Cost per terabyte, ranked
The cheapest storage isn't the drive with the lowest sticker price — it's the one with the lowest price per terabyte. Below is every drive we've reviewed, sorted cheapest-first, with the ORA Consensus Score beside each so you can weigh price against reliability.
| # | Drive | Type | Capacity | Price | $/TB | ORA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seagate Exos 22TB Enterprise HDD (Renewed) | Internal Hard Drives | 22 TB | $549.00 | $24.95 | 6.4 |
| 2 | Seagate Exos X14 14TB Enterprise HDD (Renewed) | Internal Hard Drives | 14 TB | $359.99 | $25.71 | 5.4 |
| 3 | Seagate BarraCuda 8TB Internal Hard Drive (5,400 RPM) | Internal Hard Drives | 8 TB | $257.91 | $32.24 | 7.5 |
| 4 | Toshiba Enterprise MG Series 16TB SATA 3 | Internal Hard Drives | 16 TB | $519.99 | $32.50 | 5.5 |
| 5 | Seagate Expansion 8TB External Hard Drive HDD (USB 3.0) | External Hard Drives | 8 TB | $268.26 | $33.53 | 5.6 |
| 6 | Toshiba N300 PRO 20TB NAS HDD | Internal Hard Drives | 20 TB | $719.99 | $36.00 | 5.5 |
| 7 | Seagate One Touch 8TB External Hard Drive (USB 3.0) | External Hard Drives | 8 TB | $289.99 | $36.25 | 7.4 |
| 8 | Seagate Skyhawk AI 16TB Video Internal Hard Drive (ST16000VE004) | Internal Hard Drives | 16 TB | $579.99 | $36.25 | 6.3 |
| 9 | Seagate IronWolf Pro 12 TB (ST12000NT001) | Internal Hard Drives | 12 TB | $455.99 | $38.00 | 6.6 |
| 10 | WD Red Plus 10TB NAS HDD | Internal Hard Drives | 10 TB | $389.99 | $39.00 | 7.4 |
| 11 | WD Red Pro 18TB NAS HDD | Internal Hard Drives | 18 TB | $729.99 | $40.55 | 5.6 |
| 12 | WD Blue PC Internal Hard Drive (8TB) | Internal Hard Drives | 8 TB | $324.99 | $40.62 | 7.2 |
| 13 | WD Elements Desktop External Hard Drive (20TB) | External Hard Drives | 20 TB | $814.99 | $40.75 | 6.6 |
| 14 | Toshiba MG10ACA20TE (20TB) | Internal Hard Drives | 20 TB | $824.95 | $41.25 | 6.9 |
| 15 | WD_Black Performance Internal Hard Drive (10TB) | Internal Hard Drives | 10 TB | $450.51 | $45.05 | 6.7 |
| 16 | Seagate Portable 4TB External Hard Drive HDD (USB 3.0) | External Hard Drives | 4 TB | $189.99 | $47.50 | 8.1 |
| 17 | WD Purple 8TB Surveillance HDD (WD84PURZ) | Internal Hard Drives | 8 TB | $429.95 | $53.74 | 6.7 |
| 18 | Western Digital 6TB WD Red Plus NAS HDD | Internal Hard Drives | 6 TB | $380.00 | $63.33 | 7.4 |
| 19 | YOTUO 1TB External Hard Drive (USB 3.0 & USB-C) | External Hard Drives | 1 TB | $69.99 | $69.99 | 6.8 |
| 20 | Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive (USB 3.0) | External Hard Drives | 2 TB | $149.99 | $75.00 | 8.3 |
| 21 | Western Digital WD Blue SN5000 NVMe SSD (4TB) | Nvme | 4 TB | $449.99 | $112.50 | 9.0 |
| 22 | TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 1TB SATA SSD | Ssd | 1.024 TB | $129.99 | $126.94 | 6.1 |
| 23 | KingSpec 1TB 2.5 SSD SATA III Internal | Ssd | 1 TB | $129.59 | $129.59 | 5.1 |
| 24 | fanxiang S101Q (1TB SATA SSD) | Ssd | 1 TB | $129.99 | $129.99 | 5.1 |
