What is the difference between WD Red and WD Red Plus?
WD Red Plus is CMR; the original plain WD Red (2–6 TB EFAX models) was SMR. WD created Red Plus specifically to mark the CMR NAS drives after the SMR controversy. For a NAS, buy WD Red Plus (or Red Pro): the plain WD Red's SMR recording is unsuited to RAID. Larger Reds (8 TB+) were already CMR.
Last verified September 28, 2026 · 2 official sources checked Updated
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The difference is recording technology. After WD quietly shipped some plain WD Red drives as SMR, it introduced WD Red Plus to clearly designate the CMR NAS drives: same NAS positioning, but conventional recording.
The split
- Plain WD Red (WD20–60EFAX, 2–6 TB): SMR. Poorly suited to RAID rebuilds.
- WD Red Plus: CMR across capacities, the NAS drive to buy.
- WD Red Pro: CMR, 7200 rpm, higher workload rating and 5-year warranty, for busier or larger NAS units.
Confusingly, the higher-capacity plain Reds (8 TB and up) were CMR even before the split, but the safe rule today is simply: buy Red Plus or Red Pro and you are guaranteed CMR.
Does the difference matter?
Yes, for a NAS. SMR drives rewrite overlapping tracks and slow dramatically under sustained writes, which is exactly the load of a RAID rebuild. A CMR Red Plus rebuilds predictably; an SMR plain Red can stall. Unless you have a specific single-drive, write-light use, choose CMR. The table lists in-stock WD Red Plus drives.
WD Red Plus / Red Pro (CMR) drives in stock, by CA$/TB
Live Amazon.ca prices in CAD, ranked by price per terabyte. The Recording column is verified against manufacturer documentation. Prices checked
| Model | Capacity | Recording | Price | CA$/raw TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Western Digital 22TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD221KFGXNewbest price per TB CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Deals2You · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,400Buy on Amazon | 22 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,400 | CA$63.64/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 10TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD101EFBXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Deals2You · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$649Buy on Amazon | 10 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$649 | CA$64.91/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 16TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD161KFGXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,060Buy on Amazon | 16 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,060 | CA$66.25/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 8TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5640 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD80EFPXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$530Buy on Amazon | 8 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$530 | CA$66.25/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 18TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD181KFGXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by OneDealOutlet Canada · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,198Buy on Amazon | 18 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,198 | CA$66.55/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 4TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 128 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD40EFZZNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$275Buy on Amazon | 4 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$275 | CA$68.75/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 10TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD103KFBXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Deals2You · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$699Buy on Amazon | 10 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$699 | CA$69.91/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 3TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" -WD30EFPXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Generic Computer · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$216Buy on Amazon | 3 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$216 | CA$72.00/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 26TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD260KFGXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Deal Targets · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$2,000Buy on Amazon | 26 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$2,000 | CA$76.92/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 20TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD202KFGXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,545Buy on Amazon | 20 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,545 | CA$77.25/TB | Buy on Amazon |
Related questions
Sources
Every technical claim on this page is checked against manufacturer and standards documentation. Dates are when each source was last reviewed.
- Western Digital: WD Red Plus / Red Pro product & recording-tech documentation (checked 2026-07-22)
- Western Digital: Internal drives CMR/SMR statement (checked 2026-07-22)