Written by Richard
Edited on
2 October 2025
·
10:17
Compare: WD Red vs Seagate IronWolf
An expandable NAS doesn't include hard drives. By placing special NAS hard drives, you can make sure that all your backups, movies, photos, and personal files are safe. Both Seagate and WD have a NAS hard drive, namely the Seagate IronWolf and the WD Red. We'll explain the differences and similarities between these hard drives.
Why choose a NAS drive?
Compare the NAS
The technologies of the NAS drives of the WD Red and Seagate IronWolf are similar. Your NAS is on 24 hours a day, constantly writing and reading data. This makes your hard drives warmer than usual. The drives lower the temperature with the automatically changing rotation speed that they have. Anti-vibration sensors also protect the drives from the vibrations of the NAS.
Advantages
- Anti-vibration sensors against vibrations,
- Suitable for RAID setups,
- Automatic error correction,
- Variable hard drive speed for energy conservation,
- Lower heat production,
- Write and read had removal as soon as you stop using the NAS.
WD Red (Pro) vs. Seagate IronWolf (Pro)
| WD Red | WD Red Pro | Seagate IronWolf | Seagate IronWolf Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage capacity | 1TB - 14TB | 2TB - 14TB | 1TB- 16TB | 2TB - 16TB |
| Max. number of bays | 24 | 24 | ||
| Warranty | 3 years | 5 years | 3 years | 5 years |
| Rotation speed | 5400RPM | 7200RPM | 5900RPM - 7200RPM | 7200RPM |
| Rescue Service | No | No | Optional | 2 years included |
| MTBF | 1 million hours | 1 million hours | 1 million hours | 1.2 million hours |
| Workload | 180TB per year | 300TB per year | 180TB per year | 300TB per year |
| Temperature | 0 - 65℃ | 0 - 65℃ | 0 - 70℃ | 0 - 70℃ |
| Cache | 16MB - 256MB | 64MB - 512MB | 64MB - 256MB | 128MB - 256MB |
Summary
WD Red
WD Red: Western Digital uses WD NASware. This ensures a lower energy consumption. This way, you won't lose unsaved files. The WD Red has a lower rotation speed than the Seagate IronWolf, so you transfer files more slowly. The WD Red does get less hot, though, which makes it more durable.
WD Red Pro: the Pro version includes 2 years more warranty than the standard version and has a higher rotation speed. More rotations means tat you can transfer files faster. The WD Red Pro also has a higher potential cache than the IronWolf Pro, which allows the drive to access frequently used files faster. You can open these files faster this way. However, the WD Red Pro doesn't offer a data recovery service while Seagate does.
Seagate IronWolf
IronWolf: Seagate IronWolfs use Seagate AgileArray firmware. This means you'll have a better RAID array, error correction, and more. Thanks to IronWolf Health Management, you can keep an eye on the health of the drive. Seagate IronWolf drives have a higher rotation speed (and write speed) than WD RED. However, they do get a little warmer.
IronWolf Pro: The Pro version includes 2 years extra warranty and 2 years Seagate rescue service. Lost your data or is your drive malfunctioning? Seagate will repair it for you. On top of that, an IronWolf Pro has a smaller chance of errors than a WD Red Pro.
