Best 18TB NAS hard drives
We track 11 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 Seagate ST18000NM000J at about $34.80/TB.
| Drive | Capacity | Tech | Class | Interface | AFR | €/TB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
WD181KFGX
WD Red Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €55.50 | €999 |
| 2 |
WD181KRYZ
WD Gold
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €52.34 | €942 |
| 3 |
WUH721818ALE6L4
WD Ultrastar DC HC550
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €63.16 | €1,137 |
| 4 |
WD181PURP
WD Purple Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | Surveillance | SATA | - | - | - |
| 5 |
ST18000NT001
Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | - | - |
| 6 |
ST18000NM000J
Seagate Exos X18
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €32.22 | €580 |
| 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 | - | €57.65 | €1,038 |
| 10 |
MG09SCA18TE
Toshiba MG09
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | €47.69 | €858 |
| 11 |
HDWG180
Toshiba N300
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €49.01 | €882 |
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.