Best 26TB NAS hard drives
We track 3 currently-sold 26TB NAS drives from WD, ranked by real-world failure rate. The lowest measured annualized failure rate is the WD Ultrastar DC HC590 WUH722626ALE6L4 at 0.84% (Backblaze Drive Stats). Best value is the WD WUH722626ALE6L4 at about $50.50/TB.
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| Drive | Capacity | Tech | Class | Interface | AFR | $/TB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
WUH722626ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC590
|
26 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.84% | $50.50 | $1,313 |
| 2 |
WUH722626AL5204 WD Ultrastar DC HC590
|
26 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | - | - |
| 3 |
WD261KRYZ WD Gold
|
26 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | $54.62 | $1,420 |
WUH722626ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC590
Capacity26 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.84%
Price / TB$50.50
$1,313best live price
View on Amazon
WUH722626AL5204
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC590
Capacity26 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD261KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity26 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB$54.62
$1,420best live price
View on Amazon
Ranked by measured failure rate (Backblaze AFR). $/TB uses the cheapest live price where available.
Every drive here is a CMR (RAID-safe) 26TB model in current production. For a NAS or RAID array, pick the lowest failure rate you can afford; enterprise drives (Exos, Ultrastar, MG) trade some noise and power draw for the longest workload ratings. See how to choose a NAS drive for the full rundown.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the most reliable 26TB NAS drive?
- WD Ultrastar DC HC590 WUH722626ALE6L4 has the lowest Backblaze annualized failure rate at this capacity at the time of writing.
- Are 26TB NAS drives CMR or SMR?
- Every 26TB drive we recommend for NAS use is CMR (conventional recording), the RAID-safe choice. We exclude SMR drives from NAS picks.