Synology DS224+ vs QNAP TS-264 vs Ugreen DXP4800: Which 2-Bay NAS
The Synology DS224+ wins for users who prioritize the most polished software and lowest learning curve at $300. The QNAP TS-264 wins for hardware-per-dollar in a 2-bay turnkey unit at $500 — Quick Sync transcoding plus 2.5GbE plus HDMI. The Ugreen DXP4800 Plus is technically a 4-bay unit included for context, and wins on raw modern hardware (DDR5, built-in 10GbE) at $700 if you can accept UGOS Pro's younger ecosystem.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Performance | Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS | The Ugreen's Intel Pentium Gold 8505 (1P + 4E hybrid Alder Lake-N) wins on both single-thread (one Golden Cove P-core) and multi-thread (5 cores total). The QNAP TS-264's Celeron N5095 quad-core is solid but is pure Tremont E-cores. The Synology DS224+'s J4125 Goldmont Plus is the slowest of the three — adequate for DSM workloads but a generation behind. |
| Networking | Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS | Ugreen DXP4800 Plus has built-in 10GBASE-T plus 2.5GBASE-T — both ports out of the box. QNAP TS-264 has one 2.5GbE plus one 1GbE. Synology DS224+ has two 1GbE only with no upgrade path. For households with multi-gig switches, the Ugreen is dramatically better. For 1GbE-only networks, this axis does not matter. |
| OS Maturity & Polish | Synology DS224+ 2-Bay NAS | DSM 7.2 has 20 years of refinement, the cleanest UI, the best mobile apps (Synology Photos, Drive, DS file), and ~150 polished first-party packages. QNAP QTS is feature-rich but more cluttered with a steeper learning curve. UGOS Pro launched in 2024 — functional but ~50 apps and a much smaller community. Software polish is the entire reason to pay Synology's premium. |
| Drive Compatibility / Lock-In | QNAP TS-264 2-Bay NAS | QNAP and Ugreen impose minimal restrictions on HDD or M.2 SSD selection — buy any CMR NAS-grade drive, any M.2 NVMe SSD. Synology has tightened drive whitelist enforcement and requires Synology-brand M.2 SSDs for storage pools (~$200 for 400GB). For users who want full freedom over drive choice, QNAP and Ugreen tie; Synology loses meaningfully. |
| Security Track Record | Synology DS224+ 2-Bay NAS | QNAP has a concerning history — Deadbolt ransomware (2022) hit ~10K units, Qlocker (2021) hit ~7K units. Both targeted QTS units exposed to the internet. Synology DSM has had fewer high-profile incidents. Ugreen UGOS Pro is too new to have a meaningful track record. If you must expose your NAS UI to the internet, none of these are safe — but Synology has the best history of the three. |
| Price-to-Capability | QNAP TS-264 2-Bay NAS | At $500, the TS-264 has 8GB RAM (vs 2GB on DS224+), Quick Sync transcoding, 2.5GbE, HDMI 2.0, and two M.2 NVMe slots — all included. The DS224+ at $300 is cheaper but you pay for software polish, not hardware. The DXP4800 Plus at $700 is two more bays and 10GbE built-in but a lot more money. For a single user buying one 2-bay turnkey NAS, the TS-264 is the best hardware deal. |
Which Board for Your Project?
