Best 18TB NAS hard drives
We track 12 currently-sold 18TB NAS drives from WD, Seagate and Toshiba, ranked by real-world failure rate. None have large-scale Backblaze failure data yet, so they are ranked on manufacturer class and specs. Best value is the Toshiba MG09ACA18TE at about $21.80/TB.
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| Drive | Capacity | Tech | Class | Interface | AFR | C$/TB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
WD181KFGX WD Red Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | C$60.00 | C$1,080 |
| 2 |
WD181KRYZ WD Gold
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | C$62.22 | C$1,120 |
| 3 |
WUH721818ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC550
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | C$38.72 | C$697 |
| 4 |
WD181PURP WD Purple Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | Surveillance | SATA | - | C$62.22 | C$1,120 |
| 5 |
ST18000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | - | - |
| 6 |
ST18000NM000J Seagate Exos X18
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | C$46.04 | C$829 |
| 7 |
ST18000NM004J Seagate Exos X18
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | - | - |
| 8 |
ST18000VE002 Seagate SkyHawk AI
|
18 TB | CMR | Surveillance | SATA | - | - | - |
| 9 |
MG09ACA18TE Toshiba MG09
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | C$29.87 | C$538 |
| 10 |
MG09SCA18TE Toshiba MG09
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | - | - |
| 11 |
WUH721818AL5204 WD Ultrastar DC HC550
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | - | - |
| 12 |
HDWG51J Toshiba N300
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
WD181KFGX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity18 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TBC$60.00
C$1,080best live price
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WD181KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TBC$62.22
C$1,120best live price
View on Amazon
WUH721818ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC550
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TBC$38.72
C$697best live price
View on Amazon
WD181PURP
CMR
WD Purple Pro
Capacity18 TB
ClassSurveillance
Failure rate-
Price / TBC$62.22
C$1,120best live price
View on Amazon
ST18000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity18 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
ST18000NM000J
CMR
Seagate Exos X18
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TBC$46.04
C$829best live price
View on Amazon
ST18000NM004J
CMR
Seagate Exos X18
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
ST18000VE002
CMR
Seagate SkyHawk AI
Capacity18 TB
ClassSurveillance
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
MG09ACA18TE
CMR
Toshiba MG09
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TBC$29.87
C$538best live price
View on Amazon
MG09SCA18TE
CMR
Toshiba MG09
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WUH721818AL5204
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC550
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HDWG51J
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity18 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
Ranked by measured failure rate (Backblaze AFR). $/TB uses the cheapest live price where available.
Every drive here is a CMR (RAID-safe) 18TB 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 18TB NAS drive?
- None of the 18TB drives have large-scale Backblaze failure data yet; choose by manufacturer class and warranty.
- Are 18TB NAS drives CMR or SMR?
- Every 18TB drive we recommend for NAS use is CMR (conventional recording), the RAID-safe choice. We exclude SMR drives from NAS picks.