Best NAS under $500 for Docker, Immich and Home Assistant (2026)

Updated 2026-11-12 · Pick: UGREEN NASync DXP2800: $389.99 on ai.ugreen.com (checked 2026-11-03): https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp2800

Short answer. The best NAS under $500 for Docker containers like Immich and Home Assistant is the UGREEN NASync DXP2800: Intel N100, 8 GB stock, $389.99 at UGREEN. Upgraded to 16 GB it leaves 6 GB free after Immich's 8 GB and a 2 GB Home Assistant OS VM.

Searched as: 2026 UGREEN DXP2800 TerraMaster F2-424 Beelink ME Mini price docker immich home assistant NAS review2026 best NAS under $500 Intel N100 Docker Immich Home Assistant UGREEN DXP2800 TerraMaster F4-424 prices

How this table was made: each figure comes from the maker's own US product page or manual, or from the reviewer named next to it, checked 2026-11-08. Dealectric does not test units itself. Rows with a Buy link are products Dealectric lists: the links are affiliate links, and their codes are re-tested in the brand's own cart every day (last check 2026-11-13).

What the differences mean

Immich's own requirements page asks for 6 GB of RAM minimum and 8 GB recommended, and says a 4 GB machine can run it only with machine learning disabled. Home Assistant's installation page says a Container (Docker) install has no Apps, the add-on store, and no out-of-the-box Thread or Z-Wave. To get full Home Assistant on a NAS you run Home Assistant OS as a virtual machine, which Home Assistant specifies at 2 GB of RAM, 2 vCPUs and UEFI boot. Subtracting those two from each enclosure's RAM gives the table's headroom column:

• UGREEN DXP2800: 8 − 6 − 2 = 0 GB at stock. After the one-slot upgrade to 16 GB, 16 − 8 − 2 = 6 GB, with Immich at its recommended 8 GB.
• TerraMaster F2-425 Plus: 8 − 6 − 2 = 0 GB at stock. At TerraMaster's 32 GB ceiling, 32 − 8 − 2 = 22 GB. Intel's spec sheet rates the N150 at 16 GB, which gives 16 − 8 − 2 = 6 GB, the same as the DXP2800.
• TerraMaster F2-425: 4 − 6 = −2 GB before Home Assistant is counted. Immich's no-machine-learning mode needs all 4 GB.
• Synology DS225+: at its 6 GB maximum, 6 − 8 − 2 = −4 GB. At stock 2 GB it fails Synology's own rule that virtual machines run only on a NAS with more than 2 GB of memory.
• Asustor AS5402T: 4 − 6 − 2 = −4 GB at stock; 16 − 8 − 2 = 6 GB after filling both slots with 8 GB modules.

Use	Fits	Why
Immich with machine learning plus Home Assistant OS with add-ons, 2 bays	UGREEN DXP2800 with a 16 GB module	6 GB left for other containers, Virtual Machine app on the DXP series, lowest maker price of the x86 pair
The same, with room to grow past 16 GB or to use 5GbE	TerraMaster F2-425 Plus	22 GB left at TerraMaster's 32 GB ceiling, three M.2 slots, two 5GbE ports, $9.50 more at the makers' stores
Cheapest 2-bay file server, Immich without machine learning	TerraMaster F2-425	$299.99, but 4 GB leaves no room for Home Assistant OS

$389.99: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp2800

Memory budget, VM support and running cost

Immich's requirements page also says the Postgres database should live on a local SSD, never a network share, so the M.2 slots matter: the DXP2800 has two, the F2-425 Plus three (ITPro), and the Synology DS225+ none. Synology's Virtual Machine Manager specification states that VMs run only on a NAS with more than 2 GB of memory and only on Btrfs volumes, and that it imports qcow2 images, which is the format Home Assistant publishes for KVM. Synology's DS225+ page lists 2 GB, one slot and a 6 GB maximum, and warns that non-Synology memory modules void complete warranty and technical support. For UGREEN, the esp32.co.uk guide to installing Home Assistant on NASync (3 October 2026) states that current DXP models get Docker and the Virtual Machine app, the DH4300 Plus gets Docker only, and the DH2300 gets neither; it imports the qcow2 image with UEFI boot. Asustor lists VirtualBox as an official ADM app for the AS5402T. We did not verify VM support in TOS 6 on TerraMaster's own pages, so this page makes no claim about it; the F2-425 Plus figures above are hardware only.

