The best Synology NAS for Plex in 2026 is the Synology DS925+ for most people, as long as you plan around direct play. That’s the catch: none of Synology’s 2025 Plus models will hardware-transcode in Plex out of the box. The Ryzen models have no integrated graphics, and the two Intel models (DS225+ and DS425+) are reported to ship without the graphics driver Plex needs. So don’t buy a new Synology for transcoding, and if an older Intel model like a DS920+ or DS423+ transcodes for you today, keep it.
I’ve been running Synology hardware for close to 10 years (a DS1019+, DS923+ and DS925+ among them), and DSM is still a great reason to buy one. If you’re not set on Synology, though, my guide to the best NAS for Plex covers the machines that transcode well.
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Best Synology NAS for Plex in 2026
Every current Plus model runs Plex, so the best Synology for Plex comes down to how many bays you need and whether hardware transcoding matters to you. These are Synology’s 2025 Plus models as of September 2026:
| Model | Bays | CPU | Plex hardware transcoding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synology DS225+ | 2 | Intel Celeron J4125 | Not out of the box (no driver, as reported) |
| Synology DS725+ | 2 | AMD Ryzen R1600 | No (no integrated graphics) |
| Synology DS425+ | 4 | Intel Celeron J4125 | Not out of the box (no driver, as reported) |
| Synology DS925+ | 4 | AMD Ryzen V1500B | No (no integrated graphics) |
| Synology DS1525+ | 5 | AMD Ryzen V1500B | No (no integrated graphics) |
| Synology DS1825+ | 8 | AMD Ryzen V1500B | No (no integrated graphics) |
Synology DS925+: Best Synology NAS for Plex
4 bays · AMD Ryzen V1500B · 4 GB DDR4 ECC (up to 32 GB) · 2x 2.5GbE · 2x M.2 NVMe
This is the one I’d buy for almost everyone who wants a Synology for Plex, and I’ve had one. It’s a genuinely good device with ECC memory, two 2.5GbE ports and two M.2 slots. The downside is that the Ryzen V1500B has no integrated graphics, so it can’t hardware-transcode at all. Buy it for DSM and your storage, with clients that direct play. Synology added the DS925neo+ in August 2026, the same V1500B with 4 GB of non-ECC memory by default, so it can’t hardware-transcode either.
Synology DS225+: Best Budget Synology for Plex
2 bays · Intel Celeron J4125 · 2 GB DDR4 (up to 6 GB) · 1x 1GbE + 1x 2.5GbE
The cheapest 2025 Plus model, keeping the DS224+’s J4125 with one port upgraded to 2.5GbE. The catch is that it’s reported to ship without the graphics driver, so Plex can’t use the iGPU even though its Amazon listing says “Intel CPU for Hardware Transcoding” (more on that below). For a small library that direct plays it’s great, and the Synology DS425+ is the same story with four bays. The older DS224+ reportedly kept hardware transcoding through DSM 7.3, but with two gigabit ports and nothing confirmed on 7.4, I wouldn’t buy it just to transcode.
Synology DS1525+: Best for a Big Plex Library
5 bays · AMD Ryzen V1500B · 8 GB DDR4 ECC (up to 32 GB) · 2x 2.5GbE · optional 10GbE module
Five bays, twice the DS925+’s memory and room for a 10GbE module, and the Synology DS1825+ goes to eight. It’s the same V1500B, so you’re paying for bays and not Plex performance, and only a library that will outgrow four drives needs it.
The DS725+ is a two-bay take on the DS925+ (a smaller Ryzen R1600, ECC, no transcoding), priced about like the four-bay DS425+. For every model beyond the Plex angle, my guide on which Synology NAS you should buy covers the whole lineup.
Does Synology Plex Hardware Transcoding Still Work?
Not on any 2025 Plus model out of the box, though the older Intel models (DS224+, DS920+ and DS423+) reportedly kept it through DSM 7.3. It comes down to three things: the chip, the DSM driver, and Plex Pass. First, though, Plex has to actually transcode. If your client direct plays the file, the NAS just serves it and hardware transcoding gives you nothing.
If you want the best Synology NAS for Plex 4K, it’s still the DS925+, as long as your TVs and streaming boxes direct play your 4K files.
