has minimal impact on sustained NAS workloads.

RPM (Rotations Per Minute)

• 5400-5640 RPM: Lower power, quieter, slightly slower
• 7200 RPM: Faster, more heat, higher power

Recommendation: Both work well for Synology. Choose based on noise/power preferences. Performance difference is minimal in typical NAS use.

Drive Warranty and Support Comparison

Key advantage of Seagate: Included Rescue Data Recovery service ($500+ value) covers physical damage, accidental deletion, and corruption. This can be the deciding factor for important data.

Synology Guides

• Synology NAS Storage Guide (Main Hub)
• Synology HDD Compatibility 2026
• Best Synology NAS 2026
• Synology RAID Guide

Drive Guides

• WD Purple Complete Guide
• WD Purple Synology Compatibility
• Seagate SkyHawk Complete Guide
• SkyHawk Synology Guide
• Complete Surveillance Drives Guide

Last updated: February 2026. Prices verified against current Amazon and retailer listings.

Mixing Drives: Brands, Capacities, and Types

Mixing Different Brands

Can you mix WD and Seagate in the same Synology?

Yes, mixing brands works fine. All major NAS drives use standard SATA interfaces and work identically in SHR or RAID configurations.

Considerations:

• Slight performance variations between brands (negligible in practice)
• Different health monitoring features (IronWolf Health vs standard SMART)
• Warranty claims handled by respective manufacturers

Recommendation: For initial setup, buy matching drives for simplicity. When expanding or replacing, any quality NAS drive works.

Mixing Different Capacities

Can you use 4TB, 8TB, and 12TB drives together?

Yes, if using SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID).

SHR advantages with mixed capacities:

• Maximizes all available space automatically
• Example: 4TB + 8TB + 8TB + 12TB = 24TB usable in SHR vs 12TB in RAID 5
• Easy expansion — add any size drive later

RAID 5/6 with mixed capacities:

• All drives treated as smallest capacity
• Example: 4TB + 8TB + 8TB + 12TB = only 12TB usable
• Wastes capacity on larger drives

Recommendation: Use SHR unless you need RAID portability to non-Synology systems.

Mixing NAS and Surveillance Drives

Can you use WD Red Plus and WD Purple in the same array?

Technically possible, but not recommended.

Why not:

• Different firmware optimizations may cause minor timing issues
• Surveillance drives optimized for writes, NAS drives for mixed I/O
• Health monitoring may not work optimally

Recommendation: Choose one drive type based on primary use case. Use NAS drives for general storage; use surveillance drives for Surveillance Station.

Where to Buy Synology-Compatible Drives

Recommended Retailers

Amazon:

• Wide selection, competitive pricing
• Easy returns if DOA
• Watch for third-party sellers (buy “Sold by Amazon” when possible)

B&H Photo:

• Often competitive with Amazon
• No sales tax in most states
• Good for bulk orders

Newegg:

• Frequent combo deals and sales
• Good selection of all capacities
• Subscribe to deal alerts

Micro Center (in-store):

• Often has the best in-store prices
• Easy to exchange DOA drives
• Limited to physical locations

Best Times to Buy

• Black Friday / Cyber Monday: Best overall deals (November)
• Amazon Prime Day: Good WD and Seagate deals (July)
• Back to School: Some storage deals (August)
• End of Quarter: Manufacturers sometimes discount to hit targets

What to Avoid

• Suspiciously cheap drives: May be refurbished or counterfeit
• Third-party “renewed” or “refurbished”: Unknown history, limited warranty
• Shucked external drives: Voided warranty, unknown drive inside
• Gray market imports: May not have valid US warranty

Synology Guides

• Synology NAS Storage Guide (Main Hub)
• Synology HDD Compatibility 2026
• Best Synology NAS 2026
• Synology RAID Guide

Drive Guides

• WD Purple Complete Guide
• WD Purple Synology Compatibility
• Seagate SkyHawk Complete Guide
• SkyHawk Synology Guide
• Complete Surveillance Drives Guide