--- title: I ditched Google One for a 2-bay NAS, and my storage... description: Switching from a Google One subscription to a 2-bay NAS can cut storage costs significantly while providing more capacity, faster local transfers, and full... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-google-one-for-a-2-bay-nas-and-my-storage-costs-dropped-by-90--jxwr4svvo twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: I ditched Google One for a 2-bay NAS, and my storage costs dropped by 90% | daily.dev og:description: Switching from a Google One subscription to a 2-bay NAS can cut storage costs significantly while providing more capacity, faster local transfers, and full... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-google-one-for-a-2-bay-nas-and-my-storage-costs-dropped-by-90--jxwr4svvo og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/jXWR4svVo.png og:image:alt: I ditched Google One for a 2-bay NAS, and my storage costs dropped by 90% og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # I ditched Google One for a 2-bay NAS, and my storage costs dropped by 90% **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Switching from a Google One subscription to a 2-bay NAS can cut storage costs significantly while providing more capacity, faster local transfers, and full data control. A NAS running 10-18W costs roughly $15-25/year in electricity, reaching cost parity with a Google One plan around three years and becoming far cheaper afterward. Open-source tools like Synology Drive, NextCloud, and Obsidian via WebDAV can replace Google Drive and Docs, while snapshot features guard against ransomware and accidental deletion. Downsides include acting as your own sysadmin, handling hardware maintenance, and setting up remote access via tools like Tailscale or WireGuard. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How long does it take for a NAS to pay for itself compared to a Google One subscription? A NAS reaches full cost parity with a Google One subscription around the three-year mark. After that, from about four years onward, you're maintaining a 12TB private cloud for pennies per month, since the NAS only costs roughly $15 to $25 per year in electricity at 10-18W idle power draw, versus $180/year for a static 2TB Google One plan. _Anyone weighing storage subscriptions against hardware costs can find more comparisons like this on daily.dev._ ### What open-source alternatives can replace Google Drive and Google Docs on a home NAS? Synology Drive or NextCloud can replace Google Drive, offering native desktop sync clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux with virtual on-demand sync so files stream without consuming local SSD space. For Google Docs and workspace tools, Obsidian connected via a NAS WebDAV provides markdown-based notes and documentation synced securely over a private local network. _Developers building self-hosted stacks track tool swaps like these on daily.dev._ ### How much cheaper is a 12TB NAS setup compared to upgrading Google One to a 5TB or 10TB plan? Upgrading a Google One subscription past 2TB to a 5TB or 10TB tier can push costs beyond $2,000 to $3,000 over five years, while a 2-bay NAS provides 6x the usable storage at 12TB for a mostly one-time hardware cost plus roughly $15-25 per year in electricity. This makes the NAS route far cheaper for larger storage needs. _Those deciding between scaling cloud storage or going local can compare setups on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [I ditched cloud storage for a NAS and saved hundreds in the process](https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-cloud-storage-for-a-nas-and-saved-hundreds-in-the-process-nedc77tbk) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Leaving the cloud for a NAS taught me I still need it, just not the way I thought](https://daily.dev/posts/leaving-the-cloud-for-a-nas-taught-me-i-still-need-it-just-not-the-way-i-thought-hqpkx2prl) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [7 things I stopped paying for after getting a NAS](https://daily.dev/posts/7-things-i-stopped-paying-for-after-getting-a-nas-ryuiis7es) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Mass quitting Apple](https://daily.dev/posts/mass-quitting-apple-p1aksq4g7) · Lobsters · 2 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#self-hosting](https://daily.dev/tags/self-hosting), [#tailscale](https://daily.dev/tags/tailscale) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-google-one-for-a-2-bay-nas-and-my-storage-costs-dropped-by-90--jxwr4svvo) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"I ditched Google One for a 2-bay NAS, and my storage costs dropped by 90%","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-google-one-for-a-2-bay-nas-and-my-storage-costs-dropped-by-90--jxwr4svvo","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-google-one-for-a-2-bay-nas-and-my-storage-costs-dropped-by-90--jxwr4svvo"},"datePublished":"2026-08-21T12:03:51.887Z","dateModified":"2026-08-21T12:27:12.533Z","description":"Switching from a Google One subscription to a 2-bay NAS can cut storage costs significantly while providing more capacity, faster local transfers, and full...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/6bc47fb9c20b4da45440e883ca83fae4?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/6bc47fb9c20b4da45440e883ca83fae4?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-google-one-for-a-2-bay-nas-and-my-storage-costs-dropped-by-90--jxwr4svvo","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"self-hosting,tailscale","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"I ditched Google One for a 2-bay NAS, and my storage costs dropped by 90%"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-google-one-for-a-2-bay-nas-and-my-storage-costs-dropped-by-90--jxwr4svvo#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How long does it take for a NAS to pay for itself compared to a Google One subscription?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A NAS reaches full cost parity with a Google One subscription around the three-year mark. 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