Quite a few of you have been reaching out to me in the past week asking me if you should buy the newly released UNAS Pro from Ubiquiti. So let’s talk about the device, its price, hardware and software highlights, whether it supports Docker and other relevant aspects that will tell you what you really need to know if you were considering buying it.

🚀UNAS Pro Official Website

The UNAS Pro is a rack-mount NAS and the first-of-its-kind from Ubiquiti. It is a NAS, a Network-Attached Storage device, with steel enclosure and mount material, and 7 drive bays. It comes with HDD and SSD support, allowing you to use either disk option, has one RJ45 Gbe port and one 10G SFP+ port.

The bulk of appreciation for the new UNAS Pro stems from its 10Gb SFP+ port which supports seamless multi-GB file transfer speeds and large-scale file storage. The fact that it’s an Ubiquiti product is another main point of attraction as it means a seamless integration in the UniFi environment. If you own related UniFi devices, then the process of adding a UNAS Pro to your environment will likely be streamlined and harmonious.

However, the UNAS Pro has some underwhelming hardware specifications that should not be overlooked, mainly the processor. The UNAS Pro has a Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A57 processor at 1.7 GHz. For a NAS device released in 2024, it’s my opinion that a processor as under-powered as this is not something one should get.

🚀UNAS Pro Technical Specifications

Even if it’s the first-of-its-generation, that is no reason to not come equipped with one of the best processors out there right now, especially when it’s supposed to compete with established brands with well-rounded products that have managed to rally fan bases of millions of users. A better processor for the UNAS Pro would have translated into higher overall device performance, not to mention it would have paired beautifully with the 10G port. One great implementation such as the 10G port does not eliminate the need for a powerful processor on this type of device which has an equally important standing in terms of requirements.

🐋Can you run Docker on the UNAS Pro? No, at present, you cannot run Docker on the UNAS Pro. The choice to not support Docker surely has its reasoning. However, any business pushing out a NAS right now must know that Docker support is an essential requirement in today’s age and a deciding factor when it comes to making the choice of whether to buy a NAS or not. The UNAS Pro may be a great storage solution and offer seamless integration into the UniFi ecosystem, but Docker support is an attractive and competitive feature that can push a NAS above its competitors.

Even if support for Docker were to be added, the ARM Cortex-A57 processor with which the UNAS Pro is equipped would not support many of the resource-hungry and feature-rich Docker containers we have right now anyway. You can’t even run VMs, for example, as the lack of processing power does not support Virtual Machine implementation.

Another aspect I’d like to point out is that, while the UNAS Pro does large-scale file storage and multi-GB file transfer speeds well thanks to its 10G SFP+ port and has integrated backup solutions, the fact that it proposes very limited cloud storage backup options (Google Drive and One Drive) limits potential users and herds them towards same-ecosystem purchases for backups.

💵How much does the UNAS Pro cost? The price of UNAS Pro is 499$, or 550 EUR, VAT included, as per the official website. Some may see it as a competitive price, and it is in a way – as a product that integrates with the UniFi line of products, with RAID storage technology and 10 Gbps technology, as well as integrated backup solutions, the UNAS Pro is more than just a hard drive and, as a result, the price can be justifiable, especially to the existing base of UniFi users.

However, the fact remains that the UNAS Pro comes with overall underwhelming hardware and lacks the processing power and extensive third-party app support, including sufficient range of cloud backup solutions support that would elevate it beyond a basic NAS storage solution. And to be honest, my eye twitches a little bit when I look at the disk bays.

🔴I admit I struggle with OCD and the intentional misaligned placement of the disk bays, and of the RJ45 port and 10G SFP+ port positions, is something I have difficulty dealing with. But that’s just my personal pet peeve. Overall, I would hold off on getting it and instead wait for its successor.

⭐Then why the stellar reviews everywhere? I have been wondering who had really had the time to reliably test the UNAS Pro considering it’s barely out. It’s likely there has been a marketing campaign underway pushing the NAS into view since it’s a new line of products for the brand. That’s why we’ve been seeing everyone and their dog talking about it. And what other way to get people to know about a new product then to present it extensively? If you are undecided to what extent to trust a review, look for markers such as affiliate links, notably numbers and quality. If there are too many of them and every product reviewed is stellar, then you can question the sincerity.

As for whether the UNAS Pro is a good NAS to buy, I would say it’s not a ‘Pro’ device as its name suggests. My professional recommendation, after years and hundreds of devices tested, is to not buy it. Instead, take a look at the upcoming x25 NAS models from Synology because it shouldn’t be long until they are announced.

This post was updated on Sunday / November 24th, 2024 at 5:05 AM