| 25 | fanxiang S101 1TB SSD | Ssd | 1 TB | $135.99 | $135.99 | 5.3 |
| 26 | Acer Predator GM7000 (NVMe SSD) | Nvme | 2 TB | $278.99 | $139.50 | 8.2 |
| 27 | SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD (Old Model) | External Hard Drives | 2 TB | $280.49 | $140.25 | 6.6 |
| 28 | Crucial P310 2TB SSD (PCIe Gen4 NVMe) | Nvme | 2 TB | $289.90 | $144.95 | 7.9 |
| 29 | Sandisk WD_Black SN7100 2TB NVMe SSD | Nvme | 2 TB | $289.99 | $145.00 | 7.8 |
| 30 | SP Silicon Power A55 (1TB) | Ssd | 1 TB | $145.97 | $145.97 | 6.3 |
| 31 | Acer Predator GM7 2TB SSD (PCIe Gen 4) | Nvme | 2 TB | $309.99 | $155.00 | 9.1 |
| 32 | Patriot Memory P210 SATA 3 SSD (256GB) | Ssd | 0.256 TB | $41.99 | $164.02 | 6.0 |
| 33 | Crucial BX500 1TB SATA SSD | Ssd | 1 TB | $172.49 | $172.49 | 5.7 |
| 34 | Sandisk WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD | Nvme | 2 TB | $349.99 | $175.00 | 7.7 |
| 35 | Western Digital WD Blue SA510 (1TB SATA SSD) | Ssd | 1 TB | $178.00 | $178.00 | 4.8 |
| 36 | SP Silicon Power A55 SSD (256GB) | Ssd | 0.256 TB | $48.97 | $191.29 | 5.1 |
| 37 | Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD 2TB | Nvme | 2 TB | $384.35 | $192.18 | 7.7 |
| 38 | Samsung 990 PRO SSD (2TB) | Nvme | 2 TB | $389.99 | $195.00 | 8.4 |
| 39 | Samsung SSD 9100 PRO 2TB (PCIe 5.0x4) | Nvme | 2 TB | $399.99 | $200.00 | 7.9 |
| 40 | Patriot Memory Burst Elite (SATA 3 120GB SSD) | Ssd | 0.12 TB | $25.99 | $216.58 | 6.6 |
| 41 | PNY CS900 250GB SATA III SSD | Ssd | 0.25 TB | $54.99 | $219.96 | 6.1 |
| 42 | WD_BLACK SN850P NVMe M.2 SSD (PS5 Licensed) | Nvme | 1 TB | $219.99 | $219.99 | 9.4 |
| 43 | Sandisk WD_Black SN8100 (PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD) | Nvme | 8 TB | $1,899.99 | $237.50 | 8.5 |
| 44 | Kingston A400 SATA 3 2.5" SSD (480GB) | Ssd | 0.48 TB | $118.50 | $246.88 | 7.4 |
| 45 | Crucial BX500 500 GB SSD | Ssd | 0.5 TB | $123.69 | $247.38 | 7.8 |
| 46 | Samsung 870 EVO SATA SSD (500GB) | Ssd | 0.5 TB | $277.85 | $555.70 | 5.6 |
No drives match that filter.
Frequently asked questions
How is cost per terabyte calculated?
We divide each drive's current price by its advertised capacity in terabytes (price divided by TB). A $180 4 TB drive works out to $45 per TB. Lower is cheaper storage.
Are these prices live?
Each price is the figure we captured when we last reviewed the drive, shown with an 'as of' date on every row. Storage prices move often, so always confirm the current price at the retailer before buying.
Why isn't the absolute cheapest drive always the best buy?
Cost per terabyte ignores reliability, warranty, speed, and workload rating. A slightly pricier drive with a better endurance record is often the smarter long-term buy, which is why each row also shows its ORA Consensus Score.
Do you include SSDs and hard drives together?
Yes, but you can filter by drive type. Hard drives are far cheaper per terabyte than SSDs; compare like with like when you sort.