NAS vs Cloud Storage: Compare Three-Year Ownership Costs

A NAS can replace some cloud storage functions, but buying a box does not remove the cost of storing and protecting files. Compare the same usable capacity, access needs and recovery requirements before comparing prices. In the video example, the cheaper option changes when the assumed subscription price changes; neither technology wins every scenario.

Define the storage service first

Write down how much data you have today, how fast it grows, who needs access and whether access outside your home matters. A local video archive and a family photo service are different jobs. Compare features you will actually use, including sharing permissions, version history and recovery from accidental deletion.

For a new NAS, include the enclosure, drives, a separate backup and any additional equipment. For a cloud plan, check capacity, renewal terms, version retention and any extra service needed to protect the account. A plan with a larger headline capacity is not automatically the equivalent of your proposed NAS configuration.

Reproduce the video's three-year calculation

The hypothetical NAS budget is TRY 12,000 upfront plus TRY 50 a month for electricity and other recurring expenses. Three years is 36 months. Recurring costs are 50 × 36 = TRY 1,800, giving a nominal total of TRY 13,800.

The cloud example is TRY 250 a month. Over the same 36 months, that is TRY 9,000, which is TRY 4,800 lower. At TRY 500 a month, cloud costs TRY 18,000; the NAS example is then TRY 4,200 lower. These are illustrative inputs, not current prices or measured operating costs.

The simple monthly comparison threshold is 13,800 ÷ 36 = approximately TRY 383.33. With everything else held constant, a subscription above this amount makes the NAS cheaper in this particular nominal model. Change capacity, electricity, replacement costs or the time horizon and the threshold changes too.

Separate existing equipment from a new purchase

If you already own a working NAS, the original purchase price is not the same as the extra spending required by today's decision. Build one comparison for buying everything now and another for continuing with existing equipment. Otherwise you may count an old expense as if it could be avoided by cancelling a subscription today.

List uncertainty explicitly. Repairs, your setup time, financing, price changes, resale value and the time value of money are outside the simple video model. Add them as separate rows if they matter, rather than hiding an arbitrary allowance inside the electricity figure.

Two drives do not necessarily double usable space

With two 4 TB drives mirrored in RAID 1, approximately one drive's raw capacity is available before filesystem and system overhead. The second drive supports redundancy. It does not turn the setup into an 8 TB archive.

Redundancy also does not protect against every loss event. Deleting a file can affect the mirrored data, and theft or damage can affect the entire enclosure. Budget for recovery independently of the drive arrangement. See the RAID and backup guide for the difference.

Build a decision you can update

Keep the input cells visible: usable capacity, initial spending, monthly spending and months of use. Try your actual cloud renewal price and a higher electricity scenario. Record what changes the result and which uncertainties remain. This is more useful than presenting one total without assumptions.

Finally, choose a valuable file and describe how you would recover it if the NAS failed or your cloud account became inaccessible. If that answer is unclear, the comparison is incomplete even when the spreadsheet looks inexpensive. The separate NAS electricity guide explains how to replace the assumed electricity allowance with your own energy calculation.

Sources and scope

• Official reference 1

Related videos

The linked videos use Turkish narration. This article provides the English explanation of the same topic and assumptions.

• Watch the companion video
• Watch companion video 2

Edited by GKN Labs. Editorial update: 4 November 2026. Cover and explanatory visuals are illustrative, not evidence of product testing or measurement.