Methodology: How We Test and Recommend
raidsize.com aims to give you honest, vendor-neutral guidance for your NAS setup. Here's transparently where our data and recommendations come from.
Why we exist
raidsize.com is a free tool with no signup, no tracking beyond privacy-first analytics (Fathom), and no display ads. It's funded solely by affiliate links on Amazon (marked below). We pick hardware purely by technical fit, not by commission size.
Data sources
Our recommendations and calculations are based on:
- Manufacturer datasheets – official specs for watts, dB, IOPS, MTBF
- Backblaze Drive Stats – annual failure rates (AFR) from thousands of production drives
- Community forums – TrueNAS, Synology, Unraid official communities, plus r/DataHoarder and r/HomeLab
- Hands-on testing – multiple NAS setups over several years
How we maintain prices
Default prices in the cost calculator are updated every 4-6 weeks. They reflect the average street price at major European and US retailers (Amazon DE/US/UK, Mindfactory, Newegg). They're estimates – daily deals deviate.
How RAID math works
All capacity calculations are deterministic: each drive is treated as a TB value, RAID formulas follow standard rules (RAID 5 = N-1 × smallest, RAID 6 = N-2 × smallest, etc.). SHR and Unraid use proprietary algorithms that we approximate as closely as possible (sources: official Synology and Lime Tech documentation). When uncertain, we point to the vendor's own tools.
How affiliate links work
On some pages you'll find links to Amazon and other retailers (marked as "affiliate link"). If you buy through these links we earn a small commission (typically 1-3%). You pay the same price, product ships normally. We only recommend products we use ourselves or have thoroughly researched.
What we don't do
- No sponsored content or paid reviews
- No artificially deflated comparisons (e.g. trash a product to push an affiliate alternative)
- No personal tracking, no cookies beyond theme/language preference
- No paid sponsorships or "preferred vendor" deals — recommendations are based purely on technical fit. Some NAS-OS vendors (e.g. Unraid, HexOS, TrueNAS) offer affiliate or referral programs; if we link to them on detail pages it's transparently marked as an "affiliate link" and never influences our recommendation against a better alternative.
Updates and corrections
Articles are revised when new data is available or errors are spotted. Major changes get a note at the top. Found an error? Reach out via the privacy contact.
What raidsize.com is NOT
We're not vendor support, not a data recovery service, and not professional consulting. For critical data loss, contact established recovery firms.