I am looking for a good "value" 2 bay nas that I can sync with my cloud photos, currently google photos but I would be open to migrating them to a more easy access service, and running a pi-hole container. Would the Qnap TS-233 be able to handle these tasks? I was quite excited about the Synology DS-223 but it seems it cannot do containers. Also, would it be better to get an older QnapTS-251D-2G, as they are on offer at the moment?
Yes, the QNAP TS-233 can handle the tasks you mentioned. It is a budget-friendly 2-bay NAS that supports running containers, so you can run a Pi-hole container on it. It also supports cloud synchronization with various cloud services, including Google Photos.
As for the older QNAP TS-251D-2G, it can also handle running a Pi-hole container and cloud synchronization. It is an older model, but if you can find it on offer, it may be a good value. Older, but much more powerful.
In general, QNAP NAS devices are known for their versatility and ability to handle multiple tasks, so either of these models should be able to meet your needs. However, I recommend checking the specific specifications of each model to make sure it meets all of your requirements.