The Chip: Intel or Ryzen
The Intel Celeron J4125 (DS224+, DS225+, DS425+, and the older DS920+ and DS423+) has integrated graphics that Plex can use. The Ryzen chips in the DS725+, DS925+, DS1525+, DS1825+ and older DS923+ don’t. Synology traded integrated graphics for ECC memory, and back in December 2023 I said that for most people, better data integrity should win over hardware acceleration.
The Driver: Why the 2025 Intel Models Don’t Transcode
Having the right chip used to be enough. NAS Compares reported in September 2025 that the DS225+ and DS425+ ship without the i915 graphics driver that Plex, Jellyfin and Emby use. XDA (October 2025) and Lon.TV (September 2026) report the same result: no hardware transcoding out of the box. Synology’s own release notes do not say this. An unofficial community package brings it back, but it’s an unsupported modification, so I wouldn’t buy either one counting on it.
In October 2025, NAS Compares reported that the DSM 7.3 upgrade kept hardware transcoding (H.264 and H.265) on the DS920+, DS423+ and DS224+. Synology’s 7.4 and 7.4.1 notes (June and July 2026) don’t mention a change.
So if you already own a Synology DS423+, DS920+ or DS224+ that transcodes for you, keep it, even though the DS423+ has left Synology’s lineup. A Synology DS923+ never had hardware transcoding to lose (it’s Ryzen), so nothing changes for its owners either.
Plex Pass: Required for Hardware Transcoding
Even where the driver is there, hardware-accelerated streaming in Plex requires an active Plex Pass (see Plex’s own hardware-accelerated streaming requirements). It’s free on Jellyfin, but it is not on Plex or Emby.
What About Synology Media Server and Video Station?
Video Station is gone, as Synology removed it in DSM 7.2.2 (August 2024). Synology Media Server transcoding won’t help either. It’s a DLNA/UPnP server for TVs and stereos with no apps or remote streaming, and it dropped hardware transcoding of HEVC in December 2024.
Is a Synology NAS for Plex Still Worth It?
Yes, if you’re buying it for DSM, backups and storage, and Plex is one of the things it runs. As I put it in August 2026, if you value the app ecosystem that Synology has and don’t mind paying a premium for pretty outdated hardware, you should just get a Synology device. Plex publishes a DSM 7.2.2+ build for 64-bit Intel and AMD, ARMv8 and ARMv7 models, so a Synology NAS for Plex works fine.
Where I’d stop you is buying a Synology for Plex transcoding. The one 2025 Synology reported to transcode in Plex out of the box is the BeeStation Plus, a single-drive box on BeeStation OS rather than DSM. If transcoding for remote viewers or older clients is the point, buy something else, and my best NAS for Plex guide has what I’d buy instead.
How Much Storage Space Do I Need?
Use Synology’s RAID calculator to see how much space you’ll have after RAID, then pick a bay count with room to grow. Drives are less of a headache than when the DS925+ launched. Since DSM 7.3 (October 2025), you can use whatever hard drive you want on the 2025 Plus models, and note, I am saying hard drive. M.2 pools and cache still need drives from Synology’s compatibility list.
After you’ve picked your NAS, buy the best hard drive you can!
Setting Up Plex on a Synology NAS
There are two ways to set up Plex on a Synology NAS, and my tutorial on how to install Plex on a Synology NAS covers the package route step by step. Either way, hardware transcoding is switched on in Plex’s own settings, with Plex Pass.
- The Plex package: install Plex Media Server from Package Center, or download the Synology (DSM 7.2.2+) package from plex.tv and use Manual Install (the old DSM 7 package doesn’t work on 7.2.2 or later). This is the easiest route for almost everyone.
- Container Manager (what Synology renamed its Docker package): for hardware transcoding on an older J4125 model, the container needs /dev/dri passed through, and a DS225+ or DS425+ has no /dev/dri to pass.
Final Thoughts on Synology NAS for Plex
If you already run Plex somewhere, play a few of your own files on the TVs and streaming boxes you actually watch on. Then check Now Playing on Plex’s dashboard to see whether they direct play or transcode. As I said back in 2023, your goal is to direct play, and if your library already does, a Synology that can’t transcode won’t cost you anything you’d notice.
