TrueNAS vs OpenNAS

TrueNAS9.2Visit OpenNAS6.9Visit

Higher score TrueNAS #1 in NAS Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 7 of 7 features Visit TrueNAS

vs

OpenNAS #13 in NAS Software 6.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 7 features Visit OpenNAS

• TrueNAS fits best

  Free, full-featured ZFS NAS

• OpenNAS fits best

  Free NAS with apps and VMs

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Side by side

Feature	TrueNAS 9.2/10 Visit ↗	OpenNAS 6.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	6.9
Ranking	#1 in NAS Software	#13 in NAS Software
Best for	Free, full-featured ZFS NAS	Free NAS with apps and VMs
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Browser extension
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web, Linux
Support	Email, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Compliance	2FA	2FA, SSO/SAML
Integrations	9 integrations	14 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business
Features TrueNAS 7/7 · OpenNAS 6/7
Storage pools	✓	✓
User management	✓	✓
Snapshots	✓	✓
App catalog	✓	✓
Container support	✓	✓
Virtual machines	✓	✓
Cloud sync	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free Community Edition with OpenZFS storage pools Supports file, block, and object storage services Includes snapshots, replication, apps, containers, and VMs	ZFS pools, software RAID, snapshots and scheduled S.M.A.R.T. monitoring Docker, Compose and KVM/QEMU virtual machines with browser consoles Permissions, passkeys, OIDC SSO and a signed-package app center
Cons	Requires compatible hardware or a virtualized or cloud deployment Community Edition includes community support Open core rather than fully open source	Currently offered as a beta release for x86_64 hardware Requires compatible hardware and self-hosted administration Its scope may exceed the needs of users seeking basic file sharing
Our verdict	TrueNAS is a self-hosted storage platform built on OpenZFS for home labs, businesses, and enterprise environments. Community Edition is available as a free software download and provides storage pools, file, block, and object storage… Read the review →	OpenNAS is a free, open-source NAS operating system for self-hosters and homelabs running compatible x86_64 hardware. It combines storage management, file access, applications and virtualization in a browser-based desktop with windows, a… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• TrueNAS — where it wins

  • Free Community Edition with OpenZFS storage pools
  • Supports file, block, and object storage services
  • Includes snapshots, replication, apps, containers, and VMs

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires compatible hardware or a virtualized or cloud deployment
  • Community Edition includes community support
  • Open core rather than fully open source

• OpenNAS — where it wins

  • ZFS pools, software RAID, snapshots and scheduled S.M.A.R.T. monitoring
  • Docker, Compose and KVM/QEMU virtual machines with browser consoles
  • Permissions, passkeys, OIDC SSO and a signed-package app center

  Where it doesn't

  • Currently offered as a beta release for x86_64 hardware
  • Requires compatible hardware and self-hosted administration
  • Its scope may exceed the needs of users seeking basic file sharing

• TrueNAS9.2/10 · Free plan

  A free, full-featured ZFS NAS for labs, businesses, and enterprise environments.

  Visit TrueNASFull verdict →
• OpenNAS6.9/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source NAS for storage, containers, virtual machines and self-hosted apps.

  Visit OpenNASFull verdict →