Electricity barely separates the x86 boxes. At the EIA's August 2026 US residential average of 18.16 ¢/kWh, the DXP2800's UGREEN-rated 16.38 W in access is 16.38 × 8.76 = 143.5 kWh, or $26.06 a year. Tim Kutzner at igor'sLAB measured 14.5 W at the wall during transfers with one NVMe SSD and no HDDs, which is 127.0 kWh, or $23.07 a year, and 5.6 W in standby; noise was 33.2 dB(A) at 40 cm, equal to the room floor. Synology's rated 16.98 W for the DS225+ is $27.01 a year. Asustor's rated 22.9 W for the AS5402T is $36.43 a year, about $10 more than the DXP2800.

Not recommended

Synology DS225+ for this workload. Its 6 GB hard ceiling equals Immich's minimum, sits 2 GB under Immich's recommendation, and leaves nothing for the Home Assistant OS VM; at stock 2 GB Virtual Machine Manager will not run at all, and the only approved upgrade route is Synology's own 4 GB module. UGREEN DH2300: no official Docker or VM support in UGOS Pro per the esp32.co.uk guide. TerraMaster F2-425 at stock: 4 GB means Immich without machine learning and no VM.

Sources

• UGREEN DXP2800 price $389.99 at UGREEN's US NAS store, read 2026-11-08 — nas.ugreen.com
• TerraMaster F2-425 Plus $399.49 at TerraMaster's US store, read 2026-11-08 — www.terra-master.com
• TerraMaster F2-425 $299.99, Intel x86 quad-core, 4 GB RAM, 2.5GbE at TerraMaster's US store, read 2026-11-08 — www.terra-master.com
• Immich requirements: 6 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended, machine learning off at 4 GB, database on local SSD — docs.immich.app
• Home Assistant OS as a VM: 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs, UEFI boot, qcow2 image for KVM — www.home-assistant.io
• Home Assistant Container has no Apps (add-ons), no out-of-the-box Thread or Z-Wave — www.home-assistant.io
• TerraMaster F2-425 Plus: N150, 8 GB DDR5 in one slot upgradeable to 32 GB, three M.2 NVMe slots, dual 5GbE (ITPro, Dave Mitchell, 23 February 2026) — www.itpro.com
• Intel Processor N150 maximum memory 16 GB, one channel — www.intel.com
• Intel Processor N100: 4 cores, maximum memory 16 GB, one channel, Quick Sync Video — www.intel.com
• UGREEN DXP2800: Intel N100, 8 GB DDR5 expandable to 16 GB, two M.2 slots, one 2.5GbE, 16.38 W access / 5.24 W hibernation (The Gadgeteer, Julian Perry) — the-gadgeteer.com
• DXP2800 measured at the wall: 0.6 W off, 5.6 W standby, 14.5 W transferring, 33.2 / 35.6 dB(A) (igor'sLAB, Tim Kutzner) — www.igorslab.de
• UGOS Pro Docker and Virtual Machine app by model: DXP both, DH4300 Plus Docker only, DH2300 neither; qcow2 import, UEFI (esp32.co.uk, 3 October 2026) — esp32.co.uk
• Synology DS225+: J4125, 2 GB, one slot, 6 GB maximum, no M.2 line in the spec, 16.98 W access, non-Synology memory warranty footnote — www.synology.com
• Synology Virtual Machine Manager: VMs only on a NAS with more than 2 GB of memory, Btrfs only, qcow2 import, UEFI boot — www.synology.com
• Asustor AS5402T: 4 GB in one of two slots, 16 GB maximum, four M.2 PCIe 3.0 x1, VirtualBox app, 22.9 W operation — www.asustor.com
• US average residential electricity price 18.16 ¢/kWh, August 2026 (EIA Table 5.6.A) — www.eia.gov

Published 2026-11-03; updated 2026-11-12. The buy links are affiliate links; see the disclosure. Corrections welcome at [email protected] or /feedback.