WD vs Seagate: Which is More Reliable in 2025?
Last updated: January 2025
The short answer: Both fail. Buy whichever is cheaper per TB and keep backups.
This question gets asked weekly in r/DataHoarder, r/homelab, and every NAS forum. People want a definitive answer. There isn't one — but here's what we actually know.
The Backblaze Data
Backblaze, a cloud backup company, publishes quarterly drive failure statistics from their data centers. They run tens of thousands of drives and share the data publicly. It's the closest thing we have to objective reliability numbers.
What the 2024 data shows:
- Annualized failure rates (AFR) range from 0.5% to 3.5% across models
- Both WD and Seagate have models at the top and bottom
- The specific model matters more than the brand
- Larger capacity drives aren't inherently less reliable
The Seagate Exos X18 and WD Ultrastar lines both show excellent reliability. The WD Red and Seagate IronWolf NAS lines are comparable.
Why Brand Loyalty is Misguided
People swear by one brand because:
- They had one Seagate fail in 2012 and never forgot
- They've run WD for 10 years with no issues (survivorship bias)
- They read a forum post that confirmed what they already believed
The reality: both companies have shipped bad batches. Both have excellent product lines. The 2011 Thai floods, the Seagate 3TB firmware fiasco, and the WD SMR controversy all happened. Every manufacturer has skeletons.
What Actually Matters
1. Product Line
Not all drives are equal within a brand:
| Use Case | WD | Seagate |
|---|---|---|
| NAS (home) | WD Red Plus | IronWolf |
| NAS (pro) | WD Red Pro | IronWolf Pro |
| Enterprise | Ultrastar | Exos |
| Desktop | WD Blue | Barracuda |
| Budget/Archive | WD Elements (shuck) | Expansion (shuck) |
Enterprise drives (Ultrastar/Exos) are built for 24/7 operation with higher MTBF ratings. Desktop drives are not. Don't cheap out on drives for a NAS that runs constantly.
2. CMR vs SMR
This matters more than brand. SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) drives are slower for writes and can cause issues in RAID arrays. CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drives are preferred for NAS use.
Both WD and Seagate sell SMR drives, sometimes without clearly labeling them. Check before you buy.
Generally CMR:
- WD Red Plus, Red Pro, Ultrastar
- Seagate IronWolf, IronWolf Pro, Exos
Often SMR (avoid for NAS):
- WD Red (non-Plus) in smaller capacities
- Seagate Barracuda in some capacities
- Most external drives
3. Warranty
| Line | WD | Seagate |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | 2 years | 2 years |
| NAS | 3 years | 3 years |
| NAS Pro | 5 years | 5 years |
| Enterprise | 5 years | 5 years |
Basically identical. Not a differentiator.
4. Price Per TB
This is what actually varies. Prices fluctuate weekly based on sales, stock, and regional availability.
Check current $/TB prices on DiskDojo →
The Shucking Question
External drives (WD Easystore/Elements, Seagate Expansion) often contain enterprise-quality drives at lower prices. "Shucking" means buying the external and removing the drive.
Right now:
- WD Easystore 18TB+ often contains WD Red or Ultrastar drives
- Seagate Expansion varies more — sometimes Barracuda, sometimes Exos
Check r/DataHoarder for current shucking reports before buying.
Recommendations by Use Case
Home NAS (1-4 bays)
WD Red Plus or Seagate IronWolf. Buy whichever is cheaper. Both are CMR and NAS-optimized.
Serious NAS (5+ bays, 24/7)
WD Red Pro, Seagate IronWolf Pro, or go straight to enterprise (Ultrastar/Exos). The extra warranty and workload rating is worth it.
Cold Storage/Archive
Shuck external drives. Best $/TB. SMR doesn't matter if you're writing once and reading occasionally.
Budget Build
Used enterprise drives on eBay. Exos and Ultrastar drives with 20,000+ hours still have years of life left and cost a fraction of new.
See used drive prices on DiskDojo →
The Real Answer
Stop worrying about WD vs Seagate. Instead:
- Buy CMR drives for NAS use
- Buy the right product line for your use case
- Buy whichever is cheaper per TB at the time
- Keep backups — all drives fail eventually
The brand debate is a distraction. Your data's survival depends on redundancy and backups, not picking the "right" logo.