| Use Case | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First NAS, prefers polished software | Synology DS224+ 2-Bay NAS | DSM 7.2 is the easiest NAS OS to learn. Setup takes under an hour, mobile apps are best-in-class, and Synology Photos replaces Google Photos in an afternoon. Worth the hardware compromise if software friction matters to you. |
| Family Plex server with 4K HDR transcoding | QNAP TS-264 2-Bay NAS | The N5095's Quick Sync handles 4K HEVC transcoding well, and the 2.5GbE port keeps multiple direct-play streams from saturating the network. 8GB stock RAM is enough for Plex plus a few other containers. Just keep QTS off the public internet. |
| Multi-gig home network with 4 bays needed | Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS | Built-in 10GbE plus 2.5GbE means no expansion card to buy and no port limitations. Four bays support RAID 5/6 for 24-36TB usable capacities. The Pentium Gold 8505 with Quick Sync handles 3-4 simultaneous 4K Plex transcodes. UGOS Pro is younger than DSM/QTS but covers the basics. |
| Self-hosted Immich + Nextcloud + Jellyfin stack | QNAP TS-264 2-Bay NAS | Container Station handles all three apps in Docker, and 8GB RAM is enough for the typical home library size. The N5095 is fast enough for Immich's machine learning workloads. The 2.5GbE port handles concurrent uploads from multiple phones. The DS224+ works too but needs a RAM upgrade ($50) to match. |
| Maximum drive freedom, no vendor lock | QNAP TS-264 2-Bay NAS | QNAP imposes no drive whitelist enforcement. Use any HDD, any M.2 NVMe SSD, generic ECC if you want it. Synology's tightening compatibility policies on Plus-series units are an active concern; Ugreen is unrestricted but the platform is newer. QNAP gives you the most freedom on a turnkey 2-bay unit today. |
| Long-term low-friction household appliance | Synology DS224+ 2-Bay NAS | Synology has 20 years of DSM updates and the best track record for long-term software support. Mobile apps continue improving. Auto-updates, Hyper Backup, Active Backup for Business, and QuickConnect remote access work without configuration. The price premium buys you a NAS that still feels good in 2031. |
Where to Buy
Final Verdict
Pick the Synology DS224+ if you are a first-time NAS buyer who values software polish — DSM is genuinely the iPhone of NAS, and the J4125 with Quick Sync handles 1080p/4K Plex for the family. Pick the QNAP TS-264 for the best 2-bay hardware-per-dollar — N5095 with Quick Sync, 2.5GbE, HDMI 2.0, and 8GB RAM standard for $500, just be diligent about not exposing QTS to the public internet. Pick the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus if you want 4 bays plus built-in 10GbE/2.5GbE in modern hardware (DDR5, hybrid cores) at $700, accepting that UGOS Pro is younger than DSM/QTS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the QNAP TS-264 worth $200 more than the Synology DS224+?
If you want hardware (Quick Sync, 2.5GbE, HDMI, 8GB RAM, M.2 NVMe slots), yes. If you want software polish, no — DSM is meaningfully better than QTS, and most household needs are satisfied by the J4125's hardware. The TS-264 is for users who specifically need 4K transcoding, faster networking, or NVMe cache.
Why include the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus in a comparison of 2-bay units?
The DXP4800 Plus is technically a 4-bay unit, but it competes for the same buyers — prosumers shopping a sub-$1000 NAS. At $700 with built-in 10GbE plus 2.5GbE, two more bays, and DDR5, it represents the upgrade path from a 2-bay DS224+ or TS-264. Ugreen also makes 2-bay units (DXP2800), but the DXP4800 Plus is their most-recommended model in 2026.
Which has the best Plex transcoding?
The Ugreen DXP4800 Plus's Pentium Gold 8505 has the most modern Quick Sync (AV1 decode, 12-bit HEVC) — 3-4 simultaneous 4K HEVC transcodes. The QNAP TS-264's N5095 is a close second — 2-3 simultaneous 4K transcodes. The Synology DS224+'s J4125 is the slowest — 1-2 simultaneous 4K transcodes. All three support hardware transcoding; the Ugreen has the most headroom.
Should I worry about QNAP ransomware?
Only if you expose QTS to the public internet via UPnP or manual port forwarding. Both Deadbolt (2022) and Qlocker (2021) targeted internet-exposed QTS units. Internal-network use is not at elevated risk. Disable UPnP on your router, never port-forward the QTS web UI, and access remotely via myQNAPcloud, Tailscale, or a VPN. Same advice applies to all NAS brands but QNAP's history makes the practice more important.
Can I use the same hard drives across all three brands?
Yes — physically. NAS-grade CMR drives (Seagate IronWolf, WD Red Plus, Toshiba N300) work in all three. The difference is policy: Synology may show warnings or withhold features for non-listed drives, while QNAP and Ugreen accept all CMR NAS drives without restrictions. Avoid SMR drives (cheap WD Reds without 'Plus') in any RAID configuration regardless of brand.
How does UGOS Pro compare to DSM and QTS?
UGOS Pro launched in 2024 and is genuinely improving. It covers the basics (file shares, snapshots, Docker, photo backup) with a clean UI. It lacks the app catalog depth of DSM (~150 apps) and QTS (hundreds), and the community is smaller (r/UgreenNASync ~10K vs r/synology 130K). Ugreen has been responsive with firmware updates. If you are buying for a 5-10 year horizon, DSM and QTS have stronger track records.
Which is best if I want to install TrueNAS Scale?
None of these three. The Synology, QNAP, and Ugreen units are all priced for their software ecosystems — wiping the included OS for TrueNAS wastes the value. For TrueNAS Scale, buy the TerraMaster F2-424 ($440, officially supports third-party OS) or Beelink ME mini ($300, all-flash). Both are commonly used as bare-metal TrueNAS hardware platforms.