TS-464

[Enquiries]

Read "where-is-qnap-right-now" as I'm about to upgrade my old ts-251 to 464. I thought staying in Qnap is the easiest, but now I'm wondering about buying a new 2021 model. I'm looking for longevity, and would like to do some containerization for home lab purposes. I really only use SMB, Qsirch, and Hybrid backup to Glacier. I like the form factor and external power supply type models.
I can suffer some downtime, but don't have a day to waste learning new software that does the same thing. I'm very technical but this stuff can take time. Who else would you bet my small budget and limited patience on? Thanks.

[ed]

Hey, thanks for the message and for reading that article. The TS-464 is still a good system in 2025 for home lab and SMB use, especially if you already know QTS and don’t want to start over on a new platform. It runs containers well through Container Station or Docker and still gets regular updates. If you value familiarity and a quick setup, sticking with QNAP makes sense.

That said, if your main goals are longevity and containerization with minimal hassle, I’d also consider the Synology DS923+. It’s slower for virtualization but far more stable long term and requires less hands-on maintenance. TerraMaster’s F4-424 or UGREEN’s DXP480T Plus are also good modern alternatives if you want newer hardware and lower cost, though their software ecosystems aren’t quite as polished.

If you’re comfortable with QNAP’s interface and just want something reliable for SMB, backups, and light Docker work, the TS-464 is still a solid buy for around $1K. If you want a “set and forget” experience with simpler updates and longer support, the DS923+ would be the safer long-